BEST PRACTICE
YOUR CHECKLIST TO EXHIBITING SUSTAINABLY The Event Greening Forum’s training sessions held in late January – in conjunction with the Meetings Africa exhibitor briefings and sponsored by the South Africa National Convention Bureau – provided an education on how to be a ‘green’ exhibitor. Pippa Naudé explores this further.
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orwesi Ramonyai, managing director of Borena Energy, shares insights and tips into how to win a Green Stand Award at Meetings Africa. While her advice was specific to these awards, the guidelines apply to all exhibitors who are aiming to minimise their carbon footprint and have a positive legacy.
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CHOOSE A GREEN DESIGN Quite simply, request a ‘green’ stand. The simplest way to do this is to purchase a stand you reuse each time you exhibit. Look for options that are: robust modular (can be reconfigured for different spaces) easy to assemble and transport. Remember – a reusable stand that is not reused is not very green, so plan your purchase carefully.
CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS Opt for sustainable materials, which means things that are: locally produced from a renewable resource (e.g. wood) free of harmful chemicals (e.g. eco-friendly paints) easily repurposed (e.g. raw wood), recycled (e.g. Xanita board) or upcycled (e.g. fabric graphics can be made into pencil cases) when the stand is no longer needed.
CREATE A SOCIAL LEGACY
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GREEN YOUR OPERATIONS Minimise how much energy your stand needs by: using energy-efficient lighting and appliances (e.g. LED light bulbs) skipping appliances that use a lot of energy, like coffee machines. Reduce the amount of waste your stand will produce by avoiding: handing out gifts to your visitors anything with single-use plastic – including bottled water printing brochures – rather share your information electronically. If you really must print, choose smaller pamphlets with recyclable paper and vegetablebased inks.
Build a positive social impact outcome into your exhibition process. For example, you can: only buy local identify a local charity that you can partner with and help, perhaps with donations or through your carbon offset project.
REDUCE YOUR TRANSPORT
Have a plan in place for efficient logistics and: c hoose a compact, lightweight stand that is easy to transport a rrange for your team to liftshare or use public transport w ith travel causing most of your greenhouse gas emissions, consider working out your carbon footprint as an exhibitor and offsetting it.
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TELL EVERYONE ABOUT HOW GREEN YOU ARE Communicate all your green actions by: e nsuring your staff know about it, and are therefore able to understand and support these actions, and can tell other people about them d isplay information on your expo stand that outlines why sustainability is important to your brand, and what you are therefore doing about it.
BONUS TIP: Think outside the box Look for creative solutions to sustainability problems. At Meetings Africa, for example, purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates and planting trees are encouraged to address challenges such as our dirty energy supply and the necessary travel involved in attending the event.
If you are looking for green products and services for your exhibition stand, visit the Event Greening Forum’s Green Database at www.greendatabase.co.za. It’s a free directory with everything you need – from stand builders to sustainability consultants.
