GERMANY - The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has issued a warning over a company fraudulently targeting members with bogus order forms for an Expo Guide publication.

The warning on the ICCA registration site for its October annual congress says: “ICCA Members have alerted us that Expo Guide SA has circulated order forms for an Expo Guide over the last few days.

“The layout of this company’s form may erroneously suggest that the issue is a free entry in Leipzig Trade Fair’s official List of Exhibitors. In reality, however, it is stated in the small print that costs of more than € 1.181 per annum are incurred.”

Additional information on the Expo Guide, FairGuide and other Construct Data Verlag publications is available at: stopecg.org

For members who may have already erroneously signed the form, ICCA recommends revoking the contract immediately and underlines the Mexican company has no kind of business relationships with Leipzig Trade Fair or ICCA whatsoever.

Last October the Polish Chamber of the Exhibition Industry (PCEI) also posted a warning against companies, including Expo Guide, allegedly trying to scam money out of exhibition organisers worldwide.


Executive Director of the PCEI, Marzenna Lukaszewicz, said these companies deceived exhibitors and organisers into signing expensive contracts under unclear terms.
 A form sent to organisers by these companies claimed it would update a pre-existing free entry in a catalogue of organisers and fairs. However, Lukaszewicz said the confusing fine-print stated that by signing and returning the form and failing to cancel by registered mail within 10 days, the sender agreed to pay more than €1,000 (US$1,400) per year for three consecutive years.

 
Do you have news for CMW? Email: pcolston@mashmedia.net