“Green practices” are becoming more than just a practice. They are slowly being integrated into our daily lives.
Does your brand recognize the importance of adopting green practices, especially in the realm of trade shows?
By implementing green exhibiting best practices, brands can reduce their ecological footprint, appeal to eco-conscious attendees, and set an example for others.
Here are some key strategies to make your next exhibition a sustainable success.
PLANNING AND DESIGNING
Let’s start with the planning and designing section of your exhibiting experience. Before even stepping onto the trade show floor, you can make a difference with your green-centric planning and design session by following these practical but important pieces of information.
Eco-Friendly Materials
The first aspect you should consider is choosing sustainable materials to create your booth or presentation.
Consider materials that are recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable. Bamboo, recycled aluminum, and reclaimed wood are excellent choices for booth structures.
The Booth Design
Now that we’ve touched on some of the more practical ways of making your display or booth “green,” we suggest you consider a modular booth design.
Modular booths are designed for easy assembly and disassembly, which makes them reusable throughout your convention center tour. Anything reusable is considered “green.” Modular booths will also naturally reduce waste and could save you on shipping costs.
Going Digital
Another pretty practical and common sense approach to implementing green practices into your next trade show experience is going digital.
You should consider replacing all your traditional printed material with digital displays. Digital displays such as tablets, touch screens, and LED monitors can replace posters and paper signage. By reducing paper waste, you’re joining the green initiative.
If getting digital signs, tablets, or touch screens is outside the budget restraints for your next event, consider using QR codes. This will allow every potential client to view your material on their phone.
LOGISTICS
Logistics can be the toughest and trickiest part of your trade show exploration. Even more so, one of the most challenging aspects of keeping up with green practices is understanding how you get your important physical information or even your booth to your next venue for your next event.
Go Local
You should consider sourcing your material locally to minimize the transportation emissions used to transport it to your venue. While this might be a difficult step, it could be one of the more important steps in green exhibiting practices.
Going local means grabbing everything you need at a local level, such as booth construction materials and even catering for your staff and patrons.
Eco-Friendly Shipping
If you can’t find anything or anyone local to help build your booth in the most environmentally friendly way possible, you should consider Eco-Friendly shipping.
When shipping is unavoidable, you should use eco-friendly logistics providers that prioritize fuel efficiency and carbon offset programs.
You could also consider opting for lightweight material to reduce the overall weight of your display, which will reduce the carbon footprint of your shipments.
TYPES OF ENERGY
We’ve unpacked some methods you should consider to move your brand more green-centric, but we have yet to touch upon the energy you can use for your display or booth, which could be the green exhibiting All-Star.
LED lights
Let’s talk about lights, shall we? We all know the importance of having the right light for your presentation or display.
It’s incredibly important for prospective clients to see your materials clearly and concisely. LED lights consume less energy and have a longer lifespan than traditional lighting options.
You can use LED light on your booth to minimize energy consumption while also not having to take a step back on the production end of your presentation. LED lights look nice and are better for the planet than traditional light bulbs.
Sun Power
Have you thought about using the sun? Maybe some Sun power? Or otherwise known as Solar power.
We understand that Solar power could be an expensive venture. If feasible, incorporating solar panels to power your booth is a huge step into the green new world.
Portable solar generators can provide clean energy for your displays, further reducing your reliance on non-renewable energy sources. We understand this is a huge step for you and your brand, but it could be a step much needed soon.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
What do we do with all our old trade show materials? What should we do with the educational material handed out on the trade show floor?
Waste management is key to practicing green initiatives while exhibiting your product.
Recycle
Recycling has become the standard in the United States, and trade shows are not the exception. You should consider setting up marked recycling stations at your booth to encourage attendees to dispose of waste responsibly, whether that’s informational material or maps of the trade show floor.
You could also partner with the event organizers to ensure the waste on the trade show floor is properly sorted and recycled.
Minimize the Packaging
Another practical aspect to consider is minimizing the packaging you use to pack your booth away or any other materials. You should also use minimal and hopefully recyclable packaging for any product or educational material you distribute on the trade show floor.
You should also avoid single-use plastics and consider opting for biodegradable options instead.
But overall, minimize the packages and materials used to store away your materials.
POST-SHOW RECAP
As always, and in every facet of the trade show world, you should consider doing a recap after your show ends.
A postmortem of your show concerning your exhibiting the best green practices is important for congratulating yourself and the much-needed improvement you might need.
Improvement
We believe in celebrating your wins, so if you felt like you accomplished many of your goals in this aspect of your trade show experience.
Celebrate those accomplishments!!
But just as you celebrate your accomplishments, you should also focus on what areas you can improve on. After the event, you should evaluate the effectiveness of your green practices and ask your loyal staff what they need to do to improve their focus on green practices.
You should take their suggestions seriously and consider what could work for you. You can also consider talking to attendees about what you should improve. Generally, this could be a great conversation starter, but listening to prospective clients is imperative.
Offset Carbon Emissions
If you’re serious about implementing a culture of green practices in your brand, you should calculate your participation’s carbon footprint and invest in a carbon offset program to neutralize your possible environmental impact.
While this might seem unattainable, many organizations offer carbon offset services tailored to businesses and brands. You should consider this aspect if you can.
Green exhibiting is not just a trend; it’s a commitment to sustainability that could reflect positively on your brand. By adopting these green practices, you can reduce your environmental impact, engage with eco-conscious clients, and, most importantly, set an example for others in the industry.
As trade shows and the world continue to evolve, those who prioritize sustainability will emerge as leaders in their field.
Embrace green practices at your next trade show and make a lasting, positive impact on the planet.
Plus, if you go green, you could see more green.
For more insights and award-winning event strategies, contact our team of event specialists to design the perfect exhibit to amplify your brand. Connect with a team member here or give us a call at (800) 343-2005.
Photo Credit: DALLE-E
