Exhibition world goes for green

Environmental policies cannot be ignored by any corporate sector and exhibition venues are devoting greater efforts to going green. By Stephanie Roberts We all pride ourselves on being environmentally aware and many of us go as far as recycling and energy conservation to the best of our abilities. Yet how far does being 'green' in the home carry over to the workplace? Think of how many materials and products are thrown away each day in an office environment and then multiply that many times to reach the amount of waste that is generated during an exhibition. Of course, the amount of waste depends on the nature of the exhibition; an IT exhibition may not have as much paper to throw away as, say, a gift fair. Generally, the amount of rubbish we throw away pricks our conscience, but is it feasible for the average exhibitor to provide the most attractive stands possible, adhere to budgets and still be environmentally friendly? Following a survey of major exhibition venues in Asia Pacific, the good news is the respondents are committed to maintaining environmentally friendly venues. "Environmental issues are probably the most important concern - apart from commercial considerations - over the coming years, principally because of resource and disposal costs and certainly because of public concern," Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) director of operations Mr Frank Mohren says. This is a pattern emerging throughout the region. Thailand's Pattaya Exhibition And Convention Hall (PEACH) and the on-site Royal Cliff Beach Resort have received ISO 14001 certification for their environmental policy which involves recycling waste material, treating waste water on site and focusing on energy-saving technology. And as exhibitions tend to generate a lot of waste, the resort has an environment committee that meets monthly to review objectives and discuss ideas. Even in Bangkok, which has had long-running pollution issues, the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) has made headway in maintaining greener policies. The building is fitted with water-saving technology and operates its own waste-water treatment plant. "In addition, we do not use Styrofoam for backdrop signage but have invested in a professional plastic lettering system," BITEC general manager Mr Paul Elliott says. Environmental protection is also key to the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). "Exhibitions generate waste and there is no getting around it, but our practice is to recycle exhibition rubbish as much as possible," HKCEC managing director Mr Cliff Wallace says. Between January and July, 1,225 truckloads of waste was generated from exhibitions at the HKCEC yet from that 36,000kg of paper, 200kg of aluminium cans and 30kg of plastic bags were recycled. When a city just has one major exhibition centre and attracts practically all the business, environmental awareness is even more important. In Seoul, COEX Convention & Exhibition Centre manager exhibition and convention marketing team Mr Cho Han Joo says as the complex is extremely crowded, it has always paid attention to the importance of avoiding environmental contamination. "We hope to continue rectifying the amount of waste used by exhibitors by enforcing management regulations to minimise the garbage and charge show organisers and exhibitors for industrial garbage," he says. Australian exhibition venues are avid environmentalists. Having received accolades for its handling of environmental issues during the 2000 Olympic Games, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) recycles glass, cardboard and paper, recovers cooking oils from the food and beverage outlets and controls energy and water consumption. To encourage exhibitors to minimise the amount of materials used, organisers are charged for the bulk rubbish that is removed. "Second-hand building suppliers have also been approached to remove building materials after a show," SCEC general manger Mr Ton van Amerongen says. In Melbourne, the MECC formed a relationship a few months ago with a firm that recycles organic and perishable waste daily, selling compost back to the marketplace. However, senior management at some regional venues feel more could be done to minimise waste production. Suntec Singapore is currently in the middle of developing a "greening" programme. "Environmental policies here are a little dated so we've had several meetings with the Singapore Ministry of Environment and the Enterprise Promotion Centre to create policies and procedures that will allow for a fully encompassing programme, not just for the exhibitor but for members of the public and staff too," chief executive officer Mr Warren Buckley says. Singapore Expo - one of the largest purpose-built exhibition centres in the region - has specialised contractors on-hand to help with waste disposal, although due to the wide range of shows and therefore all kinds of waste, this is not without its challenges. "We hope to continue educating our customers and wherever possible, segregate the waste for proper disposal," the centre's general manager Mr Steven Seet says. Likewise, Kuala Lumpur's Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) leaves the disposal of waste to contractors and only allows waste contractors registered with the centre on the premises. "No waste will be left on our premises and we leave it to the contractors to sort out any waste problems or bill exhibitors for clearing," PWTC manager international marketing Mr Nor Azmi Sulong admits. Clearly the venues are geared toward minimising waste and encouraging recycling but only joint commitment from the users of the venues - the exhibitors themselves - will signify a greener result for the industry. However, exhibition organisers believe many challenges remain. "As companies are looking at ways of cutting costs, including exhibiting costs, environmental concerns are not at the forefront of planning," Malaysia Exhibition Services general manager Mr Ian Roberts concedes. Cost is not the sole challenge, says Messe Dusseldorf Asia managing director Mr Gernot Ringling. Regardless of how committed exhibition venues are to waste management, Mr Ringling does not think there is much demand from the Asian market to think green. "Asian exhibitors are not used to it, so environmental awareness is only at an early development stage," he says. Educating exhibitors on the consequences of so much waste is a key to change, but as CMP Asia senior vice president Mr Michael Duck points out, the region's organisers could also do much more to help minimise waste. "We can at least try to encourage exhibitors to think about reducing the amount of waste they generate," he says, "and even show organisers use a large amount of promotional material which is often unused and left behind at the end of the exhibition. Asia's exhibition industry could look overseas, such as to Europe, where the topic is much more advanced than here." Reed Exhibitions Companies Singapore president Mr Jimmy Lau also claims the exhibition industry is not consciously taking any initiatives to tackle environmental issues and believes aesthetics, as well as cost, play a part. "Several years ago, more organisers used recycled paper for print materials, but the cost of using them is much higher than ordinary paper and they don't look great, so this was not a popular method," he admits. "Industry associations and organisers must not only create awareness among exhibitors, but more importantly, give solutions; yet this is not an easy task." Nevertheless, there are solutions out there. The internet has played a integral role in cutting down on paper usage as marketing materials, registration and show directories can be placed online. Organisers are keen to push modular exhibits which can be used for several events over a two- or three-year period. "Perhaps there should be more collaboration between contractors and suppliers so a new system can be shared or leased rather than owned outright," Mr Duck suggests. So are there products on the market that can help? Plenty, says Pico International vice-chairman Mr Louis Cheng, who believes exhibitors should plan an exhibition programme for the whole year or even for three years so stand designs with more durable materials such as steel and glass can be used instead of plywood. Yet surely constructing reusable exhibits will be expensive as well as the cost considerations of storage space? "The cost for first-time fabrication may be high, but savings can always be achieved when it is for multiple use," Mr Cheng says. "In Hong Kong in particular, storage cost for reusable stands used to be prohibitive but now, cost has come down with the property slump and factories moving to China. There are now plenty of empty factory spaces in Hong Kong." Pico International supplies recyclable products such as the Motorola custom-built four-storey stand, plus has huge stocks of aluminium modular stand systems in most of its facilities in Asia, which is used for building multi-storey stands and platforms. Singapore-based Pan Pacific Exhibits International also supplies recyclable products such as furniture and electrical items, but executive director Mr Ronnie Augustine Goh says less than 10% of its clients request them. "We do not recommend clients use these structures because of the high maintenance costs and they do not serve to project their corporate image," he says. Conversely, Australia-based Exhibition Hire Services managing director Mr Jim Delahunty encourages clients to use recyclable panels, furniture and raised flooring. "Building a stand using modular components from Octanorm, for example, is cheaper and we do encourage it," he says. "It's almost like Lego building blocks you constantly reuse rather than building new blocks all the time." Recycling simpler products such as carpet tiles is also an option, although Mr Cheng does give a word of advice. "The humid climate in Hong Kong and south-east Asia makes it difficult to store and reuse carpets which are fabrics and therefore a haven for mould," he warns. "Reusing carpets many times is rare in Asia; here, carpets are used once, maximum three times, and then disposed." Understandably, cost-effectiveness remains imperative for all companies although according to Mr Duck using recyclable products would be more expensive given current exhibition industry practices. "But if the prices came down then it would be an altogether more attractive option, while at the same time benefiting the environment," he says. In other words, if prices come down, it becomes a win-win situation. MECC's Mr Mohren is convinced more and more exhibitors will start cutting down the amount of waste they generate and that this will be affected by a number of factors, not just through a price slash. "I believe a growing 'corporate conscience' will assist the process and at the MECC we are preparing a plan of attack involving various aspects - including organisers, vendors and relevant agencies and manage a 'doable' and cost-effective scenario for next year," he says. For now, however, until exhibitors are enlightened as to what is available in terms of recyclable products and costs come down the environment will continue to pay the price of the exhibition industry. But all is not lost; Asia Pacific's exhibition venues are placing a strong emphasis on "being green" and survey feedback shows this commitment to the environment can only grow.