Posted by

Barry Siskind

Community Manager

The exhibition industry is uniformly behind the banning of what has become known as “suitcasing.” This is where non-exhibitors walk the floor of a trade fair soliciting business. But what about the practice of “Ambush Marketing?”

We saw a blatant example of ambush marketing during the recent FIFA World Cup. Thirty-six women dressed in orange mini-skirts infiltrated the Holland versus Denmark game in Soccer City, Johannesburg. According to a report in Exhibiting Magazine – http://www.exhibitingmagazine.co.uk/newsdetails/98/ambush-marketing-guerrillas-in-the-dutch-midst-at-fifa-world-cup -the women represented Dutch Brewery Bavarian Beer which was in violation of a sponsorship exclusive given by FIFA top Budweiser.

Has anyone seen an example of ambush marketing at a trade fair?

Can this be the next marketing threat to our well-crafted sponsorship agreements?