Being green at a trade show – easier than you think!
At an exhibition industry conference I attended recently, the subject of green exhibiting was discussed. The focus was two-fold: what changes each of us could make in our daily lives and what practices exhibitors and exhibit providers could follow to reduce waste in our landfills, use less electricity and reduce our carbon footprint. When the conversation first came up four years ago at the conference, we primarily talked about moving toward building trade show displays using “green” materials, made from recycled or recyclable materials. At the time, such materials cost at least 10% more than traditional ones, making them undesirable in the tough economic marketplace of 2008-2009. Since then, the costs of incorporating such materials have come down a bit. But now, the new buzzword is “sustainability”. In GraphiColor’s world, sustainability means designing booth spaces that use structures, components and furnishings that can be reused many times.
At GraphiColor Exhibits, we provide durable portable displays which last the rigors of many shows and can be updated with new graphic panels. Even longer lasting are the modular display structures we design. They are infinitely reconfigurable and with the addition of new graphics and a few new parts. These display systems are primarily composed of lightweight aluminum frames, which often utilize fabric graphic panels rather than rigid non-recyclable graphics and display walls. These systems can easily cut in half the size and weight of shipping containers, when compared to traditional exhibit structures saving exhibitors in shipping, drayage, & storage costs. And if you decide to go in a totally different design direction, you can sell your aluminum structures to other exhibitors, and sometimes to your exhibit house. Switching from the traditional halogen booth lighting to new LED fixtures is another way to be “greener” while saving you some green – cash, that is. LED’s last much longer and use far less energy. And, the recent improvements in LED technology provide exhibitors with brighter, more color-balanced lighting than even a year ago.
Why do people insist on bringing boxes of literature to each show? Have you ever looked at the contents of the big trash bins at the show? Guess what they contain? Yup, all of those brochures and literature that you handed out to prospects! By eliminating literature distribution at a trade show, you’ll reduce the carbon footprint AND the cost of printing, shipping, and getting it delivered to your booth. But how can you get your information to the show attendees without giving them a bag full of brochures? One option is to load your information onto a thumb drive for distribution. The extra cost per unit will be higher than for a brochure, but that will be offset by all the other savings and give your booth visitors a useful item that they can reuse. Better yet, allow your booth visitors to choose the specific information they’re interested in and send it to them electronically. You can do this from a tablet or an “E-Doc” station within your booth. This method will create another “touch point” that puts your company brand back in front of them, and allows you another “touch point” when you follow up with them on it. Another benefit of having a touch screen E-Doc station within your booth? Attendees naturally gravitate to touch screens, and you can entertain them while providing valuable content. The lead capture feature is perfect for attendees in a hurry, and allows you to gather more targeted information than the expensive lead retrieval systems offered at the event. The cost of touch screens will be offset by the cost savings of sending literature, or additional booth staff. Plus, let’s face it, the exhibitors with the touchscreens are the “coolest” on the floor.
Would you like your next exhibit to be more green and sustainable and save you money as well?
Contact us – we can help.
