subject: Challenges And Benefits Of Green Trade Show Exhibits [print this page] Green exhibiting practices are becoming more and more popular as people are beginning to understand the need to be green. With this come a growing number of exhibitors that are becoming more interested in green exhibiting options. What is driving their interest is more personal than professional, with the top two reasons given are: that they consider environmentally-friendly practices the right thing to do, and that their personal interest in environmental and social causes in general has increased.
What Constitutes 'Green'
There are many factors as to what constitutes green for both the manufacturer and the exhibitor. Varying green factors include the materials that are being used to make the product, whether the product has any toxic or harmful components or ingredients, if the product is recyclable or how much of the product is made from recycled materials, as well as whether the product is made from materials that are endangered or in short supply. Another important factor is whether the product is designed in such a way that it is easy to ship. Shipping can be a costly expense; trade show displays that are compact save money on packaging and shipping creating an environmentally-friendly product.
Benefits Of Green Exhibiting
Not only is green exhibiting good for the environment, there are many benefits for the companies as well. Designs that do not cause unnecessary waste of materials allow trade show displays to be used over and over again, allowing for varying configurations and designs using the same components. Many exhibits can also be made of recyclable materials, which contributes to conserving energy, reducing greenhouse emissions, conserving natural resources as well as reducing air and water pollution.
Although green exhibiting can be more expensive, green options generally offer an upgrade in usability over traditional options because they have a longer life and more flexible design. Switching to green trade show exhibits can also boost the company's brand and image as many people consider going green an admirable quality in a business.
Challenges Of Green Exhibiting
Although green trade show displays benefit the environment, there are still challenges associated with this revolutionary idea. Cost can be a major inhibitor for exhibitors when trying to justify the switch to green exhibiting. Not only are green options much pricier compared to traditional trade show displays, but there is also a lack of variety in green materials currently available. As many manufacturers have not totally embraced the idea, there are not enough suppliers offering green trade show displays options.
Since green exhibiting is still a new concept to many, some exhibitors find the lack of data makes it harder to justify the extra time and costs associated with going green. Companies are concerned as to whether or not green options would perform as well as traditional options, so it has to be a risk that these companies are willing to take. There are also a large number of companies that may not understand the environmental importance of going green; therefore there may be a general disinterest in doing so.
As the interest in environmental issues continues to grow around the world, the impact of green practices on businesses will be significant. Along with this interest, the adoption of green exhibiting options is expected to grow, so it is important to understand the challenges and benefits that go along with this modern approach to trade show exhibits.
