Stockholmsmässan's sustainability manager Linda Elmén gives exhibitors their best tips and advice for participation with a lower climate impact. It's about planning and circular thinking, she says.

- You can make the biggest difference before the fair, it is important to plan your participation. By designing the stand with sustainability in mind, for example through recycling and circularity, you can make a big difference. Borrow or rent furniture that can be used again and here with us you can rent basically everything you need for participation, such as walls, lamps, AV equipment, carpets and furniture, and in this way your stand becomes completely circular. Our rental carpets are reused about 25-30 times. The carpet is brushed and vacuumed in a machine after each use, no water or chemicals are needed. By renting on site, unnecessary transport to and from the fair is also reduced, says Linda Elmén.

If you have planned to produce signs, banners, rollups and beach flags, which is common at trade fairs, it is smart to print without dates so that they can be reused at the next trade fair. Think about material selection and print in as environmentally friendly way as possible, for example there are Nordic Ecolabelled and environmentally certified printing companies. The same applies to work clothes and trade fair shirts. Avoid unnecessary printouts by making your participation visible on our digital signs and in your company profile online on the fair's website.

Trip and accommodation
Plan your trip and accommodation, says Linda.
 – Stockholmsmässan is only 10 minutes by train from Stockholm Central and 45 minutes from Arlanda. Invite visitors and carpool with them. For those who travel to Stockholm by train, SJ offers a 10% discount for exhibitors and visitors,book your train here.
In the exhibition area there is Scandic Talk Hotel where exhibitors and visitors can choose to stay to avoid going back and forth. Discounts for visitors can be found here: 

Food and give-aways
Food is always important at events and all restaurants and cafés at to Stockhomsmässan is Kravmärkta (step 1).
– Feel free to consult with our restaurateur, Mässrestauranger to book food with a smaller climate footprint and feel free to order a water container instead of water bottles in your stand. What you offer in the stand signals your sustainability work, avoid unnecessary give-aways and serve requirements-marked coffee, snacks, etc.

Waste disposal
When the fair is over, waste disposal is an important part. Sort the waste and ensure with employees or stand builders that this happens both on and off. Bring materials home again, use at the next event or donate to charity. Carpool home together and leave your lanyards and key chains in the box for these at the end, so they can be reused at the next trade fair.