Simple ways to make your exhibition or event more sustainable

Whilst we’re all ready and raring to get back to in person events, one silver lining to the year and a half spent at home is that it’s given us time to reflect on how we can leverage the digital world to make events more sustainable.  

Below Skyline Whitespace have listed six simple things you can do when planning your event that will significantly reduce the impact that our industry as a whole has on the environment.

 

Think about your carbon footprint right at the beginning and how you can reduce it

Rather than just doing what you can to offset your carbon footprint after an event, it’s important that you also consider this right at the beginning to really make an impact. Think about how many staff members you realistically might need to transport to an event, whether you can use local suppliers and ways you can reduce catering wastage and single use plastics. Take some time to run through every aspect of your event and consider it through the lens of sustainable practices.

 

Choose to work with sustainable suppliers

Another way to get ahead of the game is to make sure you partner with companies that are already sustainable in the way that they operate. They may be part of sustainability organisations, Certified B Corporations or detail their sustainability credentials on their website. Don’t be afraid to ask them the question and see where they sit in relation to eco-conscious practices. At Skyline Whitespace, we list our sustainability credentials on our website and are currently working towards ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management, to help ensure that from beginning to end our exhibition stands are sustainable.

 

Embrace the world of virtual for pre and post event meetings

Whilst we all may be slightly fed up with Zoom calls, having a mix of both in person and virtual meetings will really help to keep your event planning eco-friendly. Think about those meetings that don’t require an in person get together and schedule them in to be virtual. Knowing you’re doing the planet some good by staying behind your computer screen will help make them feel more worthwhile!

 

Hand out sustainable and reusable merchandise

Have a good think about if you really need giveaways and how they’ll strategically support your brand message. If you feel you do need them, then make sure they’re sustainable and something people will choose to keep and not ultimately throw away. Whilst we know reusable cups and tote bags are technically ‘eco-friendly’, a lot of people have often accumulated too many of these and will only be interested in taking or keeping another if it’s of a really lovely quality. For this reason, we recommend having a tiered approach to merchandise. For example, small consumable giveaways in eco-friendly packaging for those passing by and then perhaps a more premium, sustainable option for those who purchase from you or give you a lead. We’ve written an article over on our blog listing some of our favourite sustainable merchandise ideas at the moment.

 

Think about the reuse value of the items you’re using or purchasing

When it comes to purchasing items for your event or exhibition, be it marketing materials, pop up banners or graphics, consider how you might be able to use these at future events and not purely on this one occasion. Reskin your pop-up banners for different campaigns and consider keeping some of your graphics generic so that they have uses beyond this particular event. If you can’t see a use for that product after the event, then we strongly recommend renting those areas specifically.

 

Share your marketing materials digitally

With everyone very well acquainted with the QR code by now, one way to cut waste is to go paperless and keep all your marketing communications digital. If there’s specific documents you’d like people to look at during the event then use a QR code, otherwise collect their data and share email marketing updates with them instead. If you’d still really like some documents to be physical, then make sure these are brochures or flyers that are more timeless and don’t necessarily have an expiry date.   

 

Start working with a sustainable exhibition stand company today, find out more at skylinewhitespace.com.