Sustainability at IAAPA Expo

As IAAPA is the host of our expos, we believe we must lead by example to integrate sustainability in our business practices. The following are the sustainability measures at this year’s Expo:

• Education session handouts are only available electronically.
• Education sessions surveys are administered digitally.
• Stories from the trade show floor are now produced real-time in a video format and shared on social media, reducing the need for paper and resulting in 0% carbon emissions by eliminating the need for trucks to deliver printed materials.
• Exhibitor materials are distributed electronically.
• Show guide is no longer printed and attendees and exhibitors are encouraged to use the website and app.
• Use gamification in Connect+ to encourage sustainable behavior (e.g., use a water refill station).
• Encourage attendees to walk instead of taking a shuttle or car.
• Badges designed so no additional badge holder is required. Tickets are coupled with badges instead of printed.
• Lanyards and badges are collected at the end of the expo and recycled using TerraCycle.
• Show bag quantity produced is limited to 50% of total attendance.
• Using digital signage to replace some printed signage.
• Partner with Give Kids the World to collect donated exhibitor products such as plush, games, t-shirts, supplies, and more.
• Provide composting option for waste to both reduce the amount of food waste going to Central Florida landfills and make compost to support the local food system.
• Beverages are ordered using large reusable dispensing containers instead of single use containers.
• Catering is ordered with reusable dinnerware being used, when possible, instead of disposable dinnerware.
• Offers the Exhibitor Sustainability Pledge inviting exhibitors to participate in sustainability efforts during IAAPA Expo to help make IAAPA Expo more sustainable.
• Provide attendees with rooms for prayer/meditation, sensory/tranquility, and nursing mothers.
• Promote venue and official contractors’ sustainability efforts on website.
• Create an overall Sustainability Recap Video to showcase after Expo has concluded.
• Travel information collected during the registration process to understand the CO₂ usage of attendees traveling to the Expo.

IAAPA has partnered with companies that support IAAPA’s sustainability initiatives. The following are some of the key vendors and their sustainability efforts at this year’s Expo.

GES (General Services Contractor)

• Encourage exhibitors to use exhibit rental packages, ECO Exhibit Systems+, with custom graphics printed on environmentally friendly and sustainable fabric consisting of up to 100% recycled post-consumer products.
• 80%+ of all carpeting and padding used at an event returns to the production facility to be cleaned, re-seamed and reused as many times as possible before being donated.
• Dark colored speckled booth carpet is recommended for use due to ease of maintenance and cleaning increasing the product life cycle. Carpet and padding are used multiple times, cleaned and stored locally. Carpet with recycled content is also available as an option.
• Fabric drape is cleaned and repaired on a regular basis to maximize number of use.
• Partnered with the industry leader in event furnishings to provide sustainable, reusable furniture.
• Digital platforms optimize ordering process and service delivery as well as reduce paper consumption during the design, planning and execution.
• Reusable, modular systems for show and booth structures, lowering carbon emissions from the production and manufacturing process of new materials.
• Content banners and graphics printed on 100% reusable post-consumer recycled material as well as single-use recyclable paper are available upon request.
• Recommend a more generic content on graphics to increase the opportunity for use year-over-year.
• Post and enforce “No Engine Idling” policy in the warehouse and on show site.
• Utilize transportation software to increase the efficiency of our fleet and track GES carbon emissions within a destination or region.
• Recycle programs at both warehouse and show site based on facility capabilities for cardboard, paper and aluminum.
• Printer inks with VOCs (volatile organize compounds) are not used.
• Utilize Energy Star electric equipment and power down at night, whenever possible.
• Source material and labor locally when possible.
• Heavy equipment fueled by electric or propane, unless directed by the facility.

Orange County Convention Center

• Renewable Energy - The OCCC’s North-South building houses a 1 MW rooftop solar farm and five on-the-ground solar arrays which offsets an average of 100 kWh of energy use per month.
• Building Efficiency - The OCCC incorporates natural lighting from floor-to-ceiling windows and is currently converting to LED lighting throughout concourses, meeting rooms, eating areas and office spaces. During off-show hours, escalators and moving walkways are powered off to conserve energy. During show move-in and move-out, lighting is reduced, and A/C is limited.
• Smart Irrigation - 100% reclaimed water is used to irrigate the OCCC's 400-acre campus, and the North-South building utilizes smart irrigation to sense efficient watering.
• Waste Reduction - OCCC works with clients and contractors to reduce event waste by 20-25% annually. We strive to increase our annual waste diversion by 3%.
• Recycling Receptacles - Our campus is home to over 575 outdoor and indoor landfill & recycling duos at our concourses, meeting rooms, bus stops, outdoor entrances, walkways, and pedestrian bridges. These receptacles were manufactured in the United States using recycled plastic.
• Water Bottle Filling Stations - The North-South and West buildings are equipped with multiple water fountains with built-in bottle filling capabilities.

Sodexo Live! (Catering)

• Center-to-Table Gardens - 81 indoor aeroponic grow towers consist of 44 planting spots per tower and produce over 50,000 lettuces and herbs annually.
• Food Donations - Donates any unused or surplus of food items to local organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Orlando Union Rescue Mission.
• Back of House Compost - Food scraps are collected back-of-house and deposited in designated organic compactors. The OCCC’s organic waste hauler then takes the organic food waste to be processed into nutrient-rich soil.
• Cooking Oil Recycling - The recycling of cooking oil ensures that we are properly disposing of such waste. We partner with Brownie’s Septic and Plumbing to pick up and recycle our cooking oil and grease turning it into biodiesel.

PRG (Audio-Visual)

• Extensive inventory of efficient LED automated and conventional lights.
• Reducing cycle test times on equipment to lower electrical consumption.
• Proprietary luminaires like Best Boy(R) and Bad Boy(R) offer high-output and lower power consumption.
• PRG's Orlando location means less air and truck transportation.
• Repurposing its proprietary luminaries with energy-efficient LED light engines.
• Extensive recycling policy including general waste, used equipment, scrap metal from lighting, audio, video and scenic operations, bulbs and expendable items containing potentially hazardous chemicals.
• Components include proprietary green products including BAT Truss (compact, lightweight), Series 400 (singular cable/networking for data and power), and Best Boy (high output, low power consumption).

IAAPA Expo has partnered with Intuitive AI to sponsor and provide Oscar Sort, an AI Recycling Assistant retrofittable to any bin and recycling regulation. These Smart Recycling Assistants are centralized zero-touch zero-waste stations that gamify recycling and boost diversion. Interact with Oscar Sort during IAAPA Expo and learn more at www.intuitiveai.ca

The North America Manufacturers and Suppliers Committee has amassed this list of sustainable efforts you can implement when exhibiting:

• Consolidate your trade show materials to require the fewest, smallest, and lightest shipping cartons possible.
• Use environmentally friendly shipping materials such as recycled cardboard containers and starch-based biodegradable fillers.
• Use environmentally friendly, responsibly sourced paper for brochures and flyers.
• Make sure your print partner uses non-toxic soy-based inks and pigments instead of petroleum-based inks.
• Count how many brochures and flyers go unused after the show and adjust your print order for the next event. Minimize paper products or don’t distribute printed materials at all. Instead, send your booth visitors to online content or a mobile app instead.
• Specify energy-efficient lighting in your trade show booth.
• Use recycled and recyclable materials in your trade show display.
• Seek out the smallest and lightest booth fixtures possible to minimize the carbon footprint related to shipping.
• Re-use the same signs in your booth for multiple shows.
• Reskin older trade show frames and fixtures rather than ordering new.
• When reskinning just won’t work anymore, donate your retired booth fixtures to a start-up business that can give them a second life.
• Rent trade show booth materials locally instead of purchasing and shipping your own.
• Decorate your booth with rented plants or local recyclable items instead of one-time use banners and other manufactured items.
• Use local vendors for booth setup and support rather than flying in your own team.
• Purchase promo items made from sustainable, renewable materials.
• When considering merchandise and giveaways for an exhibition or event, think through these factors to ensure you are keeping the impact on the environment front of mind:
  • Think of the potential lifespan of an idea you might have – how long do you really think it will be used? Is it likely to be passed onto other family members?
  • Is it an item you think they need and will come in handy in their day-to-day lives?
  • Is the item of a good enough quality that they will want to use?
  • Just because something falls in the eco-friendly bucket, like tote bags and bottles, if the quality isn’t good enough these may well be relegated to the trash can. Many companies now give out these types of items and while they are useful, there will come a point when someone might just have too many of them. If you choose to follow this route, make sure it’s yours they prefer to use over others.
  • Will the recipient want that item with your branding on it? Think carefully about which items you’re branding. Some things lend themselves to being nicely branded by your company but other items might feel a little strange branded. In cases like this think about discreet ways you can do this, whether that’s by using smaller logos, branded linings or placing the item inside branded packaging instead.
• Purchase promo items that prospects are likely to use and re-use for a long time.
• Eliminate single-use plastics (plastic bags, plastic utensils, straws) from your booth setup.
• Ensure that the office supplies you bring to the show – everything from pens and notepads to paper towels and cleaning products – are environmentally friendly.
• If you use a printer in your booth, switch to refillable ink cartridges.
• Give away reusable water bottles instead of bottled water.
• Offer recycling and composting receptacles to your booth visitors.
• If you do order branded apparel, seek out environmentally friendly items made from recycled or sustainable fibers.
• Recycle all badges, brochures, flyers, etc., that cannot be re-used at your next show.
• Communicate with prospects after the show via email, text, or social media instead of direct mail.
• At the end of the show use the same crates, pallets and packing that you sent to the venue.

Exhibitors are a large part of IAAPA’s Expos. IAAPA invites our exhibitors to participate in the Exhibitor Sustainability Pledge. Each company must commit to a minimum of 7 sustainability items during the Expo within the following categories:

• Reducing Energy Use and Transport Emissions
• Designing for Reuse and Resource Efficiency
• Minimizing Emissions and Packaging from Logistics
• Preventing Waste and Lower the Environmental Footprint
• Offering Sustainable and Low-Waste Food & Beverage
• Responsible Sourcing and Accessibility

See the full list of items here.

Participate by logging into your Exhibitor Resource Center and clicking on Sustainability Pledge under Exhibitor Required Forms.

Thank you to the following companies that have taken this year’s Exhibitor Sustainability Pledge!

As of 10/2/2025