Posts Tagged green events
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
The following is a guest post by Heidi Thorne, a promotional products marketing expert and social media cheerleader.
I always look forward to attending the summer Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) promotional products trade show in Chicago. What struck me at this year’s show was how much paper is still used for brochures, directories, catalogs, etc. Significantly less than in years past, but yet a standard operating procedure for most.
About the same time, Lara McCulloch-Carter and I had started talking on Facebook about QR codes – you know, the barcodes that look like checkerboards—and asked: How can we use QR codes to help green up tradeshows and events?
For those unfamiliar with the technology, a QR code is similar to a standard UPC barcode that you see on products in stores. What’s different about them is that they contain much richer information and capabilities for use beyond retail. By scanning these codes with your smartphone (or other scanning device), you can be redirected to sites on the web or even launch delivery of information to your phone, device, or email.
So let’s look at a couple of ways you can use them to green up your trade show or event:
REDUCE PAPER CONSUMPTION
The first and most obvious use would be to help eliminate the need for printed materials such as brochures, catalogs, flyers, and trade show directories. Attendees simply scan a QR code and the desired content is delivered to them immediately on their smartphones or to their email addresses for when they return home. No stress on shoulders from carrying heavy bags of literature around the show floor either!
There are companies that can assist you in setting up your codes and tracking use. For an example of how this can work, visit Eric Lukazewski’s Tradeshow Insight blog post “Actually, It’s Easy Being Green”.
EXPEDITE REGISTRATION & EXHIBITOR DATA COLLECTION
Luckily, almost all exhibitors at the ASI Show were using badge barcode scanners to gather attendee information, as opposed to collecting business cards. I gave out maybe two business cards total. That’s a step forward compared to previous years. But I thought, “Could we make this even better, and greener, with QR codes?”
Welcome to the badge-less future! Here’s how it might look…
An attendee registers online for your trade show or event. A QR code containing his registration information is electronically delivered to his email or smartphone. Using a QR code scanning device or app, the QR code on his smartphone is read by the event staff (or security) to verify his registration. No stopping to pick up a badge or badge holder and, more importantly, no paper or plastics needed for this show paraphernalia. Plus, this strategy could also be used on the show floor by exhibitors in lieu of the barcode scanners used to collect visitor data. That might seem a bit far off, especially when you consider that I didn’t see even one QR code on the ASI Chicago Show floor. But all the technology is here now. The biggest challenge will be in breaking the habitual ways of doing things and reorienting staff, exhibitors, and attendees for a greener future with this technology.
About Heidi Thorne
Heidi Thorne is a promotional products marketing expert and social media advisor who helps her clients “Keep Your Brand in the Hand of Your Customers.” With over 23 combined years in the hospitality, convention, advertising, and public relations fields, she can advise and guide on marketing for events and trade shows. Visit her PromoWithPurposeToday blog or just scan the QR code below with your smartphone.
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We’ve all be challenged with thinking greener. And for those of you who celebrate Christmas (or have clients who do), you face a big conundrum. Do you cut down a perfectly healthy tree only to have it displayed in all its glory for a few short weeks or do you buy a reusable (aka fake) tree in hopes of making a better environmental choice. Now we have a 3rd option called The Living Christmas Co.. The idea behind The Living Christmas Co. is that you rent a living tree which is delivered to your home or event, picked up and then replanted. You can even adopt a particular tree and rent it year after year (how cute).
For more information:
Pricing
Delivery Zones (California only)
Story idea via Springwise
Image via Robert S. Donovan
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
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Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
Past-President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network
Hire Lara to Build Your Business
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The best way to get in touch with me is hello@ready2spark.com
One of the hottest trends right now is intricate paper art. Creating hand cut pieces out of paper that look like anything but handcut pieces made out of paper.
I love the idea of incorporating this trend into VIP invitations, backdrops, table cloths, vase covers or light shades. It’s just the type of detail that can make an event extraordinary.
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
President – ISES Toronto
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. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
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A sneak peak from a fab 
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network
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The best way to get in touch with me is hello@ready2spark.com
Krislyn Floral Design has launched a new website brimming with inspiration. Proprietor Krislyn Meyer-Komarov is a true artist and her approach to floral, tree and event design is totally unique (yet her work is as identifiable as her fingerprint). I could spend hours looking through her portfolio…
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network
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Clockwise from top left:
. suite22 interiors . An interiors company that specializes in contemporary Italian design pieces.
. B+H Vertebrae seating system . Vertebrae is a kit of parts, a system, that allows the construction of multi-scale objects that modify the spaces they inhabit. In other words, it’s a modular and ergonomic seating system.
. bsq. office . This awesome office was presented in a modified shipping container. I’d love to put one of these in my backyard – a great way to separate a home office from the home. Would that make it just an office?
. PaperStone . The only FSC-certified alternative to traditional hard surfaces. Made from post-consumer recycled paper and non-petroleum resins. Excellent for countertops, tabletops and partitions. I loved the machine cut partition displayed at the show.
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
President – ISES Toronto
. Follow me on Twitter
. Connect with me on LinkedIn
. Become my Peep at EventPeeps
. Befriend me at Events Network
Hire Lara to Build Your Business
Hire Lara to Speak
Subscribe to our Newsletter
The best way to get in touch with me is hello@ready2spark.com
