Maybe Not Paperless (Yet), But Less Paper

Why is paper such a problem? For one thing, as this short video shows, vast resources are wasted in producing paper products — and a lot of that waste can be avoided through reducing our dependence on paper and being more careful about recycling. Just think about the amount of paper involved in the average trade show, from registration forms, agendas and sales sheets, to product catalogs and even paper cups and badges!

And let's face it: With airlines charging extra fees for even the first checked bag, how likely is it that your heavy, glossy brochure will even make it back to the client's office? Some trade show attendees may still be conditioned to expect hard copies of all your literature and catalogs, but most aren't going to want to lug them home. From a practical perspective as well as a green one, the star of the trade show will be the one with the most creative solution to this dilemma.

Greening up the trade show
How can you get your message out, and run a booth or even a whole trade show, without involving reams of paper? Here are a few ideas:

For those items that just have to be printed, use double-sided printing on recycled paper (minimum 30-percent post-consumer recycled content) using vegetable-based inks if possible.
Use the Web: Post and accept registration forms online, as well as agendas and marketing materials, or send them through email.
Event organizers can also collect presentation abstract submissions online, and let attendees know where to find them if they wish to download and print them.

Some things will still have to be printed, but you can cut down greatly on your printing expenses by using other methods for giving and collecting information.

Sustainable swag
Cutting down on the amount of paper you use at each trade show is a great way to go lean and green — and cut down on shipping expenses, since you'll need fewer boxes of heavy printed materials.

But a booth isn't much of a draw if you simply tell your visitors everything's online. You have to give out some sort of marketing swag, right? Consider these environmentally friendly — and fun — freebies:

Branded USB drives with all your product literature preloaded on them. You can also give out CDs, but the USB drives are smaller, reusable and have more staying power!
Tote bags made of recycled materials are low-cost, handy on the convention floor, bound to be reused — and take up virtually no space in a suitcase.
Get the traditional swag in an updated, eco-friendly format — like biodegradable pens, note pads made of recycled paper, or coffee cups made of biodegradable corn.
Or to be truly earth-friendly, you can give out seeded paper bookmarks embedded with actual seeds that customers can plant and grow their own flowers.

Some of these options may cost a little more than printed materials, but factor in the cost of printing and shipping traditional brochures — as well as the number of marketing materials destined for the hotel wastebasket, and that box of catalogs you'll have to ship back to the office because no one took them — and the price might make a little more sense. Plus, eco-friendly branded materials are likely to be used, reused and remembered!

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