Exhibition Booth Vocabulary: ANSI Seeks Feedback on Proposed International Workshop Agreement

Submit Feedback by February 12

Exhibitions, which include various parts including booth design, production, construction, and management, have grown globally over the years. However, misunderstandings and communication issues can lead to delays, material waste, and loss of quality and efficiency. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) encourages its stakeholders to submit feedback on a proposal for an International Workshop Agreement (IWA) on exhibition booth vocabulary by February 12, 2021.

SAC, the Standardization Administration of China, submitted the proposal to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Management Board for consideration. According to the proposal, in respect to the international standards, few documents and references interpret booth-related vocabulary. The proposal provides an explanation of the IWA document, which aims to:

• establish a set of standardized and explicit booth vocabulary, solve the ambiguity and misunderstanding caused by the lack of a standard, and form a common language for communication within the exhibition industry and between the exhibition industry and other industries;
• strengthen standardization of exhibition booth design, production, construction, and management;
• help improve the professional ability of exhibition practitioners;
• promote communication and exchanges between exhibition industries of various countries and strengthen international cooperation in the exhibition industry.

Ultimately, as the proposal asserts, an IWA can help promote economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, generate new opportunities and drive economic growth in the host city/area of exhibitions. In addition, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, countries around the world have launched online exhibitions. This shift has created new technological advances and changes in management models. An IWA can provide clear guidance for practitioners and support for the standardization of exhibition booth design, production, construction and management of both online and offline exhibitions.

All interested U.S. parties are invited to review the proposal, which features related existing ISO/work and relevant affected stakeholders. Submit comments to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director of international policy and strategy, at [email protected] by close of business on February 12. ANSI is the U.S. member body to ISO.

What is an IWA?

An IWA is a type of document that is developed with direct participation of stakeholders outside of the traditional ISO country representation system to enable players to negotiate in an open workshop environment. After the IWA workshop, text will be edited and published. A proposal to hold an ISO workshop for the purpose of developing one or more IWAs on a particular subject may come from any source, including ISO member bodies, liaison organizations, corporate bodies, etc.