This is the third consecutive prize claimed by the province in three major travel shows in South Africa, including: The Green Stand Award in the Large Stand Category at Meetings Africa held in February; the Best Responsible Stand Award at the World Travel Market Africa, and most recently the Provincial Authorities Platinum Award at Africa’s Travel Indaba.
Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, commented: “The recognition by the industry speaks volumes to the hours of meticulous design, careful curation and dedication put in by the team to ensure that Cape Town and the Western Cape are supremely showcased. The stand, which was supported by regional and local tourism offices such as Cape Town Tourism, Cape Winelands, Weskus and private sector partners such as Cape Town International Convention Centre, Giltedge Travel and Spier Hotel met with over 500 international buyers across the three shows.”
Designed and manufactured using green principles, 50% of the booth is re-palpable and constructed using recycled paper waste material. The steel used for the frame is repurposed from the 2016 and 2017 stands which collectively attended 12 full events. Similarly, all timber used in the stand has been re-purposed from previous years.
Making use of LED lightning, a single fridge unit and limited LED display screens contribute to low energy consumption on site.
The stand boasts a low carbon foot print and is fully flat packed for transport, lightweight and modular – the materials have been constructed in such a way that the design is configurable to different formats and sizes, ensuring the most can be made out of any exhibition space.
There is a specific focus on water saving awareness, with #WaterWiseTourism and general greening messages clearly visible around the design. To add to the water saving message, synthetic plants have been utilised in areas outside of tactile interaction. Resonating the green message, limited brochures are printed and no gifting takes places at the tradeshows.
In a final comment, Judy Lain, Wesgro’s Chief Marketing Officer, said: “A sustainable stand should also deliver a message of sustainability. This remains of upmost importance until the world is practicing sustainability as a norm. We would like to acknowledge our supplier, Resource Design, who live the sustainability message through all their design creations. Thank you for assisting us in bringing our stand design dream into a reality, and assisting us to encourage a no waste, sustainable expo industry.”
