Trade Show Rules, Regulations, and Codes of Conduct

The following rules and regulations and codes of conduct (Trade Show Rules), as approved by the WESA Board of Directors, govern all WESA Trade Shows and attendees. WESA Members/Exhibitors are responsible for compliance upon submission of a completed Exhibitor Contract, including all related subparts and fees.

1. A Member wishing to participate in a Trade Show must submit an Exhibitor Contract and pay the required Trade Show fees as designated by the Association.
2. A Member must check in with the WESA Show Office and physically be in attendance during the Trade Show all show days and hours to earn a seniority point for that Trade Show.
3.  A Member assigned temporary exhibit space is subject to a loss of assigned exhibit space if he/she does not attend two consecutive January or two consecutive August Trade Shows.
4. A Member-assigned temporary exhibit space is subject to a loss of his/her assigned exhibit space if he/she attends a WESA Trade Show only every other year, in an effort to retain such assigned exhibit space.
5. A Member is contractually obligated to have his/her exhibit space set up and ready for business by the closing hour of the designated move-in period preceding a Trade Show. Exhibit spaces must be open during all published show hours or be subject to automatic and established penalties for late openings and early closings.
6. A Member failing to occupy his/her assigned temporary exhibit space before the closing hour of the designated move-in period, for a given Trade Show, forfeits the right to the assigned exhibit space, without refund or other compensation. WESA has the right, unless notified before the closing hour of the designated move-in period, to take possession of said space and to make arrangements to use the space to advance the best interests of the Trade Show.
7. Any loss of WESA or Trade Show complex equipment or damage to an exhibit space, exhibit areas or furnishings, will be charged to the assigned and/or listed Member. The assigned Member is responsible for returning a temporary exhibit space to its original condition.
8. A Member is responsible for insurance covering his property for theft and damage during a WESA Trade Show. Furthermore, a Member is responsible for providing insurance, naming WESA as an additional insured for bodily injury, loss, or damage.
9. A Member is responsible for keeping his/her exhibit space properly staffed, clean, and presentable during all Trade Show days and hours. Certain guidelines may be established by WESA for all Members, from time to time, as required, to standardize exhibit space presentations, for the good of the Trade Show and/or for the safety of all attendees.
10. A Member must arrange exhibit space displays to conform to the dimensions of the contracted exhibit space. Absolutely no product may be displayed above the eight (8’) foot drape height of an exhibit space. All business must be conducted within a contracted exhibit space. Common areas and aisles may not be used as exhibit space, or for seating for an exhibit space or for viewing merchandise for an exhibit space.
11. For the safety of all attendees, the initial pipe and drape configuration of an exhibit space by WESA, and/or its official contractors, may not be altered in any way that might affect the structural integrity of that exhibit space or that of any adjacent exhibit spaces. Additionally, caution must be used when attaching product or display to pipe and drape or to any element of a booth that might affect the pipe and drape stability. Should any exhibit space be deemed “unsafe,” WESA reserves the right to take any and all cautionary and necessary action with or without a Member’s permission.
12. An exhibit space must remain completely intact, as originally displayed at the opening hour of the Trade Show, until the official close of the Trade Show. Duplicate samples and/or lines may not be packed or removed, nor moved between on-site buildings or exhibit space locations. No items for display may be packed or removed. No boxes, cartons, or packing crates may be in evidence prior to the official Trade Show closing. Any and all Members assigned or listing an exhibit space cited for a violation of this rule may be subject to a penalty of $1,000 and/or a loss of exhibit space, and/or loss of exhibit space location.
13. One-of-a-kind items may be sold during a Trade Show but may not be removed from the Trade Show prior to official show closing. No “samples for sale,” “cash and carry,” or other signs with similar meanings are permitted.
14. There will be no soliciting of business in hallways, doorways, or aisles. Such action will be considered buttonholing. All sales transactions must be confined to assigned and listed exhibit spaces.
15. The use of cameras, video equipment, or similar photographic equipment, including but not limited to camera phones and other future-like equipment, without the express consent of a Member, are prohibited. WESA may confiscate unauthorized or misused equipment until the close of a Trade Show or Trade Show day.
16. Promotional materials of any kind, models, and/or enticements must be confined to assigned or listed exhibit spaces. Distribution of promotional or sales materials in common areas of the entire Trade Show complex is prohibited. No items or information may be passed out at the Trade Show in common areas. Items or information distributed from listed or assigned exhibit spaces must pertain to the products sold in the same.
17. A Member is responsible for guaranteeing that any presentation or display in his/her exhibit space directly relates to the products being sold in that same space. Distractions originating from an exhibit space that might compromise the best interests of other Members are not permitted. Extraneous noise, including music, audible beyond the originating exhibit space, is strictly prohibited.
18. A Member and/or any other participating attendees will not use or take advantage of the Trade Show to exhibit or promote products or events off-site or to conduct meetings or activities on-site which might compromise Trade Show attendance during published Trade Show hours. Promotional or hospitality functions, including but not limited to entertainment of any kind that is designed to attract large numbers of attendees from the Trade Show show floor to a single, or to multiple, exhibit space(s) are prohibited during Trade Show hours.
19. Admission to a WESA Trade Show is restricted to registered exhibitors, selling associates, company executives, non-selling personnel, suppliers, press, and buyers. Official Trade Show Badges must be worn at all times. No guests or visitors are allowed. A Member is responsible for the proper registration for all those participating or attending in his exhibit space, and also for those attending the Trade Show under the Company/lines listed by the Member.
20. Entering another Member’s exhibit space without invitation is strictly prohibited. Entering another Member’s exhibit space before or after Trade Show hours, or when another Member’s exhibit space is momentarily unoccupied during Trade Show hours, is strictly prohibited. No item of any kind may be removed from another Member’s exhibit space without the member’s express written permission.
21. Subletting is strictly prohibited. Subletting is defined as either the leasing or sharing of partial or entire amounts of exhibit space with another Member, Company or companies, person or persons, line or lines, with or without a monetary exchange, financial consideration, or remuneration, unless all Members represent and list the same Companies/lines as listed by the Member assigned the exhibit space. Each and all Members assigned or listing an exhibit space cited for subletting may be subject to a penalty of $5,000 and a loss of temporary exhibit space assignment for two consecutive WESA January and/or August Trade Shows.
22. There will be no business between Companies/lines/manufacturers participating in a WESA Trade Show and their Suppliers (including but not limited to jobbers) during a Trade Show or during official Trade Show functions, other than if said Supplier is a properly registered participant in the Trade Show. This same business must be conducted in the confines of an assigned or listed exhibit space.
23. Suppliers wishing to attend a WESA Trade Show for the limited and express purpose of selling to Members, associates, and executives are required to register either in advance or on-site and pay the established Supplier registration fees. A Member allowing Suppliers to sell in his exhibit space without proper registration and fees is then subject to penalty; entrance may be denied to the Supplier for future Trade Shows.
24. Any complaint filed by a Member or other Trade Show attendee, citing another Member or any other Trade Show attendee for a purported violation, must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors within thirty (30) days of the close of the named Trade Show. If a formal hearing is required by the WESA Board and/or Rules Committee, all parties may be asked to appear. Any and all complaints filed with the WESA Board will be addressed according to WESA policy, and actions may be guided by established WESA precedents.
25. A Member who is considered a perpetual and/or repeat offender for infractions of the WESA Bylaws, Policies and/or Trade Show Rules, addressed by WESA over a period of three or more Trade Shows, may be subject to a loss of exhibit space and/or a loss of exhibit space location. If the WESA Board designates a Member as a perpetual or repeat offender, based on WESA records, then WESA may consider that Member’s request for exhibit space for the next same Trade Show or next Trade Show after all other requests for exhibit space have been addressed. Any Trade Show attendee with repeated violations of the WESA Bylaws, Policies, and/or Trade Show Rules and/or considered a perpetual and/or repeat offender by designation of the WESA Board or staff may be subject to expulsion from the WESA Trade Shows.
26. If it is impossible, for any reason, for any attendee to comply with the Trade Show Rules governing a WESA Trade Show, the Trade Show Manager should be informed, in writing, prior to the Trade Show, or within ten (10) calendar days following the Trade Show. The Board of Directors may be consulted for resolution, or may intervene, as necessary.
27. All matters and questions covered in the Trade Show Rules may be amended at any time by WESA. Such amendments or additions will be equally binding on all parties affected by the original Trade Show Rules.