In recent years there has been a movement toward minimizing waste in the exhibit and event industry, from minimizing printed materials to laying down carpet tiles that can be re-used. Nancy Zavada founder and president of MeetGreen, was thinking outside the box when she found a way to donate graphic murals from the IMEX America Show, which often get trashed after one show, to a senior citizen home for use in their common areas.
But one hurdle that hasn’t been overcome is the problem of what is known as “Build & Burn.” That’s when a custom exhibit is built for a particular event and when the show is over it literally gets tossed into a landfill. I hope it’s obvious that this practice is inherently wasteful, but while it has largely fallen out of favor in the U.S., Build & Burn is still commonplace in Europe and Asia.
A few years ago, for example, one of my financial clients needed me to design and build three 20-foot inline exhibits, one for the US, one for Europe, and one for Asia. She accepted our proposal for two of the three but said she found a much lower price for the exhibit in Asia. I warned her about the Build & Burn issue and asked her whether the exhibit will be designed and constructed for long-term, multiple-event use. Well, three months later, she called me to say the vendor disposed of the exhibit after the first show.
The Environmental Impact
“Even though there are increased efforts internationally to use sustainable or recycled materials in the construction of trade show exhibits, Build & Burn is still the predominant method of booth construction in many parts of the world,” says Tom Beard, Regional Sales Manager of Classic Exhibits. “It has a major impact on the environment due to the amount of materials sent to a landfill.”
There are some legitimate reasons why companies choose Build & Burn exhibits. Some shows may only happen once every three or four years and exhibitors won’t want to pay to have their exhibits shipped back and stored, especially if they’ll need new design and graphics to match the company’s future marketing messages.
However, there are eco-friendly alternatives to Build & Burn. One alternative is what some call “Euro-Booths.” They’re modular designs based on a common white-wall structure, each with the same counter. Exhibitors rent the booth and just bring their graphics. The booths are reusable and since they’re usually stored on-site or near the venue, they also cut down on shipping costs.
The Rental Alternative
“Rentals are the most eco-friendly way to exhibit internationally,” says Beard of Classic Exhibits.
Some vendors, however, want a unique look that will differentiate them from their competitors. To fill that niche, some vendors are now offering custom rental solution that looks more like a custom-built exhibit with the sustainability benefits of a reusable exhibit.
As companies increasingly emphasize sustainability throughout their businesses, they’ll want to work with event partners that can support those goals through re-usable alternatives, that often also save money, rather than wasteful Build & Burn exhibits.
“From what I’ve heard, the tide is turning from Build & Burns based on awareness of the wastefulness of it in some areas and the associated shipping/labor/disposal costs,” says Candy Adams, The Booth Mom, expert Exhibit Management Trainer and well known Tradeshow Speaker, “Another cost factor is the availability of more aluminum extrusion systems/SEG (silicone edged graphic) fabrics; it’s getting to the point of being cheaper to rent the extrusion, and print it in Asia and ship it to shows, rather than building a one-time-use exhibit onsite and then trashing it.”
The Future of Build and Burn
As we look toward the day when live events resume, let’s hope that sustainability becomes an important part of the conversation. The Pandemic Pause could provide an important opportunity to rethink the events business and move past Build & Burn exhibiting. Glenda Brungardt, Global Tradeshow/Event Manager at tech giant HP said it best. “Bottom line for me: Build & Burn may be a simple solution for a specific show. But as an event planner it is my job to look at the bigger picture and what impact my choices in the construction of a booth have not only on the environment but also on the brand I represent.”
The features and benefits are listed below. HOWEVER, if you really want to understand what makes Symphony unique, we encourage you to watch THIS VIDEO. It will make you a Symphony expert in about 10 minutes. Then explore all 51 Symphony designs in the 10 ft. and 20 ft. galleries in Exhibit Design Search. Let us know what you think.
Exhibit Designers, like those at Classic Rental Solutions, are being tasked by exhibitors to create trade show islands with Post- COVID-19 safety features. Those features include hand sanitizer stands, acrylic safety dividers, and social distancing demo areas.
The rental island designs below illustrate three concepts. Rather than create fixed entrances and exits which would be challenging to monitor and maintain, these designs emphasize individual demo stations, partitions, and social distancing. These all assume mask and sanitation protocols not only during the show but also before and after show hours.
The Event and Exhibition industry in North America is represented by an alphabet soup of organizations. Each focuses on a slice of the industry like show organizers, exhibit builders, or venue managers. There’s no one umbrella group. Sadly, with the exception of HCEA (which is strictly healthcare), there are no associations that represent exhibitors and trade show managers as their primary audience.
The list below summarizes the members and mission for those associations. It does not include international organizations like:
The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI)
International Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (IAFE)
International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES)
EDPA, Experiential Designers and Producers
Association
From the EDPA Website: The EDPA is THE network for leaders in the
customer experience industry. Its members combine marketing, design and
production leadership to help organizations create effective face-to face
customer experiences & environments for tradeshows, events, corporate
environments, museums, retailers, education and entertainment.
The EDPA is THE network for leaders in the customer
experience industry. Its members combine marketing, design and production
leadership to help organizations create effective face-to face customer
experiences & environments for tradeshows, events, corporate environments,
museums, retailers, education and entertainment.
Who are Their Members: Primarily exhibit builders, suppliers, and distributors of trade show products and services.
From the EACA Website: The Exhibitor Appointed Contractor Association represents and supports the interests of EACs and all other organizations that provide exhibit services.
The mission of the EACA is to create tangible value for its
members, and the entire trade show industry, by leveraging the combined
strengths of the EAC community. We do
this by:
Raising the profile of member companies to
prospective clients by providing easy access to member services and locations
on our web site
Using the member’s collective buying power to
obtain advantaged pricing on significant cost centers like supplies and
equipment, payroll services, and workers comp, health and liability insurance.
Developing operational tools like the EACA
mobile app which allows members to access project critical data and information
on a real time basis.
Creating initiatives to assist members to
identify and recruit new talent through our collaboration with Skills USA.
And, conducting routine surveys of the
membership, and the industry, to provide EACA members with data to inform
strategic planning.
Who are Their Members: Primarily non-General Show
Contractor labor providers that exhibitors select to install and dismantle
their trade show exhibit on the show floor. Membership also includes some
General Show Contractors, freight companies, union representatives, and exhibit
houses with I&E divisions.
From the SISO Website: SISO members include companies, corporations
and other for-profit entities that own, produce or provide full-service
management of “face to face” trade shows, consumer shows, expositions,
conferences and /or similar events as a substantial part of their
business. SISO membership is a
combination of large corporations and small entrepreneurial enterprises that do
business primarily in North America, as well as in Europe, Asia, Africa, India,
Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. SISO’s more than 195 members produce over
3,500 events, creating an overall $122B impact on the global economy.
The Society of Independent Show Organizers was formed and
has been dedicated to meeting the needs of the for-profit show organizer
through networking, the exchange of ideas and experiences, and the ability to
learn from each other in a non-competitive and candid environment.
Who are Their Members: For-profit trade show and
event organizers (like Reed and Informa).
ESCA, Exhibition Services and
Contractors Association
From the ESCA Website: ESCA is dedicated to the
advancement of the exhibition, meeting, and special events industries. Through
the education, information exchange and level of professionalism shared by
members and their customers, ESCA promotes cooperation among all areas of the
exhibition industry.
Since 1970 ESCA has provided a unified voice for service
contractors and their partners in the exhibition industry. ESCA now has more
than 175 member companies throughout the United States, Canada, and the United
Kingdom and maintains alliances with IAEE, IAVM, SISO, EDPA, and CEIR to
promote the exhibition industry.
Who are Their Members: Primarily General Service Contractors
such as Freeman, GES, George Fern, and other regional GSCs along with suppliers
that provide rental furniture, carpeting, and pipe and drape.
IAEE, International Association
of Exhibitions and Events
From the IAEE Website: The International Association of Exhibitions and Events is the leading association for the global exhibition industry. Today IAEE represents over 12,000 individuals in over 50 countries who conduct and support exhibitions around the world.
Over 50 percent of IAEE’s members are directly involved in
the planning, management, and production of exhibitions and buyer-seller
events. The remainder of our membership consists of those who provide products
and services to the industry. IAEE values and promotes diversity of membership,
in terms of company size, products, and geographical area.
Who are Their Members: Similar to SISO, except the IAEE members are primarily non-profit associations, show organizers, and convention and visitor bureaus (CVB).
From the IAVM Website: Representing public assembly venues from around the globe, IAVM’s active members include managers and senior executives from auditorium, arenas, convention centers, exhibit halls, stadiums, performing arts centers, university complexes, and amphitheaters.
Member venues represent huge expenditures of public and
private funds. They attract millions of patrons to an astonishing variety of
events from football to basketball, baseball to hockey, from rock concerts to
conventions, conferences to ballets…the list is almost endless.
IAVM counts more than 500 Allied companies among its
members. These companies provide products and services used by managers.
Through their IAVM membership, Allied members are able to present their
products to this vast market.
Who are Their Members: Managers of publicly-owned convention, event, performing arts, sporting, and business facilities.
From the NACS Website: The National Association of Consumer Shows
(NACS) was founded in 1988 for the advancement of the consumer (public) show
industry and to further the growth and professionalism of those involved in the
production of consumer shows. The Association focuses solely on the issues of
the public show industry through advocacy, education, and networking.
NACS is a friendly, accessible community in which consumer
show producers at every level can learn, build relationships, and grow
professionally. NACS members annually produce and host shows which use millions
of square feet of public and private exhibit space throughout the United States
and Canada. These shows bring
significant value to the host facilities, communities, exhibitors, and
attendees.
Who are Their Members: Generally, smaller for-profit
show organizers that produce regional consumer events like auto, holiday,
craft, garden, bridal, fishing, and boat shows.
From the CEMA Website: CEMA is a thriving community
of corporate event marketers. We serve all senior-level event marketers in a
corporate environment. The diversity of our corporate membership continues to
expand, and our recent acceptance as members of the Events Industry Council
(EIC) have enabled us to expand our reach even further.
Our differentiator is our non-selling, peer-to-peer
environment. Conversations among participants at our events focus on best
practice sharing and knowledge sharing. Relationships are first and foremost.
Professionals do business with other professionals they trust. CEMA facilitates
those connections and lifelong industry friendships. CEMA members engage in
person through educational and networking opportunities offered each month
around the country.
Who are Their Members: Primarily corporate event organizers
but also CVB’s and for-profit event companies and general show contractors.
From the EIC Website: The Events Industry Council’s 30+ member organizations represent over 103,500 individuals and 19,500 firms and properties involved in the events industry globally. Our four signature programs—Sustainability, APEX, Knowledge, Leadership—represent the key initiatives, assets, services and products for the Events Industry Council. The Council works to advance the events industry and the professionals who lead the business of meetings.
Who are Their Members: Over 30 event-related organizations
associated with meetings, live events, catering, convention management, travel,
and exhibitions. See the complete list: https://www.eventscouncil.org/About-Us/Our-Members
HCEA, Healthcare Convention and
Exhibitors Association
From the HCEA Website: The Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors
Association (HCEA) is a trade association representing organizations united by
a common desire to increase the effectiveness and quality of healthcare
conventions and exhibitions as an educational and marketing medium.
Since 1930, we have brought together industry stakeholders,
including healthcare exhibitors, healthcare exhibition and meeting organizers
and industry suppliers, who are instrumental in promoting healthcare convention
marketing and exhibitions as vital components of the healthcare marketing mix.
During our long history, HCEA has developed into a dynamic organization that is
the only association solely dedicated to improving the effectiveness of all
conventions, meetings, and exhibitions for the healthcare industry.
Who are their Members: Medical/pharmaceutical companies, CVB’s, exhibit
houses, General Show Contractors, and healthcare-related associations.
