Stay in the Black While Your Exhibitors Go Green

September 27, 2013

Jason Tunick

Founder and CEO of FactoryDirectPromos.com which is one of the largest, factory direct suppliers of eco-friendly, promotional items and custom, reusable tradeshow bags in the world.

One of the most important things you can do for your exhibitors is to add value, right? Adding value for your exhibitors can also mean a better bottom line and a healthier environment at the same time. I have written before about how tradeshows are second only to the construction industry in producing waste, but there is always room for improvement. The good news is that we can all take steps to create greener tradeshows for our attendees and they will thank you for it and even pay a little extra for the privilege of doing so.

Say It with Eco-Signage

Offer to create signage with eco-friendly vinyl and eco-friendly Falcon Board which is a paper-based graphic display board made from renewable forest resources and is recyclable. This display board is lightweight and accommodates most inks and adhesives. Eco-friendly vinyls are easily available and do not contain harmful substances like phthalates and PVC. They also are made to be biodegradable and the adhesive is completely safe for the environment.

Drape It in Recycled Fabric

If an exhibitor is not providing their own material for their booth, offer to drape their booth and tables in recycled fabric. Utilizing recycled fabric makes use of discarded materials that would have otherwise been landfilled and preserves the resources that would have been used to manufacture new fabric. Recycled fabrics come in a wide range of colors and textures and can be incredibly durable.

What’s Underfoot?

Think about providing the option for exhibitors to use recycled carpet in booth spaces. While you're at it, you can even offer one or more sponsorship options for providing recycled carpet throughout the entire trade show space, including floor aisles, registration areas, and any special zones. Just like recycled fabric, a huge benefit of using recycled carpeting is the repurposing of existing materials and preservation of new materials. Further, recycled carpet doesn't contain toxic, petroleum-based chemicals that off-gas as traditional carpeting does.

Make Green a Package Deal and Something to Talk About

You can even create a special turnkey booth package for your exhibitors complete with the options above, recyclable panels and graphics printed using soy inks. For even more added value for your exhibitors, be sure to provide a Falcon Board sign in a prominent area and use social media to highlight these exhibitors who are working to go green.

Ask and You Shall Receive

These options are becoming increasingly more popular with expo companies and the more we ask for these options, the more mainstream they will become. What ideas do you have to share that offer added green value to exhibitors while at the same time adding a benefit to your bottom line?

Reference

• http://www.boiseinc.com/falconboard/productcompanyinfo.html

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