B2B gaming event ICE London, organised by UK-based organiser Clarion Gaming, has announced a new initiative to tackle trade show waste with the launch of the ICE Graphics Amnesty for its exhibitors.
The show is partnering with EcoBooth, a zero waste event production company, to work with the event’s 589 exhibitors to collect the most common stand waste materials, which will then be recycled into a sheet material used to make an array of products and outdoor furniture for the local community and used in communal spaces surrounding ExCeL London.
Kate Chambers, managing director at Clarion Gaming, explained: “We are calling upon our exhibitors and partners to work with us on the first ICE Graphics Amnesty, a very worthy, much needed project that supports both the environment and the local community. The ICE Amnesty is the perfect way for us to showcase how the wealth of innovation and ingenuity found within the gaming industry can be applied to broader issues such as the environment and sustainability.
“Exhibitors who choose to invest in the project will not only be driving the future of events, they will also receive an ICE Graphic Amnesty certification to display as part of their stand during the show. We will be recognising the most committed exhibitors courtesy of the #icegraphicsamnesty19 social media campaign and through Clarion’s marketing and promotional channels during and after the event.”
London-based Ecobooth, founded in 2018, has devised and patented its own environmentally conscious solution to recycle waste materials created at events, turning them back into 100 per cent recycled, 100 per cent recyclable stands. The entire process is sustainable, with the company running on renewable energy, utilising a fleet of solely electric vehicles and creating zero waste in production and operations.
Nick Marks, founder at Ecobooth, said: “This is breakthrough moment for the events industry, with ICE London’s position on the international events stage, it is really encouraging to see an organisation such as Clarion Gaming leading from the front. We know from an audit that we undertook last year that circa 100,000 tonnes of waste was burnt or sent to landfill just from events in the UK and a significant portion of this was single use graphics – the exact material we are working with at ICE. If we can recycle everything that was going to go into the bin following ICE London, then that’s a huge amount of waste stopped from going to landfill or incineration, which will in turn hopefully inspire other local and international events to follow suit.
“Having worked in event production for the past 15 years, it’s fair to say that some companies aren’t always quick to embrace change, especially when it comes at a financial cost, but the facts are there for all to see and right now the events industry is not sustainable and that’s not good enough any more. For Clarion to step forward and work with us to challenge the norm and drive change speaks volumes about their commitment to doing things better.”
To be part of the ICE Graphic Amnesty exhibitors will be required to purchase a unique bag, which will then be used to place all their stand graphics into and then leave on the stand for collection by EcoBooth’s partner on the final day of the event.
