Save time, money, and the planet with sustainable exhibitions. Public investment and shared responsibility drive future success.
- 🌍 Sustainability Shift: Trade show participants see exhibitions as time-saving (86% exhibitors, 87% visitors) and cost-saving (84% exhibitors, 83% visitors).
- ✈️ Carbon Footprint: Exhibitions help reduce travel-related carbon footprints for 67% of exhibitors and 64% of visitors.
- ♻️ Industry Transition: The exhibition industry’s move towards sustainability is seen as halfway between “just starting” and “very advanced.”
- 📊 Perception of Efforts: 73% of participants find it crucial for trade shows to commit to sustainability, with mixed reviews on current efforts.
- 🏢 COVID-19 Impact: Despite the pandemic, sustainability investments have continued, with only 54% of companies reducing related investments.
- 💡 Public Investment: 89% of exhibition companies believe public funding is crucial for sustainability initiatives.
- 🛠️ Key Priorities: Participants prioritize reducing costs of sustainable materials, developing new technologies, and educating all levels about sustainability.
- 📈 Strong Fundamentals: Despite economic hits from COVID-19, the importance of sustainability in exhibitions remains strong among participants.
- 🏅 Pre-COVID Trends: 73% of exhibitors and visitors wanted trade shows to show a strong commitment to sustainability, even before the pandemic.
- 📉 Mixed Reviews: While some see the industry’s efforts as average, a chunk of exhibitors and visitors still rate them as “very poor” or “poor.”
- 🚀 Future Success: 58% of both exhibitors and visitors believe that improving environmental impact is key to the long-term success of the trade show sector.
- 🌱 Key Differences: Participants see plastic and food as top priorities, while the industry focuses more on travel and booths.
- 🤝 Shared Responsibility: 77% of exhibitors and 65% of visitors think event organizers should lead the way in improving the industry’s environmental impact.
- 🌐 Action Areas: To make trade shows more sustainable, participants suggest cutting costs of sustainable materials, creating new tech for waste reduction, and boosting sustainability education.
Source: UFI
