Discussing Sustainable Exhibiting at Seawork 2025

Hi, I’m Lily, and a significant part of my role here at Quadrant2Design is to discuss, improve and advocate for sustainability in the exhibition industry.

Usually, I work behind the scenes, creating a range of articles, show reviews and insight pieces. However, this month, I had the pleasure of discussing sustainable exhibiting directly from Seawork!

Seawork is the UK’s largest on-water, commercial marine & workboat exhibition. It takes place each year at the beautiful Mayflower Park, uniting vibrant exhibitors with waterfront views.

You may be wondering – why campaign for sustainability at Seawork?

Sustainability is at the heart of Seawork. Each year, organisers encourage the use of eco-friendly exhibition stands, and the show is a proud partner of Big Blue Ocean Clean-Up, which helps keep oceans clean and repairs marine ecosystems.

At sustainable shows like Seawork, it is more important than ever to take environmental responsibility for your exhibition stand. In this video, I share some of the simplest tips for improving sustainability at your exhibitions.

If sustainability is your priority, switch to a reusable exhibition stand. Disposable stands (even recyclable ones) contribute to over 80% of the waste in exhibition halls. Reusability is non-negotiable if we’re ever going to make a change.

Not only should the stand be reusable, but for practicality and flexibility, it should also be modular, and there should be ongoing support to help you make the most of the flexibility going forward.

At Quadrant2Design, we provide Lifetime Free Design and store your archive of design plans and 3D visualisations. This means you always have expert support on hand to make the most out of your investment!

The term “modular” is used to describe a wide range of exhibition stand solutions. Make sure that the solution you choose is flexible and designed for long-term reuse.

Low-emission logistics are very easily overlooked, but they contribute significantly to the environmental impact of trade shows. Most disposable stands are heavy, requiring HGVs and high-emission vehicles for transport. In contrast, lightweight, expandable solutions can be transported in LGVs with a lower environmental impact.

Make sure you choose a high-quality solution that can last across an entire exhibition calendar. Cheap displays may only last a few events, contributing to waste and adding unnecessary expense.

Ditch printed brochures, flyers and factsheets! Instead, use QR codes to point to website resources and digital assets.  Quadrant2Design clients are always offered yourstand.at websites that have a dedicated download section to host digital resources before, during and after the event.

Everyone loves a freebie, but it’s important to make sure yours do not end up in the bin.  Offer freebies that are sustainable or useful enough that people will keep them for a long time.

One of the greatest ways to reduce environmental impact is to hire the exhibition stand infrastructure. This allows valuable mined resources like aluminium to be used to the maximum during their lifespan.  A single hire frame has the potential to be in use every week of the year, whereas some purchased frames will gather dust in a warehouse for 51 weeks a year! We have a range of sustainable service plans for clients to choose from.

Seawork was a great place to discuss sustainability, and these tips are a great place to start.  Seawork and many of their exhibitors are setting a great example when it comes to sustainable exhibiting but across the industry there is still a lot of work to do!

I recently wrote a guide to ending the shocking waste of disposable exhibition stands, which you can view below.

It was great to attend Seawork 2025 and speak with exhibitors first-hand about their exhibition stands and sustainability initiatives, from reusable exhibition stands to eco-friendly giveaways and freebies. We are excited to share these interviews with you soon!

This month is particularly exciting as we are also attending InstallerSHOW 2025, Automechanika, Festival of Work, Elevate, SoupCon and Smart Manufacturing UK. At these shows, we will be able to hear from our clients first-hand about the benefits of their Quadrant2Design exhibition stands.

For more information on Quadrant2Design’s sustainable exhibition stands, get in touch with our expert design consultants. Email us at design@quadrant2design.com or call us at 01202 723 500.