A Wider Net

Exhibitor Magazine published “An Inconvenient Booth” - a trend report covering the “economic impact of the Green movement on the trade show industry.” It’s a very good read that highlights some positive trends, some less-than positive trends, and good details of the obstacles facing exhibitors and suppliers as they attempt to incorporate Green practices. Note: It feels very weird to me to capitalize Green in this context so bear with me if I miss one or two.

A positive highlight of the report is the amount of interest in green exhibiting by exhibitors and suppliers. 62% of exhibitors and 81% of suppliers said their interest in Green exhibiting options is high or very high. Another highlight: “51% of exhibitors believe that adopting Greener practices will enhance their companies’ brand or image.” These numbers are expected to increase in 2008. Despite only about two-thirds of the exhibitors expressing high or very high interest in Green practices, 86% of them anticipate setting aside budget dollars in 2008 for Green options. That’s significant, and that’s part of the reason that the report highlights a $9.24 billion untapped market for Green exhibiting options. That’s the upside of the report.

One of the most disheartening aspects of the report was the fact that, despite the clear interest in Green exhibiting options, there is a shocking lack of interest in paying extra for it. People want their Green, but not if it costs more and not if it limits their options. Once the cost of incorporating Green practices adds a 5% premium to their total exhibit costs, the number of exhibitors willing to go that route drops to 73%. If they incur a 10% premium, then the number of willing participants drops to 45%. And if they have to pay 15% more to use Green options, only 14% said they would pay the difference. So - that should tell us how much they value the impact going Green on their brand and corporate image.

This is the toughest part of the Inconvenient Truth that we all face. We want to save the planet, but we’re often not willing to make sacrifices to do it - especially in business. That’s why we see so much greenwashing - it’s far cheaper to pretend to be green than to actually do it. The report indicated that one of the major obstacles facing exhibitors who want to go Green is the lack of interest and support from the leadership within their company. What I hope will follow, in Trend Report #2, is the research to show executives how valuable a Green strategy can be, and how little it can cost to make a big impact. Give exhibitors ammunition to fight the fight all the way up the ladder/chain.

The report is available as a PDF. Download it. Don’t print it. The hard copy that was inserted in every issue of Exhibitor Magazine was printed on only 10% post-consumer waste paper. 10%. Great report - not a great delivery. Similarly, the US Post Office, in an attempt to promote printed direct marketing, keeps sending me thick printed brochures-disguised-as-magazines about how green direct marketing can be, when targetted properly. Here’s a suggestion: Send me a postcard and put the thick document on the web.

I applaud Exhibitor Magazine for taking the initiative to perform this research. It’s a great step and I hope they continue to identify and share ways for exhibitors to incorporate Greener practices.