Trade shows and exhibitions

Exhibition legal issues

Guide

When exhibiting at a trade fair you must ensure your stand:

  • meets health and safety standards
  • meets accessibility requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act
  • complies with regulations applying to the sale of goods
  • complies with data protection and privacy rules if you collect any contact data at the event
  • complies with intellectual property law only displaying products or designs you have the rights to use

Designing a safe stand

When designing your exhibition stand you should ask yourself:

  • Will every visitor be able to get to the stand and take part in any hands-on demonstrations?
  • Is everything you want to do covered by the venue insurance?
  • Have you made sure there's nothing for visitors to trip over or injure themselves on? For example, ensure there are no trailing leads and stow away promotional materials.
  • Is the electrical supply suitable for your installations?

Selling and the law

If you plan to sell goods or services at the exhibition, you should also consider:

  • The Consumer Rights Act - this states that all goods or services must match the description given, be fit for their purpose and be of satisfactory quality.
  • Product liability law - if anyone suffers damage to personal property or is injured or killed as a result of using your product, they could sue you.
  • Weights and measures - if you sell any of your goods by weight or measure you will have to comply with a number of rules.
  • Pricing - there are laws that affect how you must give prices and protect customers from misleading pricing tactics