Summer is the time for sunshine, ice cream, and show-stopping events. From music festivals and outdoor sporting games to foodie meetups and sunlit business exhibitions, summer is a busy time. So busy in fact, that it’s easy to forget about the sustainability commitments you made back in the cold depths of January. But when British Festivals create 23,500 tons of waste every year, it’s important that you keep sustainability at the top of your event to-do list.
But we understand this isn’t always easy, especially when the traditional sustainable options can look a little uninspired. Thankfully, our expert team is here to show you how to build sustainability into your summer events.
The first step to planning a sustainable event is to understand what materials you will need to withstand the temperamental weather. However, if you’re indoors then you can skip this section and jump straight to step 2 as using cardboard engineering is going to be your saving grace.
If you’re planning an outdoor event however, other materials that can withstand wetter weather are a better option. Stepping away from the traditional non-recyclable plastic event stands that will undoubtedly end up in the landfill once the season is done, we instead recommend polypropylene. This material gives all the benefits of traditional event stand material, including being waterproof, sturdy, and easy to work with, with the added benefit of being more eco-friendly compared to its counterparts as it is fully recyclable. Couple this with our HP Latex printer that produces water-based non-toxic yet vibrant wide format print on roll media, and your event design is on its way to an eco-friendly winner.
One sure-fire way of increasing your sustainability credentials this summer, is by incorporating cardboard engineering into your event design. Cardboard engineering is the art of building sheets of card into a 3D design to create a fully recyclable yet sturdy structure. Capable of being built into complex figures and designs, cardboard engineering provides the perfect solution for creating a sustainable event.
Take for example our work on Antalis’s latest exhibition stand at the Surface Design Show. Here we were asked to create an elegant yet sustainable exhibition stand that can be reused throughout the season. Using 100% Zanita Board, our Senior Designer, Becca Kelly, worked with our in-house Cardboard Engineer Dean to create a reusable subframe that enables the entire exhibition stand to collapse flat to be reused and redressed with new graphic panels. Creating a sustainable yet show stopping event design using cardboard engineering.
Step 3 in creating the perfect sustainable event design is to pick your theme. Whether you’re looking for something that directly reflects your brand, or a more contemporary design that flows more with your event space, there are endless possibilities to choose from. Here at Imageco though, there is one theme that we think screams summer above all else- florals and greenery.
As the sun shines down through the green dappled trees onto the fresh blooming flowers, to us summer is synonymous with botanical elements. We love it so much that we even have an in-house floral expert, Dulcie, who can create gravity defying floral displays that will shock and inspire your event attendees. From living breathing moss walls to blooming event entrances, if you imagine it, we can create it.
To top it off, with our commitment to the planet, we can ensure that whatever theme you pick for your event can be performed without damage to the environment. We exclusively use eco-friendly materials, less carbon-intensive processes, and even carbon offset to ensure all of our products will leave a lasting impression on people’s minds, not the planet.
If you’re looking to build sustainability into your events this summer season, then get in touch with our expert team today to see how we could make your vision a reality.
