If trade shows do not tackle the sustainability agenda, there's a risk that the people will stop attending trade shows, according to new sustainability study of the trade show/exhibition industry. Photo Credit: Adobe/7maru
Data collection, adopting new booth systems and continued investment
are key elements in helping trade shows to address sustainability
issues. These are just some of the findings from a recent UFI Connects
webinar focusing on sustainability in the exhibition industry.
The panel of speakers included Alexander Alles, executive director of
JMIC, Vincenzo Cecere, head of investor relations & sustainability
at Fiera Milano, Jason Megson, managing director, Freeman EMEA, Helen
Sheppard, sustainability director at RX Global and Ben Wielgus, head of
sustainability at Informa.
Wielgus introduced findings from a major new sustainability study of
the trade show/exhibition industry, entitled Finding the Future,
Together, which was released this summer. It identified the most
material impacts on sustainability from the industry, with Wielgus
saying that if trade shows do not tackle the sustainability agenda,
there's a risk that the industry will become a pariah, the ‘tobacco
company’ of events, and that people will stop attending trade shows.
He added that it was important to flip the concept of sustainability,
moving away from the idea of cost, the negative impacts and compliance
to something that inspires and excites stakeholders.
“80% of our events around the world are now powered by renewable
electricity,” he said. “This is helping to project our product as one
that is high quality, which allows us to have better pricing discussions
as well as resonating with people's values. It moves us from being a
seller of square footage to a partner in an industry that is trying to
solve challenges.”
RX
Global’s Sheppard said the business is now prioritising data collection
from its venues, with many of its show visitors saying that
sustainability is an important factor in whether or not they decide to
attend a show. She acknowledged however that data collection is no easy
task, saying so far, RX Global had collected data from around 20% of the
venues it deals with.
“We know that it's not easy for us to collect that data and we know
it's not easy for the venues to report that data,” she says.”We want to
try and understand how we can support those venues in reporting.”
Megson said the industry needed to be able to back up its claims and
actions with genuinely impactful, authentic moves, where it could use
its collective influence to maximise impact. He touched on the ‘hidden
impact’ of trade shows, saying that an average 10x10 exhibition booth
creates more weight in waste than an entire UK household does in a year.
“Most exhibitors have no idea what happens to their booth at the end
of its life,” he said. “It’s a chance for the industry to get ahead of
itself and consider how it changes the system, so that we are using a
lot more re-usable processes. We need to bring on board a whole new
variety of booth construction systems.”
RX Global’s Sheppard emphasised the need for investment in
sustainability and said there also has to be freedom to test things that
may or may not work.
“We
have to give our show teams the freedom to do this and to explore,
because we have to innovate and there has to be investment in that
innovation,” she said. “Things in the short-term that might be
challenging, such as eliminating carpets or not printing show catalogues
- these decisions might have a small impact but they are very visible.”