It’s no secret that trade show booths often require a lot of unsustainable material such as printed materials, electricity, and more. They aren’t always what you might call “Eco-Friendly.”  In today’s world where going green is not only trendy but also crucial to sustaining the world we live in, finding ways to turn your trade show booth is important.  Not only does it demonstrate that your company is environmentally conscious, but it could also save you lots of money and resources.  Here are a few tips to help make your trade show carbon footprint smaller.

Go Digital

Many trade show attendees will likely have their own personal computers or at the very least a smart phone with them as they navigate from booth to booth. Rather than spend money printing out flyers, find ways to utilize digital technology instead.  Consider handing out small business cards with a link to your company’s website where consumers can go to find more information, or go completely paper-free by having consumers scan QR codes with their phones to take them directly to your website.  This not only eliminates paper waste for you and your consumers, but also demonstrates your company’s tech-savviness.

Think Reusability

As much as possible, try to set up your booth with things that can be reused at another time.  Use floor coverings and booth setups that are more durable and can be easily used again or at the very least recycled after usage.  Alternatively, you can opt to use booth setups made from sustainably manufactured or natural materials.  If you have freebies or trinkets to hand out, try to purchase them without specific dates or trade show names printed.  Better yet, choose to hand out promotional items that have been created from recycled products.

Turn the Lights Off

One of the downsides to incorporating more digital technology into your booth is that these products still use a fair amount of electricity. Reduce energy usage by keeping the power off whenever a product isn’t being used, or better yet use sustainable lighting such as LED lights.

Lighten Your Load

By keeping your trade show booth minimal, you will not only save on manpower and time when it comes to setting it up, but also in transportation costs.  Reduce the weight and size of your booth either by using lighter materials such as fabric or cardboard, or try to make most of your exhibit digital (as suggested earlier).