I once read that a
typical trade show can generate the equivalent of 170 trees worth of paper
in waste. If you think of the number of trade shows held in the UK each year,
we’re getting into unimaginably high numbers.
So why and where is
all this paper being used? I can’t remember the last time I went to a
conference or trade show and remarked upon how excellent the brochure was. I
attend these events because I value the content of the show itself, I want to
be educated, join debates, network and increase my knowledge of the topic in
question.
I am not saying that
brochures aren’t useful, they can be informative and help to direct attendees
to where they need to go, or suggest what they might like to see. Of course
they are not designed to be kept for a long time and treasured, but with a
lifespan of only one or two days, is it really worth the time, money and
environmental cost to produce such a product?
Event apps are by no
means a new creation, but they have still not achieved the prominence that they
deserve within the conference and trade show circuit. Perhaps this is because
they are designed to accompany a brochure, rather than act as a replacement. If
delegates have all the information handed to them in a brochure at the door,
then intrinsically they are less inclined to download an app.
Yet, having an
electronic copy is cheaper, environmentally friendly and a more up-to-date way
of getting information to your audience. It is up to organisers to have enough
confidence to recognise that the brochure is an outdated method of
communicating with visitors, many of whom will have tablets, notebooks, smart
phones and sometimes even all three.
Whether organisers
choose to gradually limit the number of copies they have printed, or whether
they simply choose not to have any printed at all, once and for all we should
bid farewell to the conference brochure and move conferencing into the 21st
century.
Robinson College will be hosting Clic+ on 7 November 2014, an interactive event focused on maximising delegate engagement
at conferences.
Any comments? Email: Zoe Vernor
