The latest from – and about – LVE

When building a tradeshow display or organizing an event, it’s easy for costs to spiral out of control. From booth construction to logistics, the financial burden can quickly overwhelm your budget. However, one of the most effective ways to keep expenses in check is by leveraging your tradeshow and exhibit company. These partnerships are more than just service providers—they can offer valuable insights, creative solutions, and industry knowledge that help not only enhance the impact of your booth but also maximize cost savings. By working closely with your exhibit team, you can uncover efficiencies, streamline design, and avoid common financial pitfalls, ensuring your tradeshow experience is both successful and budget friendly.

One of the most significant opportunities for cost savings lies in the design process. Early collaboration with your exhibit builder is key, as it allows you to explore creative solutions that reduce material waste, simplify construction, and make setup more efficient. A well-thought-out design from the start can help you avoid costly last-minute changes. For example, a layout that’s optimized for reuse, easy transport, and minimal on-site labor can cut back on back-end expenses and keep your project running smoothly.

Choosing the right materials is another area where your tradeshow partner can provide substantial savings. Lightweight, durable materials like Matrix frames, fabric graphics, and composite panels reduce shipping and drayage costs. These materials aren’t just cost-effective—they also help streamline transportation and reduce labor costs, giving your exhibit a sleek, modern look without the extra overhead.

Another strategy that can stretch your budget further is investing in reusable components. Modular systems like aforementioned Matrix framework are highly adaptable, allowing you to modify your booth for different event spaces without starting from scratch each time. Designing your booth with scalability in mind is another smart strategy by ensuring your display can easily transition between different booth sizes, such as from a 10×10 to a 20×20, you can adapt to varying event requirements without the added cost of building multiple setups for each show. Not only does this approach reduce costs over multiple shows, but it also offers environmental benefits by minimizing waste and the need for new materials with each event.

Planning ahead is critical in avoiding rush fees. Last-minute decisions can lead to higher production, shipping, and labor costs, so finalizing designs and logistics early is essential. By booking your services well in advance, you can take advantage of early-bird discounts and ensure your tradeshow experience stays within budget.

Technology can be a powerful tool for enhancing your booth, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Renting equipment like LED walls or interactive kiosks, rather than purchasing them outright, is a smart way to save. Additionally, utilizing digital elements such as QR codes or virtual demos can cut down on the need for printed materials, further reducing costs.

When exhibiting in a new city, consider using local resources to cut shipping costs and ensure timely delivery. Many exhibit companies have established networks with local vendors, making it easier to source materials and services close to the event, which can streamline logistics and reduce unforeseen expenses.

Energy efficiency plays a critical role in reducing the overall costs of exhibiting at a tradeshow. Beyond just the cost of the booth itself, utility expenses, particularly for electricity, can add up quickly when powering lights, displays, and interactive elements. One of the most effective ways to control these costs is by focusing on energy-efficient solutions. For example, switching to LED lights, which use less energy and have a longer lifespan than traditional lighting options, can significantly lower power consumption while still providing bright and vibrant lighting for your booth. LED lights are also cooler, which will create a better environment not only for attendees but also associates who may be working the booth. Additionally, working you’re your builder to develop a streamlined booth setup can minimize the need for power-hungry equipment. When planning your booth, consider strategically placing power outlets and limiting the number of devices that require constant electrical power.

By incorporating these strategies into your planning process, you not only reduce costs but also create a tradeshow experience that is both impactful and financially savvy. Leveraging your exhibit company’s expertise, optimizing material choices, and prioritizing reusability will ensure your display stands out—capturing attention and delivering results—without exceeding your budget. These thoughtful decisions not only enhance your presence but also reflect a commitment to both sustainability and efficiency, positioning your brand as a leader in today’s competitive marketplace.

In recent years, sustainability has become a focal point for businesses across all industries. As companies look to reduce their environmental impact, even events like trade shows are embracing sustainable practices. A recent tradeshow booth we developed exemplified how sustainability and innovation can go hand-in-hand, resulting in a booth that was not only eco-friendly but also cost-effective. Here’s a closer look at how we implemented sustainable solutions at the event, showcasing both the environmental and financial benefits of these choices.

1. 100% Recyclable Carpet: A Greener Step Underfoot

Traditionally, trade show flooring has been a significant source of waste. As we noted last month there are options out there when it comes to sustainable carpet options however conventional carpeting often ends up in landfills after the event, contributing to the growing issue of waste management. For our booth, we opted for 100% recyclable carpet that could be reused in future shows or repurposed by manufacturers. By choosing a sustainable alternative, we ensured that the materials used for the flooring didn’t have to go to waste, offering a greener alternative to the usual carpet disposal practices.

2. Lightweight, Reusable Matrix Frames

Display frames are a critical part of any tradeshow booth, but their typical construction from non-recyclable materials and weight can make them a less sustainable choice. Our Matrix line of frames are lightweight, flexible in set up, and reusable, because they are made from durable materials that can be easily transported and assembled without significant energy use or waste. These frames were designed to be used repeatedly, further reducing the environmental impact by avoiding the need to produce new materials for each event. In addition, the portability of these frames reduced transportation costs and emissions, providing long-term savings for future tradeshows.

3. Post-Consumer Plywood for Displays

Plywood is often used in tradeshow booths for structural purposes, but sourcing it from sustainable materials is essential. Typically, graphics that go into our Matrix frames are fabric or Sintra. For this show we wanted to not only showcase the flexibility of the Matrix system using other materials, but also a sustainable one. Instead of opting for new wood, we used post-consumer plywood. This material, made from wood that has been recycled and repurposed, minimized the need for new resources. We then laser etched our marketing messages on the wood eliminating the need for printing. After the show, rather than ending up in the dumpster, the plywood was transformed into crates to ship booth materials for future events. By giving this plywood a second life, we were able to close the loop on waste and create reusable shipping materials that will continue to serve their purpose long after the event.

4. Digital Signage: Moving Beyond Paper Printing

Another area where we made a notable impact was in the use of signage. Traditional printed signage often becomes waste at the end of the event, adding to the pile of non-recyclable materials. Instead of using Sintra or fabric, we incorporated digital signage. This technology allowed us to display dynamic, engaging content without any waste. Not only did this solution minimize the carbon footprint of producing and discarding printed materials, but it also offered a more versatile, flexible and cost-effective solution for communicating messages to attendees.

5. Renting vs Owning: A More Sustainable and Cost-Effective Choice

A typical tradeshow booth requires a significant amount of audiovisual (AV) equipment, such as screens, projectors, and microphones. However, purchasing this technology can lead to both high upfront costs and unnecessary waste when the equipment is no longer needed. We chose to rent AV and furniture instead of buying it outright. While cost of rentals can sometimes be high, as a dedicated partner in your business, this can be minimized with the right planning which is a specialty of LVE. This decision reduced our carbon footprint, as rented items are reused across multiple events, while also cutting down on the cost of purchasing and maintaining equipment that would only be used for a limited time.

One of the most striking outcomes of this sustainable approach was the minimal increase in overall costs. While there were slight upfront costs for selecting more eco-friendly materials and renting AV equipment, these expenses were offset by the long-term savings. Reusable materials, digital signage, and rentals will continue to serve multiple purposes across future events, making this approach a sound financial decision. Additionally, by reducing waste and improving efficiency, we contributed to the larger movement toward corporate social responsibility without sacrificing budget.

This approach to sustainable booth design is just one example of how event organizers and exhibitors can create a positive environmental impact. From reducing waste to supporting the reuse of materials, every step counts in making trade shows more sustainable. Companies can enhance their brand reputation by demonstrating a commitment to the environment, all while reducing costs and improving efficiencies.

As the events industry continues to evolve, more and more businesses are likely to follow suit by adopting greener, more sustainable practices. By rethinking traditional booth design and incorporating innovative technologies and materials, we can help your business at tradeshows and events minimize the environmental footprint and pave the way for a more sustainable future.

NOTE: LVE is a proud corporate sponsor of the Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA). LVE President Nicholas Cordero, an EDPA Sustainability Committee Member, was instrumental in developing industry-leading sustainable practices for exhibit structures and flooring, furnishings, staging materials, lighting, electronic displays, graphics and signage, packaging, waste management, supply chain, and logistics. LVE’s commitment to sustainability is not just theoretical; it is actively demonstrated through practical applications as described in the post below.

Tradeshows and events have struggled with implementing sustainable strategies. The team at LVE along with our trusted partners are committed to creating a more sustainable future for our industry. One of the main areas of focus for LVE and our clients is carpet. Our partner, Brumark is the first flooring company to provide a comprehensive recycling and recovery program in the industry. This initiative aims to divert flooring materials from landfills and reduce carbon emissions.

Through an exclusive deal that Brumark has contracted with a global energy company allows us and our clients to convert carpet, and various other hard to recycle products into alternative fuels. This approach not only keeps these materials out of landfills but also reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. These plants operate similarly to coal-burning power plants, where lime is injected into the furnace to scrub gases of any pollution before releasing them into the atmosphere. The retained heat is used as energy to fuel the plants themselves.

The padding under carpet is not being processed like carpet however, because it is more valuable as 100% recyclable material. Brumark has also established recycling programs where padding will be recycled and turned into the same type of padding again. 

Our sustainability partnership program with Brumark will roll out in several options of service. The first option is shipping materials from our various locations as well as tradeshows   where there are full truckloads ready for processing. The second option of service involves working with Brumark’s collection facilities in Las Vegas, NV, and Dalton, GA, where we can ship smaller quantities of materials. This will ensure that clients can still participate in the program and sustainably dispose of their flooring after an event even when they cannot fill an entire truck(s). The other option in this partnership is building a strong, sustainable network for on-site pick-up at tradeshows and events with a broader material range to be collected for recycling and recovery.  

For every truckload of material, we convert into alternative fuels, we save 16,000 lbs. of coal. Our goal over the next three years is to deliver or pick up all carpet and padding from our tradeshows and events no matter where they happen in the country or the size of the show. We are setting our sights high and are committed to making this a reality. We are committed to rethinking how we operate in the industry to reduce our carbon footprint by reusing, recycling, and recovery. LVE, along with Brumark, are focused on making sustainability a focal point in our industry that is easy to use, transparent, and valuable to our clients and partners so that we all do our part as stewards of both the industry and the environment.