Your Insider Guide to Sustainable Trade Show Exhibits

Trade Show Blog

If you’re reading this article, then you’re already an excellent candidate for a custom eco-friendly exhibit. You may be personally committed to green materials, or your company may have a sustainability initiative. Either way, it’s a positive choice. In this post, we’ll explore what sustainable means when it comes to designing, building, and shipping a “green exhibit.”

Historically, trade shows have not been sustainable. There’s the “build and burn” philosophy in some parts of the world where exhibits are abandoned after one use. There’s also the tremendous waste created before, during, and after a show – like packaging, paper, wood, foam, and fabric signs, and flooring. Fortunately, about 15 years ago, show organizers, general contractors, and builders took a (somewhat) more enlightened approach with the goals of more eco-friendly trade shows.

You Can Make a Difference with Our Sustainable Exhibits

As an exhibitor, you can make a difference, and that difference doesn’t have to cost more or compromise your design or marketing goals. Green display materials such as Eco-board, ReCo, and FSC wood products are smart choices that are comparable to non-sustainable materials in performance, look, and feel. However, none of that matters if you can’t get the design and the features you need in your exhibit.

Thankfully, since 2007, Classic Exhibits has been designing modern ecoSmart Sustainable Displays for our clients ranging from islands to inlines and counters to charging tables. There are hundreds of options and a wide range of designs.

Why Choose Eco-Friendly Exhibits?

Contemporary, Dynamic Designs
Environmentally Friendly Materials
Fulfill Your Company’s Sustainability Initiative
It’s an easy choice. There is no downside to going with an Eco-friendly Exhibit.

How Are EcoSmart Displays Sustainable Trade Show Exhibits?

Every Eco-Systems Exhibit starts with sustainable materials. These include:

Aluminum Extrusions: 70% recycled content and aluminum is endlessly recyclable.
Forest Stewardship Council Wood Products: Certified grown and harvested sustainably.
Laminates: Greenguard Certified.
Adhesives: Water-based, low or VOC free (Volatile Organic Compounds).
Eco-Board: Biodegradable polystyrene.
ReCo Board: 100% recycled plastics.
Eco-Glass: 100% post-industrial recycled acrylic or plexi-glass.
Fabric Graphics: 100% post-consumer material including dye-sub SEG backlit graphics.
LED Lights: Lightboxes, accent lights, stem lights, and downlighting.
Shipping Cases made from recycled plastics and 100% recyclable when no longer needed. All wood crates are made using FSC Wood.
Reusable Packing Materials Made from Recycled Foam

In addition, Eco-Systems exhibits are manufactured in Portland, OR at a sustainably managed facility.

Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits from Classic Exhibits

OK, But Will My Eco Friendly Exhibit Look “Green”?

Do you mean funky, crunchy, or recycled-looking? It can but most exhibitors want a sustainable exhibit with a contemporary look and feel. In other words, no one knows it’s “green” unless you tell them. That applies to 10 ft, 20 ft., islands, and accessories.

10 Eco Friendly Exhibit Examples

Here are some examples from the 200+ kits in the ecoSmart galleries.

Eco Friendly Island Exhibits

ECO-4022: This modular design, with 10 ft. and 20 ft. inline options, has bright LED Lightboxes, reception counters with locking storage, and even a spacious interior conference room

ECO-4055: An elegant island with product shelving and showcases. This design comes with curved headers and a monitor option.

ECO-4094: This open design with seating and a reception counter is cost-effective as a purchase or a rental.

ECO-4071: The custom modular design is perfect for the exhibitor with an aggressive show schedule that includes 10 ft, 20 ft., and island booths. The ECO-4071 is easy to reconfigure and includes sustainable options like LED lights, graphics printed on recycled materials, and an aluminum structure.

Sustainable Inline Exhibits

ECO-1071: Modular and customizable, the ECO-1071 makes it easy to demonstrate products or services on the show floor with casual seating, counters, and rotating tablet displays.

ECO-2060: Big, bold graphics make this an enticing exhibit. There’s even a full-size closet for product samples, coats, purses, and briefcases.

ECO-2113: The perfect balance between backlit graphics and extensive shelving. The curved display counters put your products front and center on the aisle.

ECO-1038-B: Backlit and beautiful, the ECO-1038 shines with backlit graphics, locking closet storage, and a practical reception counter. Need more space? The ECO-1038-B easily reconfigures to a 10 x 20 with even more storage and backlighting.

Sustainable Exhibit Accessories

ECO-42C Reception Counter: The contemporary design, backlit graphics, and raised plex countertop will attract attention, but it’s the FSC wood, LED lights, and recycled acrylic that make it sustainable.

ECO-22C Pedestal: Attracting shelving options on the aisle are like unicorns. People talk about them but no one can find one. The ECO-22C is the ideal solution for featuring products “front and forward” at a trade show with six adjustable shelves.

How Much Customization is Available with Green Exhibits?

In short, we’ll build whatever you want. The online galleries are idea generators where you can see what’s possible, and mix and match designs to fulfill your specific marketing needs. For example, we have clients in the natural foods industry. Most want a bright and colorful exhibit with extensive shelving and storage, plus convenient counters for sampling. They also need a reconfigurable sustainable exhibit since their shows vary from local tastings when a 10 ft. booth is ideal to an industry show in Las Vegas, Anaheim, or Boston where only an island will do to handle the crowds, meetings, and press conferences.

When it comes to an eco-friendly display, there’s no reason to limit your vision. The materials are comparable in price to non-green materials and have the same construction flexibility.

Is There an Ultimate Sustainable Exhibits Option?

Looking for the ultimate sustainable exhibit for your trade show program? Don’t buy it. Rent it. Rental displays made with sustainable materials are a win-win. They’re constructed with eco-friendly materials, including aluminum, FSC wood, and recycled graphic fabric and substrates.

Custom rental exhibits are quickly becoming the greenest of green choices for exhibitors who want to make a difference. Many rental exhibits are built with the same materials previously mentioned, come in a variety of sizes and designs, and can be customized for any exhibitor — even from show to show. Rentals give exhibitors the ultimate flexibility to change their messaging without the hassle of ownership.

An eco-friendly rental from Classic Exhibits looks identical to a purchased exhibit. Just imagine your beautiful island display with large LED lightboxes, big overhead signs, conference and meeting rooms, and workstations at a price 40% less than a comparable purchased display.

Rental Island Exhibits | Rental Inline Exhibits | Rental Counters and Accessories

Because rentals are used again and again, as long as the components are functional and attractive, they are more sustainable for the exhibitor and the builder. Plus, at Classic Exhibits, when components can no longer be used, we recycle them – wood, aluminum, and plastic. That may not always happen when an exhibitor decides to dispose of their purchased display.

To view all of the rental designs, click on Rentals or Exhibit Design Search. Or start a conversation with a Classic Exhibits professional about designing a one-of-a-kind custom rental display.

–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite

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Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufactures portable, modular, hybrid, and custom exhibit solutions, including Symphony Portable Displays. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.

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