Making your trade show experience green

As a small business you must do everything you can to stand out among the best. Showing that you care about the environment give you a competitive advantage. One way to do this is to make sure you show you are committed when planning your trade show presence. Consumer and industry trade shows are now “greening” themselves. The shows make it known that they are environmentally friendly through marketing, promotions, publicity and often advertising. It only makes sense that you make your customers aware of your eco-friendly practices, too.

Booth

Remember bigger is not necessarily better, especially when you consider the environment— your natural strategic partner. Your booth is your calling card. It either draws people in or repels them. When you consider how you want to best represent your brand (your company, products and services), you need to keep it simple. Since consumers are not as familiar as you think about what constitutes a green product, it’s better to keep things as straightforward as possible. Just show them what your green features are, then tell them why they are important—the story behind it and what’s in it for them. This same strategy can be applied to most any part of your show experience.

Marketing

How you market is equally as important as what you say in your marketing pieces. You can say all you want, but your actions always speak louder than your words. To successfully market green, you need to consider:

• How will you make your brand known without too much waste?·
• How will you make consumers aware that you are keeping the environment in mind when marketing?·
• How will you package your information?·
• How will you drive potential customers to your booth in the most environmentally friendly fashion while being true to your brand?

Take the time know to really green your trade show practices and rise above those just claiming to be green. Consumers know the difference. You can’t fool them.

By Russell Irby, Tradeshow Director and Consultant