It’s not a secret that trade shows can produce large amounts of waste. All of the pamphlets and marketing that are typically given out by companies at their trade show booths, unfortunately end up in waste bins usually within hours (if not minutes) of being passed out. So, what can be done to reduce this enormous amounts of waste? Well, it’s probably as you may have guessed, not as simple as it seems.
Some have put forth the idea that trade show booths could use electronic communications instead of passing out flyers, pamphlets and other forms of paper marketing materials, but the fact is that these types of communications still probably aren’t ready to replace paper in all instances.
In fact, polls show that attendees to most trade show booths and expos nearly always prefer printed communications to their digital brethren, like smartphone or iPad apps and conveying information through QR codes and other digital means. As much buzz as these techniques get, they aren’t the preferred method of getting information. A whopping 85% of attendees say that they prefer written materials to digital.
That doesn’t mean that iPads and digital kiosks aren’t useful means of conveying information and increasing engagement at your display stands. They are. They just aren’t the preferred means of taking that information and saving it for later. And let’s face it, while these new technologies can provide a whole number of conveniences and capabilities when it comes to outfitting your trade show booths, nothing is quite as easy as taking a pamphlet if you want to remember a company for later.
So, does that mean that trade shows have no hope to reduce waste by reducing paper materials that are thrown away? Definitely not. Does it mean that it will likely need to be a more gradual shift towards reducing the amount of materials given out? Yes.