Sustainability at FHA-HoReCa
Sustainability Alliance
In early 2022, a pivotal meeting between Informa Markets and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) transpired during a prestigious UFI event. It was during this encounter that a harmonious alignment was forged, uniting their shared visions for revolutionizing the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. The strategic objective that emerged from this collaboration was the transformation of Singapore into a Sustainable MICE Hub, dovetailing with Informa’s overarching FasterForward initiative.
In pursuit of these ambitious goals, a triumvirate of paramount objectives was meticulously delineated, focusing on Informa’s largest event in the region, FHA-HoReCa, as a kickstart. These include:
The conversion of FHA-HoReCa into a Zero Waste Event.
The conversion of FHA-HoReCa into a Carbon Neutral Event of international distinction.
The delivery of an enduring Legacy of Knowledge, catalysing the swift assimilation of sustainable event practices throughout the region.
To expedite the realization of these objectives, a dynamic Sustainability Alliance was formally established as each party signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2022. This alliance strategically harnessed the collective prowess of key industry stakeholders, including:
• Informa Markets
• Singapore Tourism Board
• Constellar Holding (Representing Singapore Expo)
• Kingsman (Global Service Contractor)
• Pico (Global Service Contractor)
• Cityneon (Global Service Contractor)
• SACEOS (Distinguished Non-profit MICE Association)
Singapore Tourism Board inks three MOUs, including seven-party global MICE sustainability alliance.
“Sustainability has been of growing commercial and personal importance for several years now, but to make the most of these opportunities and address the challenges in the events industry, we all need to collectively double down on our commitments. Informa’s approach is called FasterForward, reflecting our commitment to become an ever more sustainable business that not only improves our impacts on the environment and communities but also supports our customer markets and host cities do the same. We’re proud to be working with the Government of Singapore as well as other supply chain partners, to identify ways that we can all come together to create a leading destination for sustainable events. Many of our events in Singapore have already started on this pathway. This includes our flagship
FHA-Food & Beverage and HoReCa events, which have been increasing our sorting of waste, powering our events with renewable electricity and featuring important content on sustainable solutions such as alternative proteins.”
Charlie McCurdy
Non-Executive Chairman, Informa Markets and Strategic Advisor, Informa PLC
Pioneering Initiatives
Since the sustainability alliance’s inception, Informa has spearheaded a series of pioneering initiatives, actively engaging its extensive supply chain to pave the way for transformative change. At FHA-Food & Beverage 2023, a collaboration with LHT Limited materialized, resulting in a groundbreaking wood recycling pilot for exhibitor booths. This initiative successfully diverted an estimated 9.2% of generated waste towards recycling efforts, serving as a crucial contingency plan for exhibitors unable to reduce and reuse their stands effectively.
In line with the overarching goal of waste reduction, Informa has conscientiously encouraged its exhibitors to prioritize Better Stands as a means of sustainability advocacy. FHA-Food & Beverage 2023 bore witness to a showcase of innovative booth designs, with accolades bestowed upon exhibitors who displayed exceptional sustainability and innovation. There were four recipients of the award, including our German Pavilion who used the same pavilion for the second year in a row, our Finish pavilion by Messeforum Oy whose design was carbon neutral, our French pavilion by Sunyau Expo who went the furthest in terms of reusability by achieving silver status in Better Stands and finally our sustainable exhibitor ’Tindle’ who were able to demonstrate the reusability of the system.
Additionally, a pioneering upcycled zero waste booth, created in collaboration with STB and MiniWiz, set an industry benchmark, as it was meticulously constructed from upcycled carpeting, exemplifying a paradigm shift towards sustainable booth construction practices.
Our collaborative stakeholder-friendly model and network of formalised partnerships aim to push this year’s edition of FHA-HoReCa into a new realm of sustainable development. As an established ambassador of sustainable events, Informa aims to draw upon the practices deployed at FHA-HoReCa to continue to develop the sustainability credentials of additional events in the region and beyond.
Better Stands at FHA-HoReCa
FHA-HoReCa is working hand in hand with you and our community to achieve better quality, better safety, better time efficiency, better sustainability, and a better exhibition experience for everyone.
Each edition of FHA creates thousands of exhibition stands for you to meet clients face-to-face, promote your brand with eye-catching designs, and bring a taste of your company to the show floor.
We’re proud of being the place where the foodservice and hospitality industry makes these invaluable connections, but we’re conscious that the ‘single use’ nature of many stands leads to significant amounts of waste.
This is why we’ve introduced our Better Stands programme. We believe that by working in collaboration with our exhibitors and your appointed contractors we can eliminate the waste connected to single use, space only stands – while still delivering world-class designs that have a second life after the show closes its doors.
FAQs
Answers to some of the most common queries.
The Better Stands programme is aimed to unite and encourage exhibitors, along with their appointed contractors to move away from disposable, single-use stands at events, in favour of reusable or recyclable structures.
A disposable stand/booth is a space-only/raw space build that is used only once. They are typically constructed from poor quality raw materials onsite which are then demolished post-show and sent to either landfill or are burned.
The Better Stands programme has been divided into three key stages – Bronze, Silver and Gold. This helps facilitate a gradual transition from disposable to reusable stands for all exhibitors. The pace at which your event chooses to implement these stages is something you should discuss, agree and communicate within your individual implementation plan that is part of the Fundamentals 2.0 framework requirements.
Disposable stands create significant environmental, health and safety and wellbeing issues onsite at our events. By replacing these with reusable stands we will see many benefits throughout the programme implementation.
Across Informa in 2019, we saw that disposable stands/booths equated to over 80% of our total waste generated at events. Proactively addressing this practice globally, at individual events, is key to achieving our Faster Forward targets.
Better Stands has a renewed focus and has been introduced as a reporting requirement for each event. Informa now expects all exhibitor stands to have reached at least a Bronze level in the Better Stands program, meaning all stand structures are of a reusable system.
When we talk about disposable stands we mean single-use, disposable booths made from raw materials onsite, such as chipboard, particleboard or low-density fiberboard (LDF).
Disposable stands create considerable environmental and safety issues onsite through the amount of waste generated, the heightened risks due to unsafe construction practices and the toxic impact of raw stand materials being used. Quality of finish is often also compromised due to working time pressures.
Each event’s approach to Better Stands will be individual to the industry that you represent, your geographical location and your own goals. Better Stands is a multi-year programme of continuous improvement at each event cycle.
The programme is divided into three key stages, Bronze, Silver and Gold. For Bronze you simply need to focus all your space only/raw space exhibitors on addressing the first four points on the table in our introductory guide, they would then progress to Silver and finally Gold.
A non-disposable/reusable stand is constructed using materials designed to be used multiple times. There are almost endless variations of multiple-use stands to suit every size and desired appearance and as the cost of these stands is generally lower than for disposable stands this helps to reduce outlay and provide a better investment. It could be:
- Frame and fabric
- Wood stock panels
- Aluminium modular
- Cardboard flat pack
- Exhibitor owner OR rented
- Plus many others!
Exhibitors must make their appointed stand contractor aware of the regulations that are in place for your division and brief them to design and build a sustainable, multiple-use stand.
A non-disposable stand is constructed using materials designed to be used multiple times. This can mean two things:
- Your contractor builds your stand from reusable components that they take back and use for other exhibitors again and again
- Your contractor builds your stand that you can then store and reuse multiple times
The official show contractor can assist you with designing a sustainable stand suitable for multiple uses as well as servicing your other event needs.
We have also created an exhibitor procurement guide to help exhibitors find contractors that meet Informa’s Better Stands expectations.
There are a variety of reusable solutions available which provide various aesthetics and cater to a range of budgets. For our events in Singapore, we have put together a list of recommended contractors who provide sustainable stand solutions.
Informa will inspect all submitted stand designs and liaise with the appointed contractor to ensure all materials are recycled and/or reusable.
To ensure the regulations are met there will be a 4-stage process for proposed stand designs:
- Exhibitors will confirm acceptance of these regulations as part of their Contract terms and conditions. Contractors will confirm acceptance of these regulations in the Contractor Agreement submitted via the Exhibitor Manual.
- At the Stand Plan Submission stage the information previously provided by contractors on the proposed materials being used to erect the structure will be reviewed prior to ‘Permission to Build’ being granted.
- Onsite verification of the physical build against the permitted stand design will be carried out and any breach of the agreed design or evidence of prohibited materials will be Recorded and Reported. Contractors and Exhibitors will be notified onsite.
- Where breaches of the regulations have occurred a Contractor Improvement Notification and Exhibitor Awareness Notification will be issued post-show. Major and/or continued violation of these regulations may lead to Financial Penalties issued to the exhibitor.
We would like you to join us in moving towards the future of exhibiting. If you have any questions on how to do so and our Better Stands programme, please contact us at [email protected].
