IAEE has reason to believe that www.expo-guide.com, a company operating out of Mexico, is targeting exhibitors to purchase a three-year commitment of advertising that is cleverly disguised as an offer of a free directory listing.
At this time, we can not determine if the Mexico operation is just a façade for Construct Data/Fairguide (see our warning on Construct Data) or if it is unrelated. Nevertheless, the operations of the two companies are remarkably similar. We know that Expo-Guide is actively targeting the exhibitor databases of many IAEE member-events. You can expect to receive what is a bogus offer of a free directory listing that will commit you to a three-year ad billed at about $1500 annually.
The all-too-familiar offer is to “verify that our information about your company is correct and you get a free listing in the exhibitor directory.” The offer is a cleverly constructed three-year ad commitment for $4500 that results in endless harassment and collection demands. Be wary of any offers for free directory listings that may come your way from Expo-Guide (or others who are not affiliated with ISA).
Check the IAEE web site for the Construct Data business model even though the two may not be related, their business practices are quite similar, if not exactly the same.
This warning is being sent to all ISA EXPO priority exhibitors regardless of their current contract status for ISA EXPO 2008.
It has come to our attention that a company operating out of Austria, Fairguide.com/Construct Data Verlag (Fairguide), has made contact with some ISA EXPO exhibitors representing themselves as a legitimate exhibition guide featuring ISA EXPO exhibitors. Please be aware that this organization is in no way affiliated with ISA or ISA EXPO.
The company claims to offer online services and uses a form (copy attached below) that resembles a free program listing service. They invite exhibitors to sign and return the form for an entry in an online directory. Exhibitors who sign and return the form are then contracted into a three-year, non-retractable agreement, which could cost the exhibitor a significant amount of money, with no apparent benefits.
This company has been under investigation by the Austrian Advertising Commission and has been found in breach of the Austrian Advertising Code. Further proceedings are in process.
If you have been contacted by Fairguide.com/Construct Data Verlag, following is the recommended course of action:
If you are contacted by Fairguide.com/Construct Data, you should NOT complete the listings form. However, if you have mistakenly completed and returned the forms, it has been established that Fairguide.com/Construct Data has never carried out their threat of legal action against non-payers and attempts to get companies to settle for one-year payment instead of three to “avoid prosecution”. Companies are advised to seek their own legal advice on whether to withhold payment.
Complete the attached letter and forward to Fairguide.com/Construct Data with a copy to ISA. Keep a written record of any communication with this company. If possible, record any telephone calls and inform them that you are doing so.
Advise ISA if you have been contacted by Fairguide.com/Construct Data and what the current status of this communication is.
Forward details of all communication to the following contacts:
Federal Trade Commission
Office of Business Fraud
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20580
Tel. +1(202)326-2800
Fax +1(202)326-2034
E-mail: OIG@ftc.gov
The Austrian Embassy—Washington, D.C.
Austrian Ambassador to the United States
3524 International Court, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel. +1(202)895-6711
Fax +1(202)895-6773
The U.S. Embassy—Austria
Boltzmanngasse 16
A-1090 Vienna
Tel. (+43-1)31339-0
Fax (+43-1)310 06 82
E-mail: embassy@usembassy.at
Mr. Burger Scheidlin—head of white-collar crime in Austria
E-mail: maximilian.burger-scheidlin@wko.at
ISA
Tracey Berrett-Noble
67 Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Tel. +1(919)990-9251
Fax +1(919)990-9356
E-mail: tberrett@isa.org
We hope that this information is useful for those who may currently be involved in a dispute with Fairguide.com, and hope it serves to warn all other exhibitors of the potential harm. If we can provide any further information or assistance, please let me know.