Better Stands is now open to the entire global events industry, meaning the framework can now be adopted by all organizers, service providers, venues and associations around the world. The Better Stands Framework promotes, drives and celebrates the transition from single use to reusable stands. It encourages best practices that enable reusable stands to deliver cost savings, greater efficiency and particularly make stands more sustainable.
Better Stands launched recently as a worldwide initiative to be supported by the International Federation of Exhibition & Event Services (IFES) and hosted by Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE). The launch was announced at the UFI European Events Week in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Better Stands is stewarded by a Steering Committee of 13 organizations, representing organizers, service contractors, assessors, venues and associations who have trialed the initiative. The concept for Better Stands was created by Informa and has been piloted by a group of organizers since 2023. This pilot was extended to a group of service providers, assessors and others in 2024. To date, Better Stands has been successfully implemented at over 400 events in more than 37 countries.
Better Stands operates by providing a consistent framework to measure the reusability of event stands, setting classification criteria according to how much of a stand or booth is reusable or recyclable. Stands can achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold Better Stands level, recognizing and celebrating the work and commitment of exhibitors and stand contractors to sustainability. This status can be achieved either through a pre-certification process, where contractors gain recognition for their reusable build methods ahead of the event, or via onsite assessments conducted by trained assessors during the event itself. More than 50,000 stands have so far been assessed under the Better Stands criteria in the development stage of the initiative.
James Rees, president of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), which hosts Net Zero Carbon Events on behalf of the conference, exhibition and business event industries worldwide, said: “The Better Stands Steering Committee deserve tremendous praise and great appreciation from the industry worldwide for pioneering this initiative and developing it so successfully in a very short time.”
“The pilot period of Better Stands has rapidly demonstrated that it is has enormous potential to make a major contribution to the industry’s drive to reduce its carbon emissions substantially. By combining the Better Stands and Net Zero Carbon Events initiatives we will be able to use JMIC’s global network to reach many more exhibition and congress organizers, stand and service contractors, exhibitors and venues enabling everyone to better understand the measurable benefits they will bring.”
For more information, visit www.betterstands.org.
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