International exhibiting often involves hiccups, especially when a trade show norm in one country is almost nonexistent in another. But when you're trying to cultivate a relationship with a new overseas client, it helps if you can provide some of the comforts of home. To do that, though, sometimes you need a dash of luck and an unconventional solution.

More than 25 years ago, I had just started working for Kraus and Partners, an exhibit house with offices in Germany and the United States. I was working mostly from our German site, where I was responsible for the American accounts. One of my first big exhibits involved helping a U.S. company at a show in Frankfurt, and I wanted to make sure everything was absolutely perfect.

We were set to deliver a great exhibit, minus one seemingly simple piece: carpet padding. As you know, most American trade show exhibits use padding beneath their carpets. The benefit is obvious, in that your feet don't tire near as quickly as when you're standing for hours on a hard floor. However, here in Europe, padding is still something that doesn't really exist. Anyway, my client mentioned how she likes padding but knew it was impossible to get in Germany. Since I'm originally from the States, I knew it would mean a lot to her and would demonstrate in a small way how important our partnership was. So I decided to make it happen.

I called just about every flooring company in Europe but had no luck. Nobody I talked to had even heard about carpet padding, much less had any on hand. Even if I'd had enough time to ship it from the United States – which I didn't – it would not have been worth the exorbitant expense. So I decided to simply find the plushest carpet I could source. My client wasn't looking forward to standing on a firm floor for several days but understood I couldn't do anything about it. Still, I was disappointed I couldn't deliver.

Cut to the first day of show setup. While crossing the hotel lobby on my way to the convention center, I noticed that workers were slicing up the beautifully thick carpet in the ballroom. Eureka! I saw a solution to my problem.

I asked the crew what they were doing with the carpet, and it turned out they were just going to toss it. When I asked if I could take some of it off their hands for free, they were happy to oblige, as that meant much less work for them.

I told them I'd take 2,000 square feet if they'd cut it into manageable sections and roll it up for me. Much to my delight, they agreed! I practically sprinted to the convention center across the street, rounded up several members of my install team, and started shuttling chunks to our booth.

We laid the used carpet on the cement, trimmed it to fit our footprint, and rolled our purchased carpet over it. The result was like walking on sunshine. When my client arrived, she was surprised and elated we were able to source the "padding" – and at no extra cost. The best part is that after 25 years, we still have that client. Sometimes the small details end up having a huge impact.