“Going green” is everywhere these days and the trade show floor is no exception. But you may be wondering what, exactly, is green exhibiting? What qualifies as being green and is there a benefit to making green choices in the trade show market?

What Are Green Exhibits?

What counts as green exhibiting will be different depending upon whom you talk to, but some key components of green exhibiting include:

• Exhibit materials
• Exhibit shipping
• Exhibit packaging
• Exhibit waste

Exhibit Materials. The most obvious example of whether or not a product is green is what it is made out of. The amount of recycled and recyclable products on the market today virtually guarantees that you can find products that have less impact on the environment than products of the past. When looking for green trade show ideas look for recycled products. Common recycled products that are used in trade show displays include: aluminum, plastic bottles, industrial plastics, wood and wood fibers. Naturally renewable resources that are finding their way to trade show exhibits are: bamboo, sorghum and eucalyptus.

Exhibit Shipping. The consumer does not readily see the impact of shipping or transportation costs of goods on the environment. Trade show exhibits are no exception. Exhibits and exhibiting itself can have a tremendous impact on the environment. Many exhibits are shipped across the country to trade show after trade show, generating new carbon emissions each time. Lightweight and modular displays are smaller and lighter than other types of displays, which means they cost less to ship. In some cases, these light weight displays can even travel as luggage with accompanying sales associates.

Intangible shipping costs, such as carbon emissions, are an often overlooked factor when talking about how green a product or display can be. For a company that attends several trade shows a year, these intangible costs may well be the greatest environmental impact you have, regardless of the materials used in your display.

Exhibit Packaging. Related to exhibit shipping, the type and amount of packaging your trade show display requires has an environmental impact as well.  You can use packaging that is reusable, recyclable or made of recycled materials itself. Instead of petroleum-based plastic shipping containers, seek out containers made from recycled plastics or made of natural fibers like corrugated cardboard and bamboo.

Exhibit Waste. Have you ever considered how much waste is generated at a trade show? Consider the waste material your products will generate when you develop your trade show marketing plan. Promotional products that are made from recycled materials and do not come individually wrapped are much more “green” than individually wrapped products made from non-renewable resources.

Many companies provide plastic water bottles with their logo affixed to them as trade show giveaways. A more environmentally responsible approach would be to provide reusable water bottles that have been printed with your logo. The benefit is two-fold. Not only are you saving waste from going into a landfill, your name and image will be seen over and over again as the water bottle is re-used.

What About Price?

Price is often cited as a hurdle to purchasing green products. However, manufacturing changes, increased demand, and improvements in production are driving down the cost of green products. In some instances, the cost of a green trade show display is quite competitive with traditional displays and perhaps even less expensive.

Going green can be excellent PR for your company, particularly if your company has a green focus or has adopted a green business model.

About the author:

Jonathan Edelman provides helpful advice about trade show strategies. With years of experience in the trenches, he is an expert on booth displays, follow up techniques, and using trade show marketing strategies to boost revenue.