Stop the Back-patting, Start Soul-searching

Nobody was happier than I was when the idea for this green issue was introduced. I was unofficially known around the Tradeshow Week newsroom as the green-beat reporter after I started following the development of the tradeshow industry's environmentally conscious movement a few years ago.

In case you didn't notice, the stories I got on that beat were few and far between.

Don't get me wrong: I'm as happy as anybody else to praise what is being done. While working on this issue, TSW editors got dozens of calls and e-mails from companies eager to share the ways they're reducing waste, conserving energy and otherwise being good stewards of the planet. I salute them. What they're doing is great.

What's not so great is that we didn't get hundreds of these calls. We didn't find ourselves in the preferable position of being able to cull all the sources that are recycling or changing light bulbs and focus on a handful of stellar examples taking truly revolutionary action.

We also didn't get calls from most of the industry's top players in show management, general contracting or exhibit management. I don't have to name names. You know who you are.

What all this means to me is that the green movement in the tradeshow industry is still small, on the fringes, grassroots. Again, bravo to those brave souls who fly in the face of big-business apathy.

And shame on the rest of us.

The tradeshow industry has been reluctant to embrace sustainability, citing inconvenience in finding, and financial infeasibility in using, sources of environmentally friendly materials.

It was at IAEM's 2004 — yes, 2004! — annual meeting when Georgia Malki (now president of Seven-Star) first hauled out the compostable cups and utensils to the "Oooos!" and "Ahhhs!" of show managers who, for the first time, realized all that Visqueen their contractors dump in the trash at the end of each show could take centuries to break down — if it ever does.

They left with triple-R arrows in their eyes, determined to find venues and contractors that would supply them with recycled carpet and bins for attendees' water bottles.

That was three years ago, and let's face it: Not much has changed.

The most progress is taking place on the venue side, a logical beginning. San Francisco's Moscone Center, a pioneer in sustainable operation, led the way, followed by the so-called "first completely green" center, the David L. Lawrence in Pittsburgh. Today, as the articles in this issue attest, there are numerous venues following their examples.

But it's not enough. Everyone from school children to retirees in our society today is aware of the abstract and economic benefits of conservation. Why should members of the tradeshow industry be exempt?

Show managers: It's no longer acceptable to shrug your shoulders and blame suppliers. Suppliers: It's no longer acceptable to shake your head and point to the bottom line. And exhibitors: You can't keep your heads in the sand and pretend green options aren't available to you as well.

The leaders featured in this issue have stopped looking for excuses. When will you?