I was reading about my friend Aaron Brazell and his thoughts on attending conferences and how we can make them a little more eco-friendly just by changing our habits and what we normally do like taxis, and our linens in our hotels and even so much as not to attend the conference in person and perhaps attend the conference online or in the back channel. It was this last idea that had me thinking about what conference planners and others are doing to help make their conference and trade show easier to attend and more eco-friendly.
I was thinking of the number of conferences I attend each year and the amount of travel I have with all the other things Aaron discusses with leaving that carbon footprint. I would love to see more conventions and trade shows make available online their conventions and meetings and seminars. I have attended conventions through the use of live streaming, where I had a chance to see a speaker that used their laptop to broadcast the presentation.
I know that as a convention center, being more “green” is important as I found out in Portland when speaking to them. many convention centers are trying to find ways to be more eco-friendly. I heard recently that the swag given away at one conference was being “recycled” which is a trend that I have heard from other organizers.
What are the things you are seeing at conventions and trade shows to make them more eco-friendly?
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August 5th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Virtual trade shows are definitely on the rise, and they definitely have advantages over the traditional trade show format. The savings in travel cost alone is incredible when you think about thousands of attendees flying/driving across the country.
There are some things that just can’t be accomplished via a virtual trade show. For instance, if a manufacturer releases a new product to a network of distributors, the distributors typically want to touch/handle the product, and trade shows afford them that opportunity.
Even traditional trade shows are getting more eco-friendly. I own a company that specializes in eco-friendly trade show displays (www.moddisplays.com), and I can vouch for the fact that a lot of work is being done to make traditional trade shows more environmentally-friendly. Many of our exhibits are produced in a wind-powered factory, made from recycled/recyclable, lightweight materials, and designed with the environment in mind.
In general, there is a lot more work to be done on the “attendee” side of things. Exhibitors are already aware of the problem on their end for the most part, and are working to correct it.