1. T R E N D R E P O R T # 1
AN INCONVENIENT BOOTH
T H E E C O N O M I C I M P A C T O F T H E G R E E N
M O V E M E N T O N T H E T R A D E S H O W I N D U S T R Y
PRODUCED BY EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GROUP

2. FIGURE INDEX
Executive Summary Figure 1: Current interest
in Green exhibiting options
As interest in environmental issues continues to strengthen virtually around the world, the is high among exhibitors
impact on business has been significant. The so-called “Green” movement is now firmly and suppliers.
entrenched on the executive agenda at many, if not most, of the world’s largest and most Figure 2: Interest in Green
influential companies, and organizations of all sizes are scrambling to revamp operations exhibiting options among
and product lines to comply with a growing mandate from customers, investors, and other exhibitors and suppliers is
stakeholders for more environmentally-friendly practices. expected to grow in 2008.
We have seen this movement begin to make inroads in the exhibit industry as well. In fact, Figure 3: Exhibitors and
in 2007, the exhibit industry experienced several Green-related firsts: suppliers cite personal
The first eco-friendly exhibit system was introduced. interest as a major reason
The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) announced the formation of a for increased interest in
committee to develop Green standards for trade show exhibit design and construction. Green exhibiting options.
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) announced a Green Figure 4: More than a third
committee to address environmental issues in the industry. of exhibitors have taken
One of the largest players in the exhibition and event industry announced it has recycled steps toward adopting
more than 1 million square yards of carpet as part of its industry-wide recycling efforts. Green exhibiting options.
Are these developments the first wave of a “Green Rush” that’s ready to make its mark Figure 5: The percentage
on how exhibit products and services are produced, delivered, purchased, and used? Or of exhibitors’ budgets
are they nothing more than isolated actions of individual allocated to Green options
An untapped market organizations and not reflective of any broader movement? is expected to grow.
for Green exhibiting To try to answer these questions and identify the potential Figure 6: The majority of
economic impact of the Green movement on the exhibit and suppliers have taken steps
options does exist — to
trade show industry, EXHIBITOR embarked on an effort to take toward providing Green
the tune of an estimated
a comprehensive, objective look at the state of Green exhibit- exhibiting options.
$9.24 billion ing from both sides of the industry: those supplying exhibit
. products and services, and the people and companies buying
and using them. With the help of The Bloom Group, an inter-
Figure 7: Exhibitors are
not currently satisfied with
suppliers’ Green options,
national research firm, we launched the first initiative in what will be a series of ongoing despite supplier confidence.
research efforts: an in-depth survey of nearly 500 exhibit managers and other managers Figure 8: The majority of
and executives at companies around the country, as well as more than 100 senior execu- exhibitors are willing to
tives and sales and marketing managers at exhibit display and accessories suppliers. pay a small premium for
We found there is considerable interest in Green exhibiting among both exhibitors and Green exhibiting options.
suppliers, and that interest has translated into small, measured steps toward adopting Figure 9: The lack of variety
Green exhibiting options. We also found that interest in Green exhibiting options is likely in available Green options is
to increase in the coming year, as is the percentage of trade show budgets that exhibitors the second-largest obstacle
will earmark for such products and services. A large percentage of suppliers expect to to increased adoption.
substantially increase the number and variety of Green alternatives they offer — in some
Figure 10: Product makeup
cases, nearly doubling the percentage of their product line that represents Green options. and design are among top-
All told, the survey results indicate that an untapped market for Green exhibiting options rated factors in determining
does exist — to the tune of an estimated $9.24 billion. But for that market to become a a product’s Greenness.
reality, exhibitors and suppliers alike first must overcome a number of obstacles that currently
Figure 11: Exhibitors
impede broader adoption of Green solutions across the industry. indicate various factors
The Green Exhibiting Initiative could influence their
This research was made possible by: decision to adopt Green
Champion Nationwide EXHIBITOR magazine Hall-Erickson Inc. exhibiting options.
www.championexpo.com www.exhibitoronline.com www.heiexpo.com
eco·systems Sustainable Exhibits Freeman Skyline Exhibits
www.ecosystemsdisplays.com www.freemanco.com www.skyline.com
2 A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H © EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP

3. Interest in Green Exhibiting Options is High and Growing
A majority of exhibitors (62 percent) and suppliers (81 percent) we surveyed reported that
62% of exhibitors
expect their interest in
their personal interest in Green exhibiting options is high or very high (Figure 1). This upward
trend is likely to continue, as 62 percent of exhibitors and 78 percent of suppliers believe Green exhibiting will
their interest will increase somewhat or significantly in the next six to 12 months (Figure 2). increase over the next
FIGURE 1:
12 months.
FIGURE 2:
Current interest in Green exhibiting Interest in Green exhibiting options among
options is high among exhibitors exhibitors and suppliers is expected to
and suppliers. grow in 2008.
60% 60%
53%
48%
50% 50%
43%
36%
40% 40%
33%
29%
30% 24% 30% 32% 25%
28%
20% 20% Key
9%
10% 6% 14% 10% 1% 14% Exhibitors
3% 3% 1% 1% Suppliers
0%
0% 0%
1 2 3 4 5 DECREASE REMAIN I NC RE ASE
* ON A S CA LE O F 1 (VE RY LO W) TO 5 ( VER Y H I GH ) S I G N I F I C A N T LY THE SA ME SIGNIFICANTLY
Behind this growing interest are two principal drivers: the fact that respondents consider
e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y-friendly practices the right thing to do, and that respondents’ personal
interest in environmental issues and social causes has increased (Figure 3). These factors
are consistent across both exhibitor and supplier samples. About half of each group said
they are more interested in Green exhibiting options because they believe adopting
Greener practices will enhance their company’s brand and image. One-third of suppliers
and 17 percent of exhibitors indicated their attention to Green exhibiting options has been
raised because they’ve received increased pressure from investors, customers, and other
stakeholders to be more environmentally friendly.
FIGURE 3:
Exhibitors and suppliers cite personal interest as a major reason
for increased interest in Green exhibiting options. 51% of exhibitors
believe adopting
I consider environmentally-friendly 66%
practices the right thing to do 69% Greener practices
will enhance their
Personal interest in environmental and 66%
social causes in general has increased 67% companies’ brand
and image.
I believe adopting Greener practices will 51%
enhance the company’s brand and image 50%
More Green materials are now
29%
available and practical 46%
Company’s management has asked 20%
employees to adopt Green business practices 14%
Increased pressure from stakeholders to Key
17%
be more environmentally conscious 33% Exhibitors
Suppliers
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP © A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H 3

4. For some, the high level of personal interest has translated into active support of Green The pace of adoption
exhibiting options. We found that 35 percent of exhibitors and 59 percent of suppliers consider of Green exhibiting
themselves a champion of Green exhibiting options at their companies. Compared with non- appears poised to
champions, champions are nearly unanimous is stating a high or very high personal interest
quicken in the near
in Green exhibiting (91 percent vs. 36 percent) and see themselves as strong proponents of
more environmentally-friendly exhibit products and services.
future, as more
exhibitors earmark
Adoption of Green Exhibiting Options has been parts of their budgets
for Green options.
Measured to Date but is Expected to Grow
With the generally high level of interest in Green exhibiting expressed by exhibitors and
suppliers, one might expect a high adoption rate for Green exhibiting options. According to our
survey, there has been some adoption of Green options, but because of the nascent nature of
the Green movement in the exhibit industry, that adoption has been measured to date.
For instance, just under one-fourth of exhibitors said they personally have deliberately
purchased a Green exhibit product or service (which could include anything from a booth
property or graphics to lighting, carpeting, accessories, shipping, and pre- and post-show
marketing materials). Furthermore, while 63 percent of exhibitors indicated that their compa-
nies haven’t considered such a purchase, 21 percent reported their companies have taken
initial steps in adopting Green exhibiting options, 12 percent said their companies have
adopted Green exhibiting elements, and 5 percent said their companies have made a sub-
stantial commitment to Green exhibiting (Figure 4).
FIGURE 4:
More than a third of exhibitors have taken steps toward adopting Green exhibiting options.
38% of exhibitors
Adopted some Green elements
Made a substantial
commitment
have already taken steps
5% 12%
Taken initial steps toward adopting Green
exhibiting options.
21%
63%
Have not
considered
The pace of adoption appears poised to quicken in the near future, as more exhibitors Further demonstrating
earmark parts of their budgets for Green options. As noted in Figure 5, 58 percent of the untapped market
exhibitors today allocate some portion of their exhibit/display budgets to Green options potential for Green
— although in most cases, that portion is relatively small, with 37 percent of companies exhibiting is the fact that
dedicating between 1 percent and 10 percent of their total exhibit-marketing budgets to exhibitors, on average,
spending on Green options. In 42 percent of the companies represented by exhibitor
believe approximately
respondents, Green options account for 0 percent of the overall exhibit/display budget.
one-fourth of their total
Yet, as Figure 5 illustrates, that’s all about to change, as exhibitors report plans to boost
exhibit/display budget is
their investment in Green exhibiting options in the coming year. For example, the percent-
age of exhibitors saying they will allocate none of their budget to Green options drops from
theoretically convertible
42 percent today to 14 percent in 12 months. Similarly, the percentage of exhibitors who to Green options.
4 A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H © EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP

5. 86% of exhibitors
allocate between 11 percent and 20 percent of their budget to Green options is expected to
rise from 11 percent today to 24 percent in one year.
FIGURE 5:
anticipate allocating
The percentage of exhibitors’ budgets allocated to Green options is expected to grow.
a portion of their 2008
CURRENT PROJECTED
ex h i b i t- m a r k e t i n g
budgets to Green
10% 14% exhibiting options.
25%
11% YES
42% 86%
As % of budget
> than 20%
YES
37% 11- 20%
24% 58%
37% 1- 10% NO
0% 42%
Some of this shift may be driven by the policies of the larger enterprises in which our exhibitor NO
respondents work. We found that 46 percent of exhibitors’ companies have some type of formal- 14%
ized Green initiative, which in 73 percent of those companies extends to the exhibit function.
2007 2008
So while a strong personal interest in Green exhibiting options among exhibitors appears to be some budget some budget
behind the increasing attention to Green, corporate policies encouraging environmentally- allocation allocation
to Green to Green
friendly practices could be spurring action on that front as well. options options
Further demonstrating the untapped market potential for Green exhibiting is the fact that
exhibitors, on average, believe approximately one-fourth of their total exhibit-marketing budgets
are theoretically convertible to Green options. According to rough extrapolations of our survey
data, using figures from EXHIBITOR magazine's 2007 Salary Survey, Tradeshow Week’s 200, and
the Center for Exhibition Industry Research’s third-annual CEIR Index, the annual industry-wide
market potential for Green exhibiting options is a whopping $9.24 billion. What’s more, the
46% of exhibitors’
companies have some
majority of exhibitors believe it’s not only theoretically possible to convert a quarter of their budgets
type of formalized Green
to Green exhibiting options, but highly probable. In fact, 75 percent report that they expect to
initiative, which in
meet that theoretical target. If those respondents’ expectations are accurate and representative,
spending on Green exhibiting options could reach a minimum of nearly $7 billion per year.
On the supplier side, measured progress also has been reported. Just under half of supplier
respondents said their companies have a formalized Green initiative, which in 72 percent of
73% of those
compa n i esextends to
those organizations is company wide. As shown in Figure 6, most suppliers have taken some the exhibit function.
initial steps toward providing Green exhibiting options (43 percent), while 45 percent have
made either moderate or substantial progress in providing them. Thirteen percent have not
considered offering Green options. On average, Green offerings account for 28 percent of
suppliers’ total product line, and for 58 percent of suppliers, Green options currently account
for less than 10 percent of overall sales (with 22 percent of those companies reporting no
revenue from Green exhibiting options).
FIGURE 6:
The majority of suppliers have taken steps toward providing Green exhibiting options.
43%
13%
23% 22% 88% of suppliers
reported having made
Have not Have taken Have made Have made
substantial
some progress in offering
considered it some initial moderate
steps toward progress in progress in Green solutions.
providing them providing them providing them
EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP © A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H 5

6. Although most suppliers reported having made some progress in offering Green exhibiting
options, it’s apparently not enough for exhibitors. Overall, satisfaction among exhibitors with
their suppliers’ Green options is not high (Figure 7), with just 7 percent claiming to be satis-
Only 7% of
exhibitors indicated
fied or very satisfied and 76 percent professing to be neutral — suggesting that suppliers
they were satisfied
have some work to do if they want to tap into growing exhibitor demand for Green options.
Interestingly, as Figure 7 shows, suppliers seem to have overestimated clients’ satisfaction with
with suppliers’
their Green offerings. Thirty-seven percent of suppliers said their clients were either satisfied Green offerings.
or very satisfied with their Green exhibiting options while 59 percent thought they were
neutral and 5 percent believed they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
FIGURE 7:
Exhibitors are not currently satisfied with suppliers’ Green exhibiting options,
despite supplier confidence.
76%
59%
Key
24% Exhibitor Satisfaction*
13% 12% 5% Suppliers’ Indication
6% of Their Clients’
1% 3% 2%
Satisfaction**
Very satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Very dissatisfied
* P E R C E N TA G E O F E X HI B I T O R S S AT IS F IE D WI T H S U P P L IE R S ’ G R E EN O F F E R I N G S
* * P E R C E N TA G E O F S U P P L IE R S IN D IC AT I N G H O W S AT I S F I E D T H E Y T H I N K T H E I R C L I E N T S A R E W I T H T H E I R G R E E N O F F E R I N G S
Price is the Pr i m a ry Obstacle to Broader Adoption
Clearly, Green exhibiting options have begun attracting exhibitors’ attention, and in some
companies, their money as well. But it’s evident that something is preventing broader
adoption of Green exhibiting options today, and according to exhibitors, that something
89% of exhibitors
can be summed up in one word: price.
We asked respondents if they would be willing to adopt Green options if those options
performed as well as and cost the same as traditional options. An overwhelming 89 per-
would be willing to
cent said they would. So Green appears to be the preferred option in a scenario where
all things (including price) are equal. adopt Green options if
However, when certain price premiums were attached to Green options (with performance those options performed
still assumed to be equal), support declined precipitously (Figure 8). If Green options theoreti- as well as and cost the
cally cost 5 percent more than traditional options, 73 percent of exhibitors would still make the same as traditional
switch. However, bump the premium to 10 percent, and support erodes to just 45 percent. At a exhibiting options.
15-percent premium, only 14 percent of exhibitors would switch — a figure that falls to 6 per-
cent and 3 percent, respectively, when the premium reaches 20 percent and 25 percent.
Judging from these results, there is a clear price premium threshold among exhibitors
that’s somewhere between 5 percent and 10 percent. And that threshold is far exceeded
by Green options currently available — both in the minds of exhibitors and on the price
tags of actual products. When asked what they expect to pay for Green options today,
exhibitors on average said approximately 23 percent more than traditional options. In
reality, according to suppliers’ responses, Green options actually cost an average of 26
percent more than traditional options.
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7. FIGURE 8:
The majority of exhibitors are willing to pay a small premium for Green exhibiting options.
100%
Key Yes No Not Sure
82%
73%
75%
3% of exhibitors
are willing to pay a
54% premium of 25 percent
50% 45% or more for Green
exhibiting options,
33%
29%
while vendors report
26%
that Green products,
18% 19%
14% 15% on average, cost 26
9% percent more than
6%
3%
0%
traditional options.
5% more 10% more 15% more 20% more 25% more
cost of Green options compared to traditional options
These findings provide considerable evidence that price thus far has been an inhibitor There is a clear
to more widespread adoption of Green exhibiting options. And until the price gap price-premium
between Green and traditional options is reduced to below exhibitors’ psychological threshold for Green
threshold, adoption is likely to remain slow among all but the most zealous environ-
exhibiting options,
mental enthusiasts.
and that’s somewhere
Other Significant Obstacles Exist between 5 percent
While the cost of Green exhibiting options is a major impediment to exhibitors’ adoption and 10 percent.
of Green options, other significant obstacles exist (Figure 9). To identify which might be
more influential in suppressing the adoption of Green options, we presented exhibitors
and suppliers with a list of eight potential obstacles and asked participants to rate them
in terms of how significant a stumbling block each is, using a scale of 1 (not at all an
obstacle) to 7 (very significant obstacle).
Not surprising given the discussion in the preceding section, the generally higher The second-largest
prices of Green options compared with traditional options was tops on the list, with a obstacle to the
mean rating of 5.33 among exhibitors and 5.25 among suppliers. The second-larg e s t adoption of Green
obstacle among all exhibitor respondents was a lack of variety in Green materials cur- exhibiting options is
rently available, which received a mean rating of 4.61. Close behind lack of variety was
a lack of variety in
a somewhat related issue, too small of a supplier pool providing Green options (4.56),
followed by lack of metrics to quantify the business impact of Green exhibiting (4.49),
Green materials
and lack of consensus on what constitutes Green exhibiting (4.34). Concern over currently available.
whether Green options would not perform as well as traditional options and manage-
ment’s general disinterest in Green exhibiting options were seen by exhibitors as the
least-significant obstacles to broader adoption of Green exhibiting.
For their part, suppliers had virtually identical views on what was preventing their clients
from showing stronger tangible support for Green options (Figure 9). In only two instances
was the gap between the mean ratings of the two groups greater than .5: Suppliers thought
general disinterest among exhibitors’ management and lack of consensus on what constitutes
Green exhibiting were greater obstacles than exhibitors did. At least when it comes to
obstacles, suppliers appear to understand their clients’ concerns very well.
EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP © A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H 7

8. However, while exhibitors generally did not consider management disinterest in
Green exhibiting a major obstacle, it’s hard to ignore a separate survey finding: Only
35 percent of exhibitors described their company’s level of interest in Green options as
high or very high, with most indicating it was either neutral or low to very low. While
such an interest level doesn’t constitute an obstacle per se, it arguably could make it
more difficult for an exhibit manager who would like to go Green to justify the additional
costs that Green options would entail.
FIGURE 9:
The lack of variety in available Green options is the second-largest obstacle
to increased adoption.
Higher prices of Green options 5.33 Nearly half of all
compared with traditional ones 5.25
exhibitors (45 percent)
Lack of variety in Green 4.61 said they don’t know
options available 4.91
if their suppliers pro-
Too small a supplier pool 4.56 vide Green options,
providing Green options 4.76
indicating suppliers
Lack of metrics to quantify the 4.49 could do a much better
business impact of Green 4.45
job of communicating
Lack of consensus on what 4.34 what Green offerings
constitutes Green exhibiting 4.88
are available.
Lack of Green options to meet 4.29
exhibitors’ specific needs 4.47
Substandard performance 3.71
of Green options 3.75
Key
Exhibitor management’s 3.67
4.14 Exhibitors
disinterest in Green options
Suppliers
1 2 3 4 5 6
* M E A N R AT IN G O N S C A L E O F 1 = NO OB S TA C L E AT A L L T O 7 = V E R Y S I G NI F I C A N T OB S TA C L E
Another obstacle seems to be one that could be overcome with more effective marketing by
suppliers. Nearly half of all exhibitors (45 percent) said they don’t know if their suppliers
provide Green exhibiting options, indicating s u p p l i e r s could do a much better job of com-
municating what Green offerings are available.
The preceding illustrates what’s preventing exhibitors from adopting Green options. Suppliers have their
But suppliers have their own set of challenges — some of which are related to exhibitors’ own set of challenges
issues — that are preventing them from offering a greater array of Green options. We
— some of which are
asked supplier representatives to do a similar rating of a set of six obstacles to their ability
related to exhibitors’
to offer more Green alternatives to their clients, using the same scale of 1 (not at all an
obstacle) to 7 (very significant obstacle). Four of the six obstacles finished almost even at
issues — that are
the top of the list with a mean rating of around 5.0: higher overall cost of Green options, preventing them from
insufficient availability of Green options, lack of knowledge about available Green options, offering a greater array
and lack of consensus on what constitutes a Green or sustainable option. The remaining of Green options.
two — increased lead time for sourcing Green options (4.3) and inferior performance of
Green products (3.83) — finished well behind the leaders.
Indeed, after price, sourcing seems to be a major impediment for suppliers. According
to 77 percent of supplier executives, there are too few suppliers of Green raw materials or
Green products they source, which ostensibly makes it difficult for suppliers to populate
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9. their product lines with more Green options that could be attractive to exhibitors. Fu r t h e r-
more, 75 percent of supplier executives would prefer a greater variety of Green options
available from their suppliers, indicating the selection from which they must currently
choose is too limited.
There is a Substantial Disconnect Between Exhibitors
and Vendors on What Constitutes Green When deciding what’s
In some respects, one of the most significant obstacles to broader adoption of Green exhibit- Green, exhibitors
ing options is that there’s little agreement on what is truly Green. There are many ways both
care less about how
exhibitors and suppliers define Green, and those definitions are largely driven by what’s
environmentally
important to each individual. Is it the fact that the product is recyclable? Is it that the product
was made in a factory that produces no harmful emissions or waste? Is it that the product is friendly the operations
more efficient to ship, thus saving gas? are of the company that
To get a sense for what exhibitors and suppliers consider the defining characteristics of a produced the product
Green exhibiting option, we asked them to rate a list of 11 potential Greenness factors. The and more about the
results show that, for exhibitors, being Green is more about the product than the process material used to make
(Figure 10). In other words, when deciding what’s Green, exhibitors care less about whether
the product.
or not the supplier’s operations are environmentally friendly and more about the materials
used to make the product itself.
For example, the top-rated factor for determining a product’s Greenness is that the product
is designed in such a way that it’s more efficient to ship. Arguably, this factor could be more
about the exhibitor saving money on shipping than about being more environmentally friendly.
Nonetheless, the factor still involves the product itself.
The next two factors involve the raw materials from which a product is made: whether Suppliers and
the product has any toxic or harmful components or ingredients and whether the product is exhibitors were not
made from materials that are endangered or in short supply. Related to the top factor is the
aligned in terms of
fourth-rated factor, which is the extent to which a product has a sustainable design that
the Greenness factors
promotes reuse of the components — for instance, a booth property that doesn’t end up in
a landfill when its useful life is over, but comprises components that could find a role as
that influenced
part of a new exhibit. exhibitors’ decisions
Fifth on the list of Greenness factors is whether the product is designed to consume less to purchase Green
material overall, followed by two factors that are most commonly associated with Green exhibiting options.
options: the extent to which the product is recyclable and how much of the product is
made from recycled materials.
At the bottom of the list are factors related to such things as how much waste from its
operations a manufacturer reclaims, how efficient and non-polluting a manufacturer’s Exhibitor’s top-rated
operations are, how well a manufacturer conserves energy and water, and whether a factor for determining
manufacturer uses hybrid or more fuel-efficient vehicles as part of its operations. While
a product’s Greenness
these factors are not unimportant, they are comparatively lower on exhibitors’ lists of
what they think constitutes a Green product.
is that the product is
Suppliers and exhibitors were not aligned, however, in terms of the Greenness factors designed in such a
that influenced exhibitors’ decisions to purchase Green exhibiting options (Figure 10). way that it’s more
In fact, suppliers consistently underestimated the importance that exhibitors placed on efficient to ship.
each of the 11 factors we studied — especially six of them: products are made from
recycled materials; products are recyclable themselves; products are designed to
consume less material overall; suppliers use hybrid or more fuel-efficient vehicles;
suppliers’ manufacturing process consumes less energy or materials or produces less
waste; and suppliers reclaim or recycle a substantial portion of the waste generated by
their manufacturing operations.
EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP © A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H 9

10. The message in these findings is that before vendors can effectively develop, market,
and sell Green exhibiting options, they need to be sure what they consider Green
matches the way their clients view the issue.
FIGURE 10:
Product makeup and design are among the top-rated factors in determining
a product’s Greenness.
Products are designed in such a way 5.9 Suppliers consistently
that they are more efficient to ship 5.25
underestimated the
Products don’t have toxic/harmful 5.68 importance exhibitors
components/ingredients 4.81
placed on each of
Products aren’t made from materials 5.63 the Greenness factors
that are endangered/in short supply 4.7 we studied.
Products have a sustainable design that 5.54
promotes reuse of the components 4.93
Products are designed to 5.45
consume less material overall 4.59
Products are recyclable themselves 5.3
4.08
Products are made from 5.22
recycled materials 3.81
Supplier reclaims/recycles a substantial
proportion of the waste generated 4.83
3.78
by its manufacturing operations
S u p p l i e r’s manufacturing process
4.7
consumes less energy/materials and/or 3.67
produces less waste/harmful emissions
Supplier’s facilities conserve 4.64
energy and/or water 3.91
Supplier uses hybrid/more fuel-efficient 4.3
vehicles (especially for shipping) 2.88 Key
Exhibitors
Suppliers
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
* M E A N R AT I N G O N S C A L E O F 1 = N O I M P O R T A N C E A T A L L T O 7 = V E R Y H I G H I M P O R TA N C E
Several Incentives Could Influence Exhibitors identified
several factors that
Exhibitors to Switch to Green Options could help convince
Short of eliminating the cost differential between Green options and traditional options, them to switch to a
exhibitors identified several factors that could help convince them to switch to a Green Green option that
option that performed as well as a traditional option but cost 10 percent more (Fi g u r e performed as well as
11). The most-influential factor was an eminently practical one: if the Green options
a traditional option but
offered an upgrade in usability over traditional options in some important way, such as
cost 10 percent more.
a longer life or more flexible design.
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11. The next-largest factor was if management had a personal interest in Green exhibiting,
followed by having metrics that could demonstrate that Green options generate a quan-
tifiable benefit to the business that offsets their additional expense, knowing that switching
to Green would boost the company’s brand and image among key constituents, and if
the additional expense could be considered a tax write-o f f. The least-influential factors
were bonuses or some other financial rewards given to people for making the switch, a
major competitor touting its Green exhibiting progress, and if switching to Green would
make employees feel good about their employer.
FIGURE 11:
Exhibitors indicate various factors could influence their decision to adopt
Green exhibiting options.
Green option offered an The most-influential
upgrade in usability over 4.25
traditional solutions
factor for getting
exhibitors to switch
Management had a personal
interest in Green exhibiting 4.06 to Green is if the
Green solutions
We had metrics to determine offered an upgrade
Green option’s quantifiable 4.03
in usability over
business benefit
traditional solutions in
Switching would boost some important way.
3.9
company image and brand
Additional expense could
be a tax w r i t e-o f f 3.64
Solution’s Greenness
was certified in some 3.27
objective way
It would make employees feel
3.12
good about their company
Bonuses or other rewards
2.88
were offered for going Green
Competitor touting its
2.83
Green exhibiting progress
1 2 3 4
* M E A N R AT I NG O N S C A L E O F 1 = N OT AT A L L A FA C T O R T O 5 = M A J OR F A C T O R 55% of supplier
execut i v es
are in
Interestingly, exhibitors appear to be ambivalent about a Green certification’s ability to
influence them to switch to a Green option. Having a solution’s Greenness certified in some favor of an industry-
objective way finished in the middle of the list of factors. Suppliers expressed somewhat wide certification
stronger support for certification, with 55 percent of supplier executives indicating they were standard for Green
in favor of an industry-wide certification standard for Green exhibiting options. exhibiting options.
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12. A near-majority of
Conclusion exhibitors said they
The data indicates that adoption of Green exhibiting options among exhibitors has
give or would consider
been measured to date, but judging from exhibitors’ budget plans, spending on Green
giving preferential
options looks to be poised for a considerable increase. Indeed, exhibitors appear to
maintain a high — and growing — level of interest in Green exhibiting options and
treatment to suppliers
are open to switching to such options under the right conditions. A near-majority of that offer Green
exhibitors also indicated that when they find suppliers that offer Green alternatives alternatives that
that meet their needs, they give or would consider giving such suppliers preferential meet their needs.
treatment — typically in the form of additional consideration in a request for proposal
and favored-supplier status. All of this adds up to a genuine business opportunity for
suppliers, which we estimate to be $9.24 billion. Vendors must address
The challenge for suppliers, of course, is how to tap into this new and dynamic market. three main challenges
Given the responses from exhibitors, we see three main areas that suppliers must address — price, sourcing, and
if they want to be seriously considered by Green-leaning exhibitors:
awareness — if they
Price: Most exhibitors demonstrated a willingness to pay more for a Green option that
performs as well as a traditional one — but not 20 percent to 25 percent more, which is
want to be seriously
the average price premium charged by suppliers. Reducing this cost disparity will go a considered by Green-
long way toward spurring broader adoption of Green exhibiting options. leaning exhibitors.
Sourcing: Exhibitors clearly were not pleased with the variety of Green options available
to them, or the size of the pool of suppliers offering Green alternatives. Being more aggres-
sive in finding new and more plentiful sources of Green raw materials will enable suppliers
to provide a Green product line that is more attractive to their clients.
Awareness: Along with sourcing, suppliers need to be more aggressive in marketing
the Green options they provide. The fact that nearly half of exhibitors surveyed said they
didn’t know if their suppliers offered Green exhibiting options indicates suppliers aren’t
communicating effectively with their clients — a situation that, if corrected, could expand
the market for suppliers’ Green offerings.
Pe rhaps one of the best ways for suppliers to capitalize on growth opportunities in
Green exhibiting is to focus on those exhibitors who described themselves as Green AN INCONVENIENT BOOTH
champions. Indeed, Green champions not only support Green options in theory, but For a copy of the full
they are putting action behind their talk. They are much more likely than non-champions survey report, visit:
to have deliberately purchased a Green exhibiting option of some kind, to be increasing http://www.exhibitoronline.
the proportion of their budget earmarked for Green options in the coming year, to com/greensummary.asp
report their company has made a substantial commitment to Green exhibiting or adopted
METHODOLOGY
some Green elements, and to say that they give preferential treatment to companies Exhibitor Magazine Group and
offering Green options. Champions also are somewhat less price sensitive than non- The Bloom Group sent two e-mail
invitations to a random list of individ-
champions when it comes to Green options (although most still seem to be unwilling to uals from EXHIBITOR’s subscriber
pay more than a 10-percent premium for Green offerings). If “leading lights” in the base in August and September of
2007. One invitation was directed
Green exhibit movement eventually emerge, it seems likely many would come from this toward individuals who work at
companies that purchase ex h i b i t
group of individuals.
products and services (“ex h i b i t o r s ” )
Although the survey results reveal a growing and untapped market for Green exhibiting and the other was sent to individuals
representing suppliers of such solu-
options, it’s difficult to say if or when Green will become the standard in exhibit products
tions (“suppliers”). Each invitation
and services. But there is evidence to suggest that suppliers failing to provide desirable contained a link to the online survey
questionnaire developed for that
and relevant Green options will at some point suffer the consequences in terms of eroding
recipient’s respective grouping. We
sales and market share and, perhaps, a stigma of being environmentally irresponsible. received a total of 498 completed
surveys from exhibitors and 110 from
Indeed, if a majority of a suppliers’ clients believe environmentally-friendly practices are suppliers. The exhibitors represented
“the right thing to do” and that supplier fails to offer Green options, there’s a good a wide spectrum of industries, while
most suppliers surveyed (57 percent)
chance those clients eventually will take their business to a company whose philosophy were designers or producers of
mirrors their own. exhibits or displays.
12 A N I N C O N V E N I E N T B O O T H © EXHIBITOR MAGAZINE GR OUP