Green Exhibitor Award
Deadline for submissions is 5 March 2010
The Green Exhibitor Award is organised jointly by IMEX and GMIC (Green Meeting Industry Council). The award recognises environmental practices amongst IMEX exhibitors and highlights the efforts they are taking towards exhibiting in a more sustainable manner both generally and specifically at IMEX.
Please contact Dale Hudson, dale.hudson@imexexhibitions.com for more information.
Previous Winners
Estoril Congress Centre was awarded the 2009 Green Exhibitor Award based on “a concerted effort to think outside the box.” In the opinion of the judging panel, Estoril Congress Centre was this year’s worthy winner thanks to a combination of ingenuity and inventive thinking. Examples include the offsetting of freight costs in addition to corporate travel carbon offsetting, and a simple but unique new stand design that the Estoril team could erect themselves. Pedro Rocha dos Santos, Business Director, accepted the Green Exhibitor Award from IMEX Chairman, Ray Bloom. He stated, “Our stand reflects our commitment and campaign to create awareness towards sustainable choices in the meeting industry. Applying for the Green Exhibitor Award is a way to obtain recognition for our campaign and share our example with others.”
In awarding the 2008 Green Exhibitor Award to Malta Tourism Authority, Head of the Judging Panel, Amy Spatrisano, President of the Green Meeting Industry Council, paid tribute to the fact that the organisation "had gone the extra mile to demonstrate their green credentials where some might have been tempted to fall back on old habits." They worked closely with Maltese stand constructing company, Zaffarese Exhibitions & Events Ltd and German company Octanorm, a supplier of modular stand systems, to produce environmentally friendly products/stand systems, which they will re-use over a three year period. Instead of using plastics and other non-recyclable materials, wooden boards were used wherever possible together with Octanorm aluminium alloy – also a recyclable material.
The 2007 Green Exhibitor Award went to Visit London who worked closely with Protean Design and in-house 'green unit' Future London to enhance the green credentials of their stand. The team used innovative acrylics and PETG plastic plus di-bonded aluminium frames, making 100% of the construction materials recyclable. The compact and light design also reduced shipping and storage requirements. Judges were impressed by Visit London's attention to detail and by their documented event environmental policy which includes a lifecycle audit. The use of printed materials was reduced by providing information on a USB, bottled water was supplied by 'belu', a scheme which uses its profits to fund clean water projects around the world. Visit London also operate a carbon offset programme which accounts fro both staff and freight travel.
A single minded determination to demonstrate its environmental values and the expert help of a dedicated stand constructor helped the Sri Lankan Convention Bureau and Expoforce GmbH to become the first ever winners of the Green Exhibitor Award at IMEX 2006. The stand featured a variety of non-toxic materials such as natural sisal floor covering and water soluble paint. Its durable, lightweight aluminium frame can be reused up to 65 times while 90% of its graphic artwork can be reused an estimated four to six times. The use of low voltage lighting and open-roofing also allowed maximum use of ambient light from the hall floor and reduced the stand's total electricity consumption. Where possible printed materials used during IMEX were printed double-sided and all paper was recycled.
For more information on other IMEX Green Awards visit the Green Awards page.
