Eco Friendly Exhibiting

Today’s consumers are starting to pay attention to Eco friendly. With concerns over global warming, landfills, water shortages, and many other environmental concerns, many businesses want to make a difference in the world and they are choosing to go green.  

There is a wealth of benefits in store for you should you choose to consider Eco friendly options when planning for your next exhibit. For example; if your industry is not traditionally linked to the Eco friendly movement, having an Eco friendly exhibit is a great way to stand out from the crowd.  

The fact that you're doing your part to make the world a better place, will allow you to feel less uncomfortable about outshining your competition at the event. 

Here are some tips for going green at your next event. 

Hosting a booth? Use Eco friendly materials. If you're constructing a booth this year, you have several options for greener materials. One Eco friendly choice is recycled metal. While this may not seem like the most biodegradable choice, it's much better than using non-recycled metals.  

You also may want to consider a wood/plastic composite. This material is made up of sawdust from lumber and furniture companies mixed with plastic, such as soda bottles and garbage bags. There are many different brands, and the wood comes in a variety of colors, without the environmental price tag. 

Consider your paints. Oil based paints are very toxic to the environment and they contain poisonous chemicals. Plus, unused paint is often poured down the sewer, which gets into our oceans and waterways. Instead of traditional paints, look for low or no VOC paints now made by most paint manufacturers.  

Provide Eco friendly giveaways. When looking for a good giveaway item, select with an eye toward minimizing trash. Avoid items that come in plastic packaging, unless it's recycled. An example of some good ideas include cotton or hemp tote bags, food in recycled paper wrapping instead of plastic, pens and ceramic mugs.  

If you are going to have lights on you booth, use energy efficient lighting. Incandescent light bulbs are extremely inefficient. They emit only 10% of the energy they use as light; the rest is given off as heat. Instead, use CFL or LED light bulbs. These are much more energy efficient. 

There is a great deal of paper involved in a typical exhibit: business cards, signs, brochures and promotional materials. Use recycled paper and make sure everyone knows it’s recycled. 

Eco friendly printing is a must. Some inks can be as toxic as paint. Eco friendly printing can range from using energy efficient operating procedures to printing with soy based inks on recycled papers. Compare and ask questions when looking for Eco friendly printers.

Talk to your dealer. Some booth dealers are more Eco friendly than others. Some operate under environmentally mindful conditions, using alternative energy and energy efficient practices, while others may have pre-fabricated booths built from Eco friendly materials.  

Eco friendly doesn't need to be expensive. Recycled and Eco friendly materials sometimes cost less than their alternatives. Talk to your dealer, research your options, and take your time in designing an approach to Eco friendly exhibiting that works for you. Regardless of how far you go with it, from using recycled papers to building an entire booth with Eco friendly materials, you'll be making a positive contribution to the environment.