A disposable booth costs you twice: once when it’s built, and once when it goes in the dumpster. The Better Stands Gold certification recognizes exactly the opposite.
It evaluates ten elements of a booth, one by one, and verifies that each one will be reused at the next trade show. Of the ten, ENJOY is certified at the highest level.
Table of Contents
- Better Stands, in two minutes
- Better Stands Gold: All Ten Points, Without Exception
- Why ENJOY Won the Better Stands Gold Award
- What this means for you in practical terms
- Ask the question before signing
- Better Stands Gold: Questions We’re Asked
Better Stands, in two minutes
The Better Stands program was launched by Informa Markets in October 2020, based on an undeniable fact: in 2019, disposable booths accounted for more than 80% of the waste generated at all of their events. Not 80% of booth-related waste—80% of the total.
Since then, the label has expanded beyond a single organizer. It is supported by the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative and includes more than 70 members worldwide, including Clarion Events, IMEX, Hyve, and the Montgomery Group.
The principle is simple. A grid of ten elements: structure and partitions, flooring, furniture and equipment, lighting, signage and overhead signage, suspended structures, ceiling, display elements, graphics and decoration, and floor coverings. For each one, there’s just one question: Can it be reused as-is at the next trade show?
And the inspection isn’t merely a matter of reporting. Stands with bare floor space are independently inspected on-site at the end of the trade show. We look at the actual stand that was built, not the floor plan that was submitted.
Better Stands Gold: All Ten Points, Without Exception
Four levels extend from the grid.
- Single-use. No certificate. Just a report listing what failed.
- Bronze. The four major categories are reusable: structure and partitions, flooring, furniture and equipment, and lighting.
- Silver. Everything included in the Bronze package, plus the sign, the suspended structure, the ceiling, and the display elements.
- Gold. The ten elements. Without exception.
The Better Stands Gold thus presents the two most challenging tasks: the graphics and the flooring.
These are precisely the elements that we customize for each edition—the ones the industry has grown accustomed to remaking and discarding. Maintaining this standard means decorative elements that can be removed without being damaged, carpeting that gets a second life, and signage that isn’t rendered obsolete simply because the trade show’s name is printed on it.
You can't make up for it during editing week. It all comes down to the first sketch.
Why ENJOY Won the Better Stands Gold Award
The certification wasn't achieved simply by submitting a well-prepared application. It was achieved because the rest had already been in place for a long time.
Our modular booths are built on aluminum frames. Assembled. Disassembled. Reassembled. Never thrown away. The paneling can be removed and replaced without altering the frame.
When it comes to eco-friendly booths, we print in-house using water-based, solvent-free ink. The carpet is sent for recycling, not to the dumpster. All our lighting is LED. Our workshops are partially powered by our own solar panels.
And most importantly, all aspects of the business are handled in-house: design, carpentry, printing, structural work, electrical work, and logistics—from the first sketch to the last screw. That’s why we know exactly where every item goes after the trade show, and why we can locate it again for the next one.
Gold isn't earned through a sales pitch. It's earned through a reliable storage facility and consistent monitoring.
Clairefontaine and Bontoux: Two Stands That Have Been Upgraded to Gold
The Clairefontaine booth won the Better Stands Gold award. A modular booth designed to be reused, it has been featured at several European trade shows: the same framework, but with a new design each time. That is precisely what the award recognizes—materials that are reused instead of ending up in the trash.
The Bontoux booth, designed for the FI Europe trade show in Paris, met the same standards. Thirty-six square meters, a central structure clad in graphics, overhead signage, wooden counters, and targeted lighting. And FI Europe is one of the Informa trade shows—the ones that follow the program. Verification there is done in earnest, at the end of setup, not based on self-reporting.
That’s exactly what we wanted to demonstrate: a Gold award doesn’t come at the cost of forced simplicity. An exhibit can be reusable from start to finish and still feel warm, inviting, and memorable.
What this means for you in practical terms
If you exhibit on an open floor space at an event organized by a program participant, your booth will be evaluated—whether you requested it or not. And the rating it receives reflects on you, not your booth builder.
Working with a Better Stands Gold-certified booth builder means you can walk into the inspection without a care in the world. It means faster setup, because a booth designed to be reused can be reassembled quickly. It means a lower—or even zero—waste bill. And it’s a CSR selling point you can highlight without overdoing it, because it’s verified by a third party.
Ask the question before signing
Better Stands won't make the booths any more modest. It will simply separate those who know how to build to last from those who know how to build for just three days.
So ask your vendor this question before you get a quote—not after the booth has been set up: What standard is my booth aiming for, and in what areas do we fall short? If they can’t answer, you already have your answer.
We know. It's right there on our certification.
Better Stands Gold: Questions We’re Asked
Better Stands—what exactly is it?
A program launched by trade show organizers to move away from single-use booths. It evaluates ten elements of a booth and determines, for each one, whether it can be reused as-is at the next event. The rating scale ranges from “single-use” to “Gold.”
What is the difference between Bronze, Silver, and Gold?
The number of reusable elements. The Bronze level covers the four major categories: structure, flooring, furniture, and lighting. The Silver level adds signage, suspended structures, ceilings, and display elements. The Better Stands Gold level requires all ten, including graphics and flooring.
Is my booth affected?
If you are exhibiting on a bare floor space at an event organized by a participant in the program, then yes. The fully equipped booths provided by the organizer are compliant by design and are not included in the ranking.
→ Check out our reusable booths in the " Projects" section.
→ Tell us where you’re exhibiting, to whom, and what your goal is. Together, we’ll design a booth that stands out along the aisle and in front of the entrance.
ENJOY, exhibition booth designers, image builders.
Alsace | Paris | France & International
