Most Americans believe sustainable travel is important, according to an Earth Day 2022 survey conducted by The Vacationer, a company that provides news and guides to help with travel planning for personal and business travelers.
The survey of 1,096 subscribers was conducted on March 1 and found that 87% said sustainable travel was either somewhat or very important. Nearly 82% said they would make more environmentally friendly decisions when planning future trips, while more than 78% said they would pay more to reduce their carbon footprint.
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Many trade show organizers have gotten the message and are stepping up their commitment to creating greener events.
“One of the biggest trends to come out of the pandemic is the shift toward kindness, ethics and healthy living,” said Elizabeth B. Armstrong, president of Association & Society Management International. “Putting a greater emphasis on our obligations to the planet and society as a whole when we plan our events is an integral part of that.”
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This attitude toward sustainability comes at a time when the trade show industry is beginning to rebound. A recent study by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) indicates that the U.S. B2B trade show industry improved significantly in Q4 2021 compared to the previous seven quarters. Cancellation rates for in-person physical events fell from 91.3% in Q1 2021 to 66.2% in Q2, and from 20.6% in Q3 to 12.5% in Q4.
“Increasing vaccination rates and continued strength in economic activity bode well for the B2B trade show sector,” said Dr. Allen Shaw, chief economist of CEIR’s Global Economic Consulting Associates, Inc. “The B2B trade show cancellation rate is expected to decline further.”
Trade show organizers can also expect that many returning show attendees will be more interested in participating in more environmentally friendly events.
“Climate change is top of mind as trade shows begin to reopen,” said Cathy Breden, CEO of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. “While the issue of hosting environmentally friendly events has been debated for years, the natural disasters of the last two years have made it clear that climate change is real and obvious. It’s time we stop ‘talking’ about it and start taking concrete steps to reduce the amount of waste we generate, because we know that trade shows are a major producer of waste.”
The pandemic has also helped to spark a shift in values. “The scale of the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 is a stark example of the urgent need for global cooperation to find and advance solutions to our greatest global challenges, including the climate crisis,” said Ken Berlin, president and CEO of the Climate Reality Project.
Contact Cathy Breden at cbreden@ceir.org; Elizabeth B. Armstrong at barmstrong@asmii.net; Ken Berlin at saberlin77@comcast.com; Allen Shaw at ashaw4811@yahoo.com
