What Are the Top 10 Green Locations for Your Next Trade Show?

Where Can You Exhibit Green?

There are so many things you do to make your trade show experience green, but a huge factor that will greatly influence the greenness of your trade show is the convention center that houses the event. I recently did some research on this topic and put together a list of the top 10 green locations for your next trade show for TSNN. Read on to check out what I learned about these locations and what it is about them that makes them green.

1. Silver LEED Certification and an optimized HVAC system and water-reduction measures make Raleigh’s Convention Center a very green option.
2. The Los Angeles Convention Center boasts certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
3. If exhibiting near Pittsburgh consider the David L. Lawrence Convention Center which holds Gold LEED Certification in new construction and Platinum LEED Certification in existing building.
4. In Orlando the Orange County Convention Center features LEED and ISO Certification, as well as APEX ASTM (APEX) Certification.
5. The Oregon Convention Center features Platinum LEED Certification and the facility boasts extensive waste recycling and recovery programs.
6. At the Colorado Convention Center they utilize alternate sources of energy and have worked to reduce waste and water consumption while the building has achieved ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences (E2774-11) Certification.
7. In Arizona the Phoenix Convention Center has established an extremely thorough recycling program along with improved water and energy efficiency and a Silver LEED Certification.
8. The Sacramento Convention Center Complex is certified by the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) in their Green Energy program and they use Green-e certified renewable energy.
9. With Level One certification for the ASTM standard pertaining to the evaluation and selection of venues for environmentally sustainable events the Minneapolis Convention Center is also working towards goals to reduce energy and water consumption.
10. It is not just the Gold LEED Certification that makes the Austin Convention Center green – they are an active Energy Star Partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

What to Keep In Mind to Exhibit Green

What all of these trade show venues have in common is the notion of social responsibility for their local communities and our shared planet. When choosing a venue for your next trade show you need to consider building certifications, waste management practices and other green factors, but you also need to consider location. You want a venue that is centrally located and accessible, but also one that is nearby to restaurants, hotels and public transportation.

What do you think about this list? Are there venues that didn’t make the cut that you think should have? Let us know in the comments!

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