How Can Events Be More Sustainable?
From conception to the day of the big reveal, hundreds of hours go into developing a roadshow truck interior that brings a brand and campaign to life that engages with key audiences.
So, what happens when the show is over, and those finely-tuned stunning display pieces are dismantled to make way for the next campaign?
The New York Times recently took a museum-led theme to this question. ‘After the exhibition, finding new uses for displays’ delved into the world of making what is old new again with fresh displays, recycling and giving second lives to exhibition materials.
It gives the example of The Denver Museum of Nature & Science which donated tiles to ‘Habitat for Humanity’, left over from the ‘A Day in Pompeii’ exhibition, and old uniforms from a ‘Space Odyssey’ exhibit were sent off for recycling.
As well as sustainable efforts and breathing life into old exhibits by upcycling, the article reports how museums donate or sell used materials or office supplies to smaller museums, theatre groups, education institutions or non-profit organisations. Paint usage is reduced through clever use of light whilst fabric billboards and banners are fashioned into handbags and laptop cases for the museum gift shop.
Throwing away anything for landfill is never good practice, and we reuse, recycle and upcycle as much as we can from one event to the next.
We often find that clients are so delighted with the final design and finish of their truck that they make requests for items to be re-homed back at HQ once the show is over – further extending their investment.
This is testament to the flexibility, high quality and longevity of our creative solution and we now consider how larger, more expensive display materials used in roadshow truck tours could be used again as part of the development process.
For example:
- Schlumberger used the interior of its truck to redesign their conference facilities at their UK Office
- Parker Hannifin recycled its two containers as a UK training centre
- Ford displays are being used as a showcase at their office in Geneva
- Lego will be making full use of the City Scape at their offices
It means a lot to find another use for a piece of work once it’s come to the end of its life on the road; the world is changing and brands are more sustainably conscious and want greater value and ROI for their campaigns.
It may be one of our USPs, but it also helps our clients to meet their objectives too.