Your Guide To Planning an Eco-Friendly Trade Show

Julie Starr • November 29, 2021



An increasing number of companies recognize the need to reduce their negative environmental impact. As a result, they are looking for ways to participate in sustainable activities that will benefit the environment today and tomorrow. 

This recognition has led many of them to consider green practices when planning a trade show event. Since almost every company exhibits at trade shows, this is often an excellent opportunity to showcase one’s green practices and spread the word about positive changes being made on many levels, including environmental ones.

Unfortunately, some people misunderstand what it means to be “eco-friendly” or “green.” If you’ve attended any green conferences lately, you may have noticed that attending can be costly. Marketing budgets for these shows are huge, and there isn’t a lot of money left over for environmental costs. 

At best, they tend to be poorly attended and leave the environment worse off than before the show started. Unfortunately, this is all too common and can easily contribute to an “eco-unfriendly” sense of futility. It’s important to remember that green events need not be expensive or overdone in their approach, no more so than any other event ever planned by anyone for anything. 

There is no reason why eco-friendly trade shows cannot reach as many people as conventional ones do – if done right, as long as you have good content, timing, organization, and promotion. Following are some tips on how to plan an eco-friendly trade show. 

Be Authentic

When planning an “eco-friendly” trade show, the first thing to consider is that your company needs to be “eco-friendly” before you spend any resources on events, no matter how small. If your company isn’t already green and doesn’t anticipate becoming so in the future, it’s just not worth the effort. It makes sense to invest time and money into trade shows only when they are likely to carry an efficient use of things like marketing, booth space rentals, exhibitor costs, etc.

Plan In Advance

The next thing you need to consider is timing. You should start planning eco-friendly trade shows at least six months to a year in advance if possible. This will give you enough time to make arrangements, have your booth designed by a trade show booth company without placing too much pressure on yourself or other people involved with planning the event itself.

Focus On The Purpose

The third thing you need to do is have a clear purpose for having an eco-friendly trade show. This means being clear on why you are doing it in the first place, not just what benefits people will get from attending.  It also means deciding whether your goal is to showcase how energy efficient or “green” your products are or whether you intend to use this platform as a forum for educating others about environmental issues that most people don’t know about.  Remember that education can encourage action, but it’s often best to educate by promoting your own success stories rather than trying to talk down to anyone who disagrees with your point of view – they are both equally valuable ways of bringing awareness.

An eco-friendly trade show will have a positive impact on the environment and help you get more visitors to your booth. It can be a great way to practice going green without being too much in people’s faces about it. As companies continue their push for greener products and services, more people will take notice.

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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