How to Create a More Sustainable Trade Show Exhibit

April 9, 2019

Kyrah Howell

Kyrah Howell is the Marketing Coordinator at Events 720, innovative exhibition suppliers in Australia. She is a recent communications graduate navigating the exciting world of events and expos. Alongside full marketing duties, she is also studying a master of marketing communication at the University of Melbourne. You can follow her work on the Events 720 blog and her LinkedIn.

Trade shows and sustainability aren’t often associated together. With huge amounts of materials and resources invested into creating single trade show stands (aka, exhibition booths), it’s no surprise that these events produce a high quantity of waste. 

As sustainability becomes increasingly important, we make conscious decisions each day to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our environment. These same choices can be made when planning an exhibition stand. From reducing energy usage to re-using materials, you can start making changes towards an environmental change. 

Choose energy efficient electronics 

Having a sustainable stand doesn’t mean it needs to be built out of cardboard – you can still have a great stand without excessive use of electricity. When possible, make use of natural lighting in the venue to illuminate your stand and avoid using a TV to showcase your brand. If lighting is essential, LED lights are an energy efficient option for your trade show stand as they use up to 75 percent less energy than regular light bulbs. 

Go paperless 

Marketing materials and business cards are essential when communicating with prospects at your trade show stand. You can reduce your waste, and costs, by going completely paperless. Instead of handing out brochures or flyers, you can direct your prospects to an informative landing page or easily send a pre-prepared e-book to their email. 

In these tech-savvy times, there are new applications available that allow you to store and send electronic business cards from your phone or tablet. This not only reduces your carbon footprint but also ensures prospects won’t lose that business card in their wallet. 

Avoid shipping and transportation

When possible, choose an exhibition stand supplier that’s local to the trade show venue. This will avoid the costs and pollution associated with transportation. This is especially useful for international exhibitors as it eliminates impacting the environment by shipping your stand overseas. 

Purchase your stand for re-use 

If you’ve already designed your stand with bright lights, audio and visual components, and painted graphics, you can still be sustainable by purchasing your stand and making plans to re-use it in the future. Stands made with high-quality materials will be durable and reusable. Ensure that you communicate this with your supplier to discuss any storage solutions they offer. 

Rent flooring and furniture

Renting certain elements of your stand, such as flooring and furniture, is a simple way to be more sustainable. These items can be re-used by the supplier for future stands, ensuring they don’t go to waste after a single use. Renting will also reduce the costs of storage and the amount of waste you produce at the end of the show. 

Smaller stand = smaller footprint 

Bigger isn’t always better. The larger your stand is the more materials and equipment it will require. Commit to being more sustainable at your next trade show by opting for a smaller space. A smaller stand requires less power, less structural elements, less painting and fewer graphics, but still has the ability to attract visitors. 

Opt for re-usable graphics 

Creative and eye-catching graphics are a must for all trade show stands. For a more sustainable approach, invest in fabric printed graphics. These graphics are high quality and durable, allowing you to re-use them for any future events and trade shows you attend. 

These are just some of the changes you can make to your trade show stand to take the step towards sustainability. When planning your next trade show stand, speak to your supplier about how you can create a stand that suits your needs, your budget and the environment. 

 

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.