The brief
The Creative8 team were delighted to end a busy 2022 with an award from the World Exhibition Stand Awards.
We were awarded Gold for our creative, sustainable space built for the Zurich Insurance Group. Creative8 are drivers of experienced, quality-led and supportive services that connect people creatively. Our innovative techniques and passionate team allowed us to create something truly special for our client.
Here’s a little more about the winning project.
The aim
The brief from the Zurich Insurance Group was to continue producing and supporting them with creative, high-quality exhibition stands but in a way that could be as close to 100% sustainable as possible. This was to enforce the client’s global, company-wide target of sustainability who also practice positive, active changes supported by the Sky Zero Footprint Fund which is designed with the sole view to protect the environment.
Creative8 was tasked with developing and carrying out extensive methods of sustainable practices in the exhibition industry to bring the client an exhibition stand that fitted the criteria, not only for one event but an entire calendar and generally executing responsible means indefinitely.
How we achieved it
As with every project, we completely immersed ourselves in the vision of the client and how we could achieve it. Due to the project scope, we needed to dissect the task into much smaller pieces than we would usually. Our approach was essentially to create a green and red list of substrates, materials and methods that suited the criteria of sustainability and the client’s brief – all under the close watch of our research and development microscope.
This strategy allowed us to pick apart, assess and streamline all elements of the displays birth to identify and consider the areas that could be sustainable. One example was to generate sustainable flooring that was still creative and well-finished. We ditched industry-standard aluminium edging which is traditionally aluminium – creating a sustainable alternative, a well-finished image and altogether something different to excite both event visitors and our industry peers alike.
The switch flooring methods from aluminium edging to finished recycled wood also reduced the need for screw fixings. The machinery required to produce screws, the most commonly used fixing on earth, produces incredible amounts of carbon and wastes serious amounts of energy. However, the process used to generate such a small item is not usually considered – but it was something that landed under our microscope.
The Microscope Strategy lent itself as a valuable method in developing all areas of this display. All graphics were exchanged for PVC-free alternatives, all furniture items and electrical fixtures were hired and now re-used, all foliage was real and therefore oxygenating, large walling areas were covered in recycled plastics, the general structure was traded for bamboo, all lighting was LED to reduce heat transmission and energy consumption, the client decided against single-use promotional giveaways and the methods go on.
All of the development spent on the initial creation of the stand was not limited to a single, one-off display. It was a future-proof idea with the elements being engineered into manageable sections and adaptable to varying events, venues and areas within the client’s business.
Our company ethos leans mainly towards passion and quality, with a team that actions this in all that we do. So, this project, and all future projects we have planned in this mission became a source of huge achievement.
The inspiration for such dedication came from our general passion but was also supported by the inspirational drive to truly achieve sustainability from the Zurich Insurance Group. An unstoppable partnership.
The results
We have now generated 5 sustainable exhibitions stand for Zurich Insurance – but we’re just getting started. The success is documented on the client’s social media channels and other platforms, individual event organisers have thrown a spotlight on the displays and internally Creative8 has seen a surge in enquiries for sustainable projects all referencing the Zurich activation.
We’ve comprehensively proven that with dedication, effort and creative thinking, it is possible to achieve a fully sustainable exhibition stand. We’ve exceeded the client’s expectations which is clear in the repeat business and re-use of the finished display.
Want to experience these results with Creative8? Contact our team now.
