“What’s especially compelling is the spirit of collaboration that Better Stands is built on. It’s not about working in silos. It’s about organisers, contractors, exhibitors, and venues coming together with a shared goal — to make our industry more sustainable, resilient, and future-ready. If the industry embraces Better Stands at scale, the potential is enormous.”
Chris Skeith, CEO, UFI
“RAI Amsterdam joined Better Stands because we believe this is the future of sustainable stand construction and the wider events industry. It’s about real collaboration across the whole chain, with a focus on reuse and circularity.”
Bart van der Heijden, Director Events, RAI Amsterdam
“Better Stands has already worked at hundreds of events worldwide. The Framework, created over several years and tested in more than 30 countries, offers straightforward approaches to understanding the reusability of the elements of exhibition stands and celebration for those exhibitors and service providers who already meet future customer demands.”
Ben Wielgus, Head of Sustainability, Informa
“By joining Better Stands, we aim to contribute to a collective effort toward more responsible and forward-thinking trade show practices.”
Johannes Siems, Founding Partner and CEO, DIFER – Event Crafting
“Better Stands presents a real opportunity to support long-term change by encouraging smarter, more sustainable solutions — and we knew we wanted to be part of that transformation.”
Kane Simpson, CEO, Abraxys
“Better Stands helps us collaborate even closer with our industry peers to find best practices, share data, and give reassurance to customers across the event ecosystem. We’re delighted to give it our full support and encourage other businesses to do likewise. This is a shared, industry-wide ambition that we can achieve better together.” “
Natalie Wing, Commecial Director, GES EMEA
“Clarion Events joined Better Stands as connecting people more sustainably is a business imperative for us. Better Stands offered a proven way to exhibit more sustainably while aligning the industry around a consistent, credible framework. It lets us track progress, reinforce positive behaviours, and move faster – together.”
Ellen Osborne, ESG Manager, Clarion
“The beauty of Better Stands within the NZCE is the neutral ground, ease of usability, open source and the potential to become a global standard to compare apples to apples.”
Jörg Zeissig, President, IFES
“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 organisers, stand and service contractors, exhibitors and venues enabling everyone to better understand the measurable benefits they will bring.”
James Rees, President, JMIC
“Helping with the pilot of the Better Stands Initiative taught us a great deal. It’s obviously given us a clear framework with which to engage exhibitors and their stand constructors… But there’s been one unexpected side benefit. This year’s IMEX Frankfurt looked a lot more open and welcoming. Gone are many of the big, resource-heavy walls and built-up meeting spaces. The look and feel of the show was transformed and the new sightlines made for a richer, more engaging show experience. Whilst we can’t be certain the look was affected purely due to sustainability, I’m sure it’s a consideration.””
Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX Group
“HKECIA is pleased to endorse the Better Stands programme and promote it to our members in Hong Kong. The main challenge in reaching net zero in exhibitions has always been encouraging the exhibitors to join us on the sustainability journey. With the Better Stands programme, we believe we can finally achieve this long-standing goal.”
Stuart Bailey, Chairman, the Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association
