MCH has previously encouraged all exhibitors to think carefully before entering into written agreements with:
The company Global EXPO LIST, which offers a list of participants and their contact information
The Austrian company Fair Guide runs the www.fairguide.com website through the company Construct Data Verlag AG
The Mexican firm Commercial Online Manuals S de RL de CV, which runs the www.expo-guide.com website through the company Expo-Guide in Germany
The Slovakian firm Event Fair, which runs the www.eventandfair.org website
Fair Guide, Expo-Guide and Event Fair regularly send out written offers for admission and advertising on their websites to exhibitors who have participated in trade fairs or exhibitions in MCH. The company has obtained the names of the exhibitors without our knowledge or consent and, in so doing, has unlawfully copied the MCH website. Moreover, the offers themselves may be designed to provide the erroneous impression that MCH works with the companies in question.
No cooperation with Fair Guide, Expo-Guide or Event Fair
We must emphasise that MCH Messecenter Herning Kongrescenter has absolutely no form of cooperation with the above-mentioned guides. We have never supplied them with lists/names of exhibitors, and we strongly reject the methods employed by these companies. Anyone who signs an agreement with Fair Guide, Expo-Guide or Event Fair will be obliged to pay up to DKK 25,000 for three years’ inclusion on the respect online portals. It is naturally up to each individual company to decide whether they wish to pay for this service. We certainly do not think it is worth the money.
German ruling against Fair Guide
Fair Guide uses the same method in numerous countries. However, trade fair organisers and exhibitors have achieved a breakthrough in their fight against Fair Guide as the District Court of Chemnitz in Germany recently ruled against Fair Guide. In its decision, the court found the company guilty of fraud, ruled that Construct Data Verlag AG could not demand payment from customers who signed the company’s form, required the deletion of customer data from the internet page, and ordered Construct Data Verlag AG to pay both parties’ legal fees. MCH is in possession of hard-copy versions of the ruling and its content in both English and German.
Other similar enterprises
Please note that other companies also use a concept that closely resembles these business practices – e.g. EU Company Directory, World Business Guide, and others. We are not aware of any rulings against Expo-Guide or other companies but will simply state that their business methods are almost identical to those used by Fair Guide.
Warning about fake invoices and suspicious e-mails
MCH would like to warn its customers about fake invoices and suspicious offers of visitor lists from our trade fairs. We have personally received a number of e-mails containing suspicious content, and we want to take this opportunity to distance ourselves in the strongest possible terms from these e-mails and practices. Here is an example of a suspicious e-mail:
Hi,
I am following up to confirm if you are interested in acquiring the Visitors/Registrants List.
FoodTech Herning 2020
29 Sep - 01 Oct 2020
Herning,Denmark
Registrants Counts: 8,974
Each record of the list contains: Contact Name, Email Address, Company Name, URL/Website, Phone No, Title/Designation.
It is difficult to physically perform the event because of the corona virus. However, currently the best way to grow your business is through digital. This list will help you pass information about your organization and products directly and digitally to the buyer. This list will help you to acquire many potential clients/leads.
If you are interested in acquiring the list, we can provide you the cost and additional details.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks & Regards,