The use of single use plastics are becoming a thing of the past as businesses are becoming greener with the materials they use on a day-to-day basis. As a company that specialises in delivering stands with hire solutions, Nimlok has long embraced the reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy.
We pride ourselves as being at the forefront of positive environmental initiatives and through our environmentally friendly approach, Nimlok can reduce both our own and our clients’ carbon footprint. This is done by offering sustainable solutions including bespoke hire, enhanced logistics solutions and supporting clients throughout the whole process from pre-show, show and post-show.
Our business model fundamentally focuses on protecting the long-term future of the environment and ensures that stands are reusable, and waste is kept to a minimum.
Be it big or small, Nimlok has the resources, knowledge, and expertise to help your next exhibition stand be sustainable and successful. Here are three top points to implement when investing in your next exhibition stand.
1) Using bespoke hire solutions
What does bespoke hire mean? It may be a term which you have heard but don’t quite understand. Bespoke stand hire incorporates the hired modular framework and lighting with a fully custom bespoke fabricated element. Nimlok is proud to use a flexible modular stand system which can be designed to fit a variety of sizes and shapes to suit the needs of your exhibition stand objectives. Be it curved or squared; we offer a variety of solutions which meet the needs of your stand ideas and bring them to life!
We work around the ethos of helping our customers save money by saving resources. Our highly efficient stands use around 80% of hired elements including the structure we lease to clients, whereas only around 20% are bespoke purchased elements such as printed graphics (which can be used again if you do more than one show).
Hired Elements | Bespoke Elements |
Structure of the Stand (reused aluminium framework) | Bespoke Graphics and Content (printed solvent free) |
Counters, Kiosks and Plinths (if required) |
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AV solutions including TV and Lighting |
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Resource Centres including Gaming Platforms (if required) |
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Lockable Storage (if required) |
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Nimlok’s inventory of hired elements is durable and presents a long life and therefore can be used on multiple occasions. We prioritise sustainability by restoring and repurposing hired elements which are damaged, therefore keeping our waste to a minimum.
Bespoke hire can eliminate costly fees which can therefore be invested back into your exhibition stand objectives to support your overall ROI. Examples include integrating engagement tools which can drive footfall and increase dwell time at your stand or analytics via heat mapping platforms which measure visitor footfall and stand journey mapping. Data can be accessed in real-time and or post-event.
2) Go Digital and leave the paper at home!
Exhibitions are unfortunately a place of wasteful distribution, be it brochures, free promotional material, or leaflets… they all eventually end up in the bin and sadly contribute to landfill waste. Whilst it may be nice to physically hand a brochure or ‘freebie’ to a potential customer, it may be worth asking if it’s beneficial not only for your business but also for the environment… Fear not, digital engagement tools are the answer! Data capture tools are crucial at events, and capturing visitors’ data allows you to contact them post-show.
Creative engagement tools such as gamification, surveys or even a digital drinks smart serve machine can capture data with ease whilst creating a positive and memorable experience for the visitor. Before visitors participate with the ‘on stand’ engagement tool, they’re prompted to enter their data including name, email and contact number. The advantages of capturing data in this way…
- It’s easy to acquire – scan and play
- GDPR compliant – Visitor will opt-in before the engagement tool starts
- Organised data (easy to distribute to team and download – post show)
- It’s sustainable, no paper is needed!
Going digital combined with data capture also allows you to send useful digital content via email such as brochures or campaigns post-show eliminating the need to hand anything out. Another advantage of digital data exchange is the metrics, you can see who’s opened your email and clicked through to your website.
3) Reuse and don’t waste
It’s a known fact that businesses can get overwhelmed when planning for their exhibition, by over anticipating the event, this can cause wasteful purchases such as ordering too many resources. When the exhibition buzz has worn off and it’s time to pack up, it’s a good time to reflect on what resources worked well and what didn’t. It’s crucial to plan ahead of time to ensure the keeping of timeframes and budgets alongside planning for the near future, eliminating the need to waste materials.
Preshow questions should be answered including can our bespoke graphics and content be used again? Printed material (although available to be printed on recycled materials) can be very wasteful if not designed correctly, therefore it’s vital to design content which can be used on more than one occasion especially if you’re planning to exhibit again. It’s worth noting that exhibitors have around 3 seconds to capture the attention of a visitor, so make it count!
Things to consider when designing graphics include…
- Product images
- Dates
- Show name
- Statistics
Working around our ethos of reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy, Nimlok has over 53 years of extensive knowledge to guide you every step of the way. We have and will continue to carry out our activities in a manner that helps to sustain the long-term future of the Business, Environment, Employees, and the Community in which we operate.
Did you know that Nimlok frequently finds it’s able to offer clients with traditional custom stands a fresh look for less than the refurbishment and redeployment of their existing stand assets? Contact us today to see how we can help your next exhibition stand be sustainable.
Nimlok, the leading global exhibition stand design and build supplier has over 53 years’ experience to help clients deliver exceptional exhibition stands. Nimlok’s expertise includes bespoke sustainable stand design solutions, on-stand engagement, analytics on stand and stand staff training, all with the objective to help clients increase their return on investment on event.
Beyond the exhibition industry, Nimlok also leverages it’s expertise to create tailor-made interior spaces for meeting rooms, showrooms, and reception areas.