4 Ways to Green Your Trade Show Team in 2015

January 4, 2015

Shane Shirley

Shane Shirley is CMO for SBS Brands, a 90-year-old global brand leader focused on creating digital and print business solutions that offers traditional and eco-friendly customized promotional products to accelerate trade show marketing.

Going green is a constantly evolving practice. As technologies improve and ideas are spread, there are always new ways to make your next event greener than the last. One of the keys to throwing a green event is surrounding yourself with eco-minded individuals who understand and support the cause. Make sure your green dream team is ready to make 2015 a great year for trade shows with these four ways to green your trade show team in 2015.

1. Get together, make a plan and define some goals. Determine the emissions thresholds or how much energy is acceptable to use and how much waste you’re willing to generate ahead of time. Once you have these goals you can create a plan to work within these parameters by reducing emissions in travel, purchasing energy offsets, and being mindful of the durability of the items you use at shows. Clear goals ensure your team knows what they need to do and will make your 2015 trade shows green.

2. Go reusable with your giveaways. Offering reusable takeaways is a green choice by eliminating the need for disposable items. When you can get a reusable item, like a water bottle or bag, into your customer’s hands they will no longer have a need for single-use versions that can clog waste streams. Reusable giveaways also offer a great return on investment, allowing you to help your bottom line and the planet at the same time.

3. Offer your attendees greener options for their booths. It’s necessary to offer your attendees framing and curtains, but look for ways to make these options green. From curtains, to flooring to furniture there are a lot of green options available – all you need to do is ask your exhibition company to make them available. Ask them to offer items made from recycled or sustainable materials. These materials are good for the planet and when they wear out you can responsibly dispose of them with a minimal environmental impact.

4. Evaluate your green successes and missteps. Remember to track everything and rate the level of implementation and success so when planning future events you know which ideals to stick with, which ideals might need some more work to reach their full green potential, and which ideas maybe aren’t the best fits. Tracking this info lets you learn, continue to improve and keeps your team focused. Remember that not all green solutions work for all brands and teams so your team needs to find the methods that work for your group.

A new year is the perfect time to work with your team, reevaluate your green practices and make 2015 your greenest trade show year to date. From setting goals, to going reusable with your giveaways, to offering green booth options and tracking and evaluating your green choices, you and your team can make green decisions while still putting on a great show.

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