With The Showman’s Show due to open its doors tomorrow, organiser Lance Show & Publications Limited has announced that there will be a strong focus on sustainability. Visitors to Newbury Showground can expect a raft of sustainable event solutions on display and the return of Vision 2025’s Sustainable Event Summit that encompasses the popular Green and Innovation Supplier Award. In addition, The Showman’s Show organising team actively encourages and supports numerous sustainable initiatives both during the organisation and delivery of the show and in its day-to-day operations.

Sustainable solutions on display at The Showman’s Show 2022 include battery storage solutions, collapsible cabins, toilets and showers, zero emission electric buggies, reusable cup solutions, electric vehicle charging units, battery power supplies, sustainable stages and LED screens, Stage V generators, flooring solutions manufactured from recycled materials and waste management solutions. These are joined on the show floor by many exhibiting companies who have sustainability ingrained into their daily operations.

These solutions and the companies responsible for creating and delivering them are recognised by the Green and Innovation Supplier Award, a Dragon’s Den style competition which sees three Showman’s Show exhibitors shortlisted and invited to deliver their pitches during Vision 2025’s Sustainable Event Summit.  The companies shortlisted for 2022 are Cube Modular, for its unique Continest foldable portable buildings, Electric Wheels, with its zero emission event buggies and Sunbelt Rentals for its strong companywide approach that is evidenced. The winner will be decided by public vote by a panel of sustainability experts and the Summit’s audience. All visitors to the Showman’s Show are welcome to attend and join the audience. It will be held at 16:55pm on Wednesday 19th October on Avenue B, stand 141.

Aiming to shape climate action for the UK’s outdoor event industry, Vision: 2025’s Sustainable Events Summit 2022 will bring together event leaders, policy makers, suppliers and experts to exchange ideas and consider future standards, launch new resources, and discover innovations. The Summit programme will feature sessions that look at sustainability for festivals, the circular economy, the impact of travel on live events and innovations of the season.

Carbon efficient initiatives implemented by The Showman’s Show organising team include working closely with its power supplier to increase energy efficiency and the show is powered with a combination of mains power and generators run on Green D+ HVO fuel. The Showman’s Show is also a zero waste to landfill event with all stakeholders are requested to minimise the waste they produce and to use the recycling bins and skips provided. Working with Event Cycle any leftover event materials are repurposed and redistributed.

Recognising the impact travelling to the show can have, encourages visitors to utilise the GoCarShare.com scheme and use of public transport where possible. They also operate a free shuttle bus from Newbury Station to the Showground during the show open days. In addition, the team balance their staff, crew and visitor travel miles with charity Ecolibrium, making a donation that is invested directly into clean renewable energy.

In a bid to minimise single use plastics on the showground, the team is actively encouraging staff, crew, exhibitors and visitors to bring along a reusable water bottle and coffee cup.  There will be free drinking water fill up points at the show’s catering points. Along with encouraging its own caterers to use reusable or compostable cutlery, it is also encouraging exhibitors to do the same.

Additional sustainable measures practiced by the team include powering its registered offices on a 100% renewable energy tariff; working closely with, and investing in, organisations who are promoting and supporting the improvement of the event industry’s environmental impact and using the Creative Green Tools from Julie's Bicycle to record and monitor its carbon impact.

Event director, Johnny Lance comments: “As event organisers we place a great deal of importance on sustainability and do everything within our power to reduce the environmental impact of The Showman’s Show. It’s encouraging to see that so many of our exhibitors are also running their businesses in a similar way and we know that it is important to our visitors too.

“Vision:2025’s conference has become a key component in the industry’s response to climate change and we’re thrilled that the show has become its regular home and plays its part in facilitating the conversation. The Green and Innovation Supplier Award is always a highlight for us as a team. Not only does it recognise the important work that our exhibitors are doing to improve the carbon footprint the event industry leaves but it is also a great way of engaging our audience and starting those important conversations.”