By Mary Tucker | Senior Communications and Content Manager | IAEE
What does it really take to run a sustainable large-scale event? Join us for an unprecedented look behind the curtain of Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Meeting & Exhibition 2025, where sustainability took the leap from relevant industry trend to blueprint for action.
IAEE’s upcoming webinar, Sustainability in Action: A Case Study of Expo! Expo! 2025, brings together the key players who made it happen and who will share their real-world strategies, challenges and breakthrough solutions that can serve as a model for fellow exhibitions and events industry professionals.
Whether you’re planning your first eco-conscious gathering or looking to elevate your existing sustainability efforts, this case study offers practical insights on minimizing environmental impact, promoting social responsibility and building economic resilience that you can implement at your own events.
Meet Our Expert Panel
Hannah Deters, CEM, CMP, serves as IAEE’s Director of Events and Sustainability where she spearheads sustainability initiatives while overseeing the planning and execution of all IAEE-related events. With a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management, Business Administration and previous experience directing Kansas’ Sunflower State Games, Hannah brings both operational excellence and environmental vision to large-scale event management.
Sydney Rhea, CEM, leads initiatives as Sustainability Project Delivery Manager across Informa Markets North America’s diverse event portfolios spanning agriculture, aviation, fashion and beyond. With more than a decade in hospitality and event management, she serves as Chair of the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado and earned recognition as one of Trade Show Executive magazine’s “2024 Women To Watch” for her advocacy work in sustainable events.
Brandie K. Townsend brings her unique background – from growing up on a dairy farm to earning a master’s degree in architecture – to her role as Sustainability Manager for Brumark, where she specializes in waste diversion and materials management for exhibitions. A TRUE Advisor, LEED AP, OSHA-certified professional and nationally recognized speaker on deconstruction and circular manufacturing, Brandie has built her reputation on creating practical, scalable solutions that keep show floor materials out of landfills.
Charlotte Miles is Vice President of Productions at Grit Productions & Expositions, bringing more than 25 years of experience as an executive producer specializing in corporate events and video production. Known for her detail-driven leadership and client-first mindset, Charlotte oversees projects from concept through execution, ensuring every element aligns with the client’s vision. She leads with a hands-on approach and a willingness to step into any role necessary to deliver seamless, high-impact experiences and truly remarkable events.
Avery Evans, Account Manager at Grit Productions & Expositions, applies her corporate event planning background and meticulous attention to detail to ensure flawless execution from planning through delivery, leading with a customer-driven, problem-solving approach.
Julia Spangler, SEPC, brings nearly a decade of sustainable events expertise to her role as Sustainability Manager for Events and Experiences at Honeycomb Strategies. Her track record includes helping clients achieve EIC Platinum Certification, implement zero-waste strategies and create social sustainability activations – with waste diversion programs achieving rates as high as 93% at dozens of events worldwide.
Here, we talk with the presenters about the challenges they faced, the innovative solutions they implemented and the hard-won lessons that you can apply to your own sustainability journey.
HANNAH: How do you balance the competing demands of delivering an exceptional attendee experience while meeting sustainability goals, and what adjustments should show organizers expect to make when they frame sustainability as a core element of their event planning (as opposed to peripheral)?
Balancing a great attendee experience with strong sustainability goals starts with treating sustainability as an opportunity, not a limitation. When it’s incorporated early, sustainable choices can actually improve the experience rather than take away from it.
Balancing experience and sustainability
- Design with intention from the start: Build sustainability into venue selection, floor plans, catering, registration, and exhibitor guidelines. Planning for it early helps avoid last-minute compromises that can impact quality.
- Focus on high-impact, low-friction choices: Many sustainable options (digital attendee and exhibitor resources, reusable signage, and local food sourcing) are either invisible to attendees or seen as upgrades, while significantly reducing waste and emissions.
- Tell the story: When attendees understand the “why” behind choices, such as refillable water stations instead of bottled water, they’re more likely to see them as thoughtful enhancements rather than cutbacks.
Adjustments organizers should expect when sustainability is core
- Different budgeting decisions (cost-saving focus): Sustainability doesn’t have to be a cost center; it can save money when planned intentionally. Budgets often shift from one-time-use items to reusable items such as signage with no dates and décor that can be refreshed and reused year after year. Sustainable catering strategies, including better forecasting and waste reduction, help control food and beverage costs without diminishing the attendee experience. Over time, these choices move budgets from short-term spend to long-term value, benefiting both sustainability goals and the bottom line.
- Earlier and deeper partner engagement: When sustainability is a core priority, early and transparent engagement with partners becomes essential, turning it into a shared team effort rather than an organizer-only initiative. Venues, AV providers, general service contractors, and exhibitors need sustainability expectations communicated early, with clear, actionable guidelines that align with their capabilities and workflows. Early buy-in gives partners the chance to suggest smarter, more efficient solutions, reduces last-minute friction, and helps align sustainability goals with cost and operational efficiencies.
When sustainability is core, organizers aren’t lowering the bar on the attendee experience, they’re redefining it. The result is a tradeshow that feels modern, intentional, and aligned with attendee values, while still delivering the energy, connection, and professionalism people expect.
SYDNEY: What commonalities have you discovered when implementing green initiatives across the vastly diverse event portfolios you manage, and where do the unique challenges lie?
When it comes to implementing green initiatives across a wide range of events, there are definitely some common threads, but the unique challenges are where things get really interesting. Here’s what I’ve noticed:
Common Threads in Green Initiatives:
- Getting Everyone on Board is Key
No matter the event, success always starts with getting all the stakeholders – organizers, vendors, sponsors and attendees – on the same page. Clear communication and collaboration are non-negotiable. - Education is Everything
You can’t just implement green initiatives – you have to make sure people understand them. Educating attendees, exhibitors and staff through clear signage, pre-event communication and onsite efforts is a must. - Waste Management is Always a Priority
Whether it’s a small gathering or a massive expo, reducing waste is a universal focus. From cutting down on single-use plastics to setting up recycling stations, it’s something every event has to tackle.
Unique Challenges:
- Venue Limitations
Not all venues are created equal when it comes to sustainability. Some don’t have recycling facilities or energy-efficient systems, which means you have to get creative to meet your goals. - Aligning Vendors and Suppliers
Getting all your vendors and suppliers to stick to sustainability standards can be tricky. It takes extra time and effort to find the right partners and make sure everyone’s on the same page. - Cultural and Regional Differences
Hosting events in different regions comes with its own set of challenges. Local waste management practices, access to sustainable materials, and even attendee expectations can vary a lot.
The Bottom Line:
The best sustainability initiatives are the ones that combine universal best practices with solutions tailored to the specific challenges of each event. When you focus on collaboration, education and measurable outcomes, you can create events that not only reduce environmental impact but also promote social responsibility and economic resilience.
BRANDIE: Given your experience with materials management and your architectural background, can you walk us through the lifecycle of show floor materials at Expo! Expo! 2025 and explain how you identified opportunities to divert waste that others might have missed?
In the early 2000s, when I studied architecture, the USGBC was teaching all of us architects, engineers, and designers that the “kit‑of‑parts” (metal, wood, concrete) used to build buildings shouldn’t automatically be considered waste. These materials contain embodied energy, and many countries were already running out of landfill space. The message was clear: landfills are never the best use of land, and the more we design for reuse and deconstruction, the longer those materials can last.
When I started working at Brumark, I realized that trade shows operate like temporary mini‑cities. They are built with the same kit‑of‑parts approach: flooring, graphics, substrates, and structures are assembled quickly and taken down just as fast. So I applied that architectural thinking: if these materials have value in construction, why wouldn’t they have value here too?
That’s when I began tracing the lifecycle of show floor materials at events like Expo! Expo!. Instead of assuming “it’s used, so it must go to a landfill,” I examined the material composition. Flooring, for example, is layered and engineered, allowing it to be processed into entirely new products. By diverting materials in volume and staging them efficiently, we’ve been able to send carpet to processors who turn it into cement additives, vinyl into landscape hoses and irrigation lines, padding back into new padding, and even fabric graphics into alternative fuel streams.
The biggest misconception I encounter is the idea that if something is worn, hard to repair, or reused multiple times, it must automatically end up in a landfill. In reality, most of what gets buried still has plenty of energy left to give. My role is simply to recognize what others overlook and build partnerships that turn yesterday’s show floor into tomorrow’s city, all while reducing CO2 emissions.
CHARLOTTE: From an executive producer’s perspective working with hundreds of clients, what is the biggest misconception event organizers have about incorporating sustainability into their programs, and how do you help them see it as an enhancement rather than a constraint to production value?
The biggest misconception is that sustainability is inherently difficult or significantly more expensive. In reality, our role as producers is to offer smart options and creative solutions that align with a client’s goals and parameters for each program.
Sustainability doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It can start with one intentional choice – one small shift that delivers a positive impact. When clients see how manageable and effective that first step can be, it becomes much easier to build from there over time.
Production sustainability can take many forms, but it requires an openness to doing things differently and moving beyond the mindset of “this is how we’ve always done it.” That might mean adjusting an agenda, rethinking how spaces are utilized, or being more intentional about where resources are sourced.
Clear communication on the front end is critical. When sustainability goals are discussed early, they become integrated into the creative process rather than layered on later. When done thoughtfully, sustainable choices don’t limit production value – they enhance it, often resulting in a more efficient, purposeful and impactful event.
AVERY: When it comes to the detailed, day-to-day execution of sustainable event practices, what’s the one thing that consistently gets overlooked in the planning phase but becomes critical during the actual event, and how can organizers better prepare for it?
A critical piece to any onsite execution is the staff and volunteers that bring the event to life. A lot of times communication and training can be forgotten, saved for the last minute or cut short. Implementing new sustainable practices will bring questions for both staff and attendees, so the more that is able to be communicated before the event, the smoother the event will feel for everyone – and lead to a successful sustainability implementation!
JULIA: What are key strategies that separate good intentions from measurable results, and how can event professionals who are just beginning their sustainability journey achieve meaningful progress without becoming overwhelmed?
Sustainability is incredibly broad, so to avoid overwhelm, choose just one or two initiatives to focus on when starting out. For example, maybe you start by tackling waste with an exhibitor donation program. Focus on communicating and executing that program well, and then use its success to support expanding your efforts in future years.
Accountability and follow-up are vital for turning good intentions into actual impact. It’s not enough to have one conversation with vendors about sustainability ideas and assume those ideas will happen. Continue checking in on progress throughout the planning process, and continue reinforcing what your on-site expectations are, as well as what metrics you want to be reported post-event.
