Does your event footprint bother you? Do good, go local, go digital!
Meetings Africa is fast approaching and at Ripcord Promotions we are in the thick of putting the final touches to our stand for the event. Each year we are rated against a number of green factors, such as whether elements of the stand are recycled, the types of giveaways offered, even down to whether your flowers are growing or cut. This sounds like a lot of detail but it really raises awareness of what we can do to minimize our environmental footprint. Last year we were lucky enough to win the Runner Up Prize for small stands. We are incredibly proud of this award!
Our footprint bothers us, and if it bothers you too, here are some ideas about how to manage it. In this post I am going to share a few pointers for discussing with your PCO when you're planning a large event.
- Offset the carbon load of your event – plant trees through Food and Trees for Africa
- Recycle lanyards and the pouches for delegate badges – mention this at registration, have collection boxes at exit points of the event.
- Get creative about alternatives to print advertising as we move into an increasingly digital world. Realistically, a lot of delegates send the print contents of their pack, minus pens and other useful items, straight to the bin. Advertisers and sponsors, what can we offer you for your spend? How about a table with print advertising near to registration, and exploring online advertising options and promotion through a conference app, or getting live coverage of the event on Twitter? Delegates are increasingly digital. Using digital channels makes it easier for them to go straight to your website, to articles, reports or other content useful to them. It is also easier for them to share within their own digital networks too, increasing your reach to new audiences.
- Do good, go local. Stop importing cheap items and invest in local products, especially community initiatives using natural resources wisely. Think cloth bags, bead keyrings and such like. Often they are made with uniquely South African materials. Imagine if the bulk of the conferencing industry in South Africa went local? What opportunities would that create?
Giving a little more consideration to these issues when planning and running your event is important not only for us, but for our clients and their large events, the ones we specialise in. Small changes can have a big impact on what you give back to your environment, or at least minimize what you take from it.
The same fine attention to detail we are known for is going into our stand at Meetings Africa. We're celebrating a special occasion – 25 years in business!
Will you be there?