Another free e-book is available on the Roger’s site. This one is on green tradeshow booth design. There are many different reasons to go green at tradeshows today.

While ‘it’s the right thing to do’ may be a good reason, it’s seldom a motivation for much in the business world. This guide outlines the benefits to going green and the methods for doing both comprehensively and on a budget.

The guide also looks at some ways of reducing your carbon footprint that you may not have thought of.

Green materials are great, and there are a growing list of suppliers specializing in this, but there are some considerations such as reducing shipping weights and reusing components that save money and reduce impact.

The guide does list some of the suppliers that specialize in green materials such as Plybo as well as suppliers that offer a range of environmentally friendly materials such as Shaw Floors. In addition, some companies simply disclose their own environmental practices such as Wilson Art which talks about its manufacturing, recycling and shipping policies.

The cost of green materials will come down as they are more widely adopted. But because of higher costs today, many companies choose not to go green while others clench their teeth and bear the extra expense because it’s the right thing to do.

The problem with this ‘bite the bullet or politely decline’ approach is that it doesn’t truly reflect the costs of not going green. The first, and most obvious of these factors is weight. Less weight means less fuel which means less impact on the environment. However, less weight and less fuel also means less money spent on shipping and drayage (material handling fees) which are very significant expenses at any event.

The good news is that there is a huge array of materials and techniques that help reduce shipping weights. In fact, there are more ways of reducing shipping weights today than ever.

1.) Don’t be tempted to think only square.
Yes, 90 degree angles are great, and sometimes appropriate, but you don’t need to fill your booth with them. Fabric can easily be rounded to create a vast array of shapes. Transporting show attendees to another world is a great way of getting out of the office environment. You don’t need to recreate the boxes that we work in everyday. Unique shapes and rounded corners opens minds which can be a great way to interact with customers and prospects.

2.) Let It Soar
Tension fabric systems can soar above your booth, attracting attention from far away and creating a cool atmosphere inside. While you may be restricted from hanging signage from the show ceiling, you usually can build fairly high. While double-decker booths used to be the epitome of expense, tension fabric systems can give you the illusion of grandeur without the same expense.

3.) Light It
Lighting is often ignored but can be a dramatic element to add to a booth. Lighting can transform your booth continuously throughout the show. Furthermore, you can change lighting easily for different shows. With tension fabric, back lighting can create dramatic elements like glowing walls, free shapes, columns and cubes. Back projections can animate logos and show product images. Again, these are dramatic elements that are very economic and easy to change.

4.) Totally Rely on It
Many companies use tension fabric for one or two elements of their booth. Don’t’ be afraid to totally rely on it for your entire boot design. Decorative elements along with more structural elements like walls and ceilings can be created from tension fabric. Designing your entire booth from tension fabric opens a world of possibilities to you now and in the future.

5.) Fabric is green!
The very nature of fabric is environmentally friendly. It requires no trees to be harvested. Fabric is light-weight so that means less fuel is required for transport and in many applications recyclable, light-weight aluminum tubing is used for the structural support. Printed fabrics today are also available that contain only solvent free inks and dyes! So fabric is very green!

More pics:

Van Rogers was definitely a quirky guy from another era.  Sporting a ten gallon hat and a waxed moustache, Rogers was hailed on trade show floors as “The Colonel”.

But Rogers was a visionary in the industry recognizing the need early on for standards and professionalism. He was a founder of the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association (ED&PA) and was involved in the creation of the National Trade Show Exhibitors Association (NTSEA).

In this video, Jeffrey Blackwell speaks about Van Rogers and his impact on the business.

Related video: The Rogers Company Celebrates 65 Years

The Rogers Company is marking an important milestone in the company’s history by celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2010. This makes the designer and builder of trade show exhibits and other branded environments one of the most experienced and well-respected companies in the trade show arena.  You can watch an interview with Jeff Blackwell, president of Rogers by clicking on the image above.

Van Rensselaer Rogers first established Rogers Display Studios, Inc. at the Old Arcade in downtown Cleveland after returning from Hollywood and a stint with Walt Disney. Van Rogers became a true force within the trade show industry, easily recognized with his iconic ten-gallon Stetson hat and waxed mustache. He was a founder of the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association (ED&PA) and was involved in the creation of the National Trade Show Exhibitors Association (NTSEA). In 1972 Van Rogers sold his company to NESCO Inc. which continues to own The Rogers Company today.

[Photo:  Van Rogers poses with Horace Power, a character he created for Reliance Electric]

Rogers is currently headquartered in Mentor, Ohio utilizing a 150,000 sq/ft facility to design and build custom trade show exhibits for companies all over the world. The company also has an extensive rental inventory allowing it to accommodate a wide range of budgets.

“Over the 65 years we’ve been in business, the trade show industry has changed tremendously,” said Jeffrey Blackwell, president of Rogers. “We’ve continuously evolved with the times in terms of technology, materials, design tools, and engineering. The only thing that hasn’t changed is our intense commitment to exceptional customer service.”

Rogers recently launched Return on Exhibiting, a new service to help companies achieve 100% post-show lead follow-up in order to maximize their trade show ROI. Return on Exhibiting represents the company’s core principals and is just the latest expansion of services to better meet the needs of their clients. Blackwell sees the move as a natural extension of Rogers’ service oriented culture.

“We have always provided our clients with complete transparency in terms of their billing and we have also worked with them to ensure they are getting the very best value for their money,” he says. “Today, we’re bringing that service full circle and helping clients maximize their post-show activity and further increase their trade show ROI.” Another Rogers innovation has been the company’s launch of Tradeshowfeed.com in April of 2008. This thought-leadership website serves as an information and exhibitor advocacy resource for the wide range of marketing executives and staff that participate in trade shows.

The Rogers Company engineers creative solution for
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastic’s ONESuit® at major trade show

Maximizing booth space, engaging attendees, and staying under budget are top priorities for many clients of The Rogers Company. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, a leader in materials technology, was no exception when it faced the challenge of exhibiting its line of ONESuit® hazmat suits at 2009’s FDIC.

ONESuit is a part of the protective systems division of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. Its line of lightweight, single-skin hazmat suits offers chemical, biological and flash fire protection for first responders, military units, and firefighters throughout the globe.

In order to reach this target market, ONESuit exhibits at FDIC, North America’s largest firefighter training conference and exhibition. Each year, thousands of attendees gather in Indianapolis to survey the latest technology in first response. With over 900 exhibitors, standing out to purchasers on the show floor is truly a challenge.

A Creative Approach

“This year, we wanted to take a different approach to displaying our suits. FDIC is such a large show and you’re dealing with a whole range of firefighter equipment from ladders to trucks, so we needed to ensure our hazmat suits would not get lost in the crowd,” says Peter Kirk, Product Manager for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics.

After much deliberation, Saint-Gobain settled on a 360 degree creative approach. By using three circular platforms to display its colorful suits, attendees within reasonable distance would be able to view Saint-Gobain’s products from any angle. A central pillar would display the material component of each suit, inviting attendees to become engaged by reaching out and touching the material. This approach would also maximize booth space, and allow for excellent storage within the pillar.

Making Ideas Reality

The Rogers Company was given the difficult engineering task of executing this creative concept. “Our hazmat suits are brightly colored and the idea was to present these great looking products against a very stark, white curved background,” says Kirk. We also wanted the suits to appear to be floating in their own unique cylindrical towers.”

Ralph Engel, a 15-year veteran of The Rogers Company, was tasked with making this creative vision a tangible reality. He immediately requested one of the hazmat suits so he and his team could experiment with different display methods.

Keeping an eye on the budget, The Rogers Company was able to lower the final cost of production by engineering the central pillar to serve as both a graphic display and a basis for storage inside. Connecting the suits to grounded poles — as opposed to hanging them from the ceiling — proved to be another cost-effective idea.

Going above and beyond the duty of engineering and booth construction, Engel and his team suggested changing the carpet and material samples to be circular. His keen eye for detail was instrumental in creating a booth that was congruent in both theme and aesthetics.

The result was a perfectly executed exhibit that received glowing responses from potential customers. Kirk adds, “Many people commented directly that they were drawn to the booth from afar and weren’t disappointed with what they found.”

Saint-Gobain’s full line of hazmat suits was visible from every angle of the show floor, taking full advantage of their island-sized booth. Drayage and freight costs were monitored closely, ensuring that the final cost came in under budget.

Outstanding Client Service

Outside of their advance work, the Saint-Gobain team was particularly impressed that Engel flew out to Indianapolis to personally oversee the exhibit’s set-up, making sure the “Rogers Method” of high standards was being implemented. “As everyone in the business world knows, tradeshow investments in this recession are more closely monitored and we couldn’t be more pleased with the service Rogers provided and the end product they so successfully engineered,” says Kirk.

About The Rogers Company
For over 65 years The Rogers Company has been an award winning designer and manufacturer of branded environments for tradeshow exhibits, corporate events, lobbies, showrooms and retail environments – essentially any place where communicating a brand is vital. In addition to its 3D marketing services The Rogers Company is also a full service trade show and event implementation partner providing turnkey services and support for its corporate clients throughout the country.

With its complete design staff, skilled craftsmen and construction facilities, Rogers can custom build a wide range of branded environments to suit any need. Through its strategic partner network the company also provides a wide range of portable and modular display solutions, support and logistics for international tradeshows and an extensive rental inventory of both custom and portable display products.

Additionally through its strategic partner network, Rogers provides Eventelligence™, a technology infrastructure service for event registration, event mapping and way-finding systems, lead retrieval, lead tracking, fulfillment services and various RFID solutions for focused tradeshows and events.
For more information visit http://www.therogersco.com or contact Ralph Engel at (440) 951-9200 ext. 279 or rengel@therogersco.com.
About Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics (SGPPL) is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain Corporation, one of the top 100 industrial companies in the world and a leading producer of construction products, flat glass, high-performance materials and packaging. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics produces the ONESuit® line of chemical protective hazmat products. For more information visit www.onesuittec.com or contact Peter Kirk at (603) 424-9000 or protectivesystems@saint-gobain.com.

From the book:

Good booth design, even with a professional team, doesn’t just happen. Like everything from product development to marketing, success is in the process and everything starts with design. Finding a good design team and trusted trade show expert is a good first step, but contributing positively to the design process is a close second.

This guide offers advice from the designer’s perspective that will ultimately improve the design process and result in a better, more profitable show experience.

From the book:

Trade show exhibit design is undergoing a revolution bringing new materials and design techniques that are lighter, easier to ship, easier to assemble and are reusable. Moreover, environmental consciousness has become a positive and marketable attribute that touts the cutting edge efficiency of many companies.

In other words, going green at your next trade show may be healthy for the planet, but it may also be healthy for your company’s bottom line.

We noticed that a big destination for visitors to the site has been our Design Trends category.  Here are some of our most popular articles in that category for your reading pleasure:

5 Ways to Take Advantage of Tension Fabric
3D Brochure
Rogers Posts Free E-Book on Green Tradeshow Design
Free E-Book on Tradeshow Design from Rogers
Less is More in Norway

So while we’re not sure entirely how this works, it’s darned cool. It’s the closest thing to fully interactive holograms bridging the gap between the online world and the cyber realm.
The applications seem endless. There’s definitely a “Wow!” factor here but after the dust settle, it seems like there could be some very practical applications at trade shows as well as in sales.

Sukki Jahnke of the Rogers Company speaks at Event Expo in Cleveland on exhibit design and how Rogers helps its clients build business. There are a whole slew of videos from the event hosted on New Image Media’s website.