Whatever industry you’re in, events can have a huge impact on the way you’re perceived by your prospects, your customers, and your competition. But a major problem with events is that a lot of what goes into creating a lasting impact ends up useless to you once it’s ended.
If you’re showcasing at an event, it could be brochures or leaflets becoming outdated, packaging for your merchandise or promotional banners. If you’re hosting the event, it could be outdated signage, energy usage, or even what you use for stands and furniture.
Sustainability might not be something you consider when thinking about events currently, but your actions can have a big impact on the environment.
So just what can you do to help raise those green credentials at your next event? Check the list below for some easily defined goals and actions.
Set clear, defined goals
However, it’s a task that does require significant planning and organisation – especially if you’re starting from scratch.
Start with a clear set of goals that you can focus on, action, and grow from there.
1. Mitigate unnecessary waste
This can easily be achieved through sourcing alternative, recyclable or biodegradable packaging.
Use data from previous events to help inform asset orders – why order 500 brochures when you only handed out 250 at last year’s event?
Paperless is always an option – digital assets are a viable way to market yourself at events.
2. Lower energy usage
Utilising more energy-efficient lighting solutions such as LED bulbs are a great solution to keep your energy usage down.
Timers and motion sensors can control your lighting, music, electronic screens etc. ensuring they’re only on when they need to be.
3. Prioritise cleaner energy
A more sustainable way to power your event venue/stand is to use battery-driven energy storage systems that can be charged from the grid beforehand.
This is a great way to provide power without those nasty emissions a diesel generator would produce.
4. Source locally
Sourcing a sustainable, local supplier can ease a lot of the responsibility for your eco-friendly events. With ethical practices in place, you can be sure that whatever you’re acquiring – from event stands to the water supply – is contributing towards your own sustainability.
Local means you can keep the impact of transportation for your events as low as possible.
Adopting more sustainable principles is easier than you might think, and sharing those principles is a great way to make your team aware of your mission. If you’re hosting an event, sharing those principles with those attending or showcasing can encourage and inspire more people to adopt sustainable practices too.
Gather information and report on what you’re currently doing to help you find areas of improvement. We worked with Green Circle Solutions who created a Business Impact Assessment Report on our behalf. Through this partnership with Green Circle Solutions, we were able to show in an accurate and unbiased way where we were excelling and how we could better work towards a cleaner and greener future.
Build brand awareness
As much as sustainable thinking is good for the environment, your team might not see how a focus on combatting climate change will help. Truth is, having a greener showcase is a great way to draw attention to your stand or event in general.
It doesn’t have to be all bamboo furniture and paper straws, but taking steps towards more sustainable practices means that when you say you care about the environment, visitors will have the evidence right in front of them.
That isn’t the only way to draw attention. Taking a unique spin on your sustainability, whether it’s through generating your own green power, giving out sustainable merchandise, or going completely zero waste, is an opportunity to give your visitors a chance to play their own part in your green mission as well.
As awareness about climate change continues to increase, people want to see companies that can find sustainability in the everyday. It won’t just be in how you work or what you produce, but anywhere where your business can make an effort to be more sustainable.
If your customers and prospects can see that you’re making that effort – trust and loyalty will follow.
Of course, having a more conscious attitude to your environment can also really help keep your costs down. From leaflets, brochures and other assets that can be reused, to making a conscious effort to use less energy, these can support a greener showcase, but also a cheaper one.
This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your brand’s uniqueness. Here at Worldwide Structures, we reuse all the structure components for future buildings, and you still get a bespoke event structure that helps you stand out.
Read our case study on our project for Nissan. With a 3-city roadshow – using 3 different stand configurations – these all using the same components.
Combatting climate change is undeniably important and when it comes to events, it’s easier than ever to approach your showcase with sustainability in mind.
A great place to start is by getting in touch with us.
We create amazing bespoke structures for a huge variety of brands. We might be only one piece of your showcase or event, but our bespoke structures are sure to leave a lasting impact on your attendees and visitors, not on the environment.