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Exhibitions – How to Make Exhibitions Greener

Trade Show Organizer Tips

1. Hold your shows in buildings that are committed to conserving resource such as reduced lighting and HVAC during set up and move out.
2. Give preference to facilities that are LEEDS certified green buildings.
3. Insist on an active separation and recycling program for waste on the show floor area as well as meeting rooms.
4. No idling allowed by trucks parked at the loading docks.
5. Look for well-designed dock space and freight doors to maximize efficient movement of vehicles and freight.
6. Use one-story exhibit halls to reduce elevator usage.
7. Look for adequate ventilation to remove fume build up from vehicles or propane powered fork lifts for better air quality.<.
8. Select General Service Contractor (GSC) who offers low or no volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting carpet, fabrics and furniture.
9. Work with your GSC to offer booth rental options to avoid cross country shipping of booths.
10. Ask your GCS to offer a wide array of rental items to reduce shipping.
11. Make renting booths and furnishings financially attractive options.
12. Ask the building or GSC to supply labeled recycle bins for sorting items, including heavy metal waste, such as batteries
13. Require that signs be made on Bio-Board, Gatorfoam, PVC or other stock boards that can be recycled.
14. Make it easy for exhibitors to donate leftovers by providing central collection points on the show floor. Inform exhibitors which types of items the show has pre-arranged to redistribute to the local community.
15. As a show organizer, make your own booths, giveaways and sponsored areas a model of sustainable, environmentally friendly exhibiting.
16. Use a website as the show’s primary information source.
17. Publicize the event’s green initiatives to promote pride and participation.
18. Recognize green initiatives by exhibitors in the show awards programs.
19. Migrate toward online service kits after giving exhibitors advance notice of the pending next green step.
20. Begin conversations about why becoming green is an organizational objective and how it benefits exhibitors and their customers.
21. Back up the green message with the increase in budget needed to implement the show’s green initiatives.

Exhibitor Tips

1. Think re-use and refurbish when updating a trade show booth.
2. Consider if your booth could be constructed of lighter weight materials or contain more recycled or recyclable components.
3. Review your booth’s show schedule to see if you can ship show-to-show without retuning the booth to your home location in between.
4. Join a “Next Show” shipping service and consolidate your freight with other exhibitors going to the same next destination to reduce the freight cost and carbon foot print.
5. Plan ahead on shipping so your booth travels by truck, rail, or sea, but not air.
6. Reduce the amount of everything that you ship with the booth – fewer supplies, fewer handouts and fewer giveaways. If you are throwing away boxes of stuff at the end of show you are wasting company resources and creating trash.
   
7. Donate usable items locally.
8. Use environmentally responsible packing materials, such as shredded paper in lieu of non-recyclable peanuts.
9. Design booth component crates to custom fit the elements and reduce the amount of throw away packing material required..
10. Collect leads electronically and respond with electronic collateral.
11. Print sparingly and use soy inks and recycled content paper when you must print.
12. Use LED and other types of energy efficient lights to reduce energy usage and perhaps allow ordering less expensive, lower wattage electric service.
13. Unplug electric appliances at the end of each exhibition day.
14. Choose promotional items that can be used at several shows, so there is less waste from “one use” items.
15. Choose earth friendly giveaways.
16. Ask for bulk packaging, instead of individually plastic wrapped merchandise.
17. Re-use packing materials.
18. Use more electronic messaging and person-to-person communication instead of paper.
19. Stop giving away plastic literature bags.
20. Perform an audit of your trade show practices and commit to a multi-step plan to phase a higher level of greenness each year.