Whether it be a company revealing  a long awaited product, a start-up showcasing the newest breakthrough in the industry, crowds wandering a trade floor looking to do business, we are aware that no other industry is so fundamentally devoted around human interaction, providing the magic touch of an in person connection.

But with a great event comes a great carbon footprint, and even though the event industry is improving in this segment, there are always extra miles to be walked to reach the sustainable side. And this should not only be a part of your green agenda, but also one of the main focuses of your marketing agenda, especially if you are dealing with a younger audience. It is a trillion industry after all, and we all know who has the last word in shaping the future, the ones that are doing responsible business.

Where to start? Rome was not built in a day, so neither will be your whole sustainable event chain at once. No matter if you are an event organizing agency, a venue owner or participate anywhere in the organizational chain, you must bear in mind that even though the sustainability details are not being the top discussion, they are part of the conversation and expected to be part  of your offer.
By now you must be wondering what are the first steps towards a greener event that will resonate with your attendees and the top polluters related to your event, that are to be put on the radar for your next tradeshow.

The three pillars when creating the event strategy should be: people, community and the planet, and the three footprint contributors transport, venue, exhibit material.

Maybe there isn’t much you can do when it comes to transport, because you have decided to organize your tradeshow in the USA and you expect all of the potential audience there, but how about a more local agenda and bringing your product to Singapore and Germany.  The flight carbon footprint being the highest contributor can be immediately lowered with this step, and the carbon footprint of an event depends heavily on the geographical scale of its participants. Collaboration with an offsetting company partner is the way to go.

When it comes to the venue and everything that goes with it, as accommodation and meal plan, there isn’t something that  is one hundred percent in your hands, but working with trustworthy partners that are sourcing the energy from green suppliers, or that have solar panels to produce it on their own is a great way to start. Food suppliers that buy the ingredients locally in order to cut the supply chain are the ones to choose.

And finally, we come to the part where you can have full control over the sustainable side of the event. The booths, and the exhibit materials that you are going to choose for your tradeshow. As so many industries were working towards becoming more sustainable, this was not standing behind. One might say that sustainable exhibition booths were always there, but rarely who used them ten years ago, everyone was oriented towards plastic, aluminum and polyester. From carpets to furniture to stands. Great news, things are changing and the new normal in the event industry are cardboard exhibition booths, shipping containers and sustainable Lego blocks.