loved the creativity of our designs and our customer first ethos . To a degree , it didn ’ t really matter as we knew why we had introduced this approach - we ’ re all passionate about ensuring that we were protecting finite resources and making considered decisions about the materials we used , we just didn ’ t sing about it .”
With 20 years experience honing and refining this model , the market has now caught up , as very real concerns about climate have climbed to the top of the agenda .
Cole says the very temporary nature of exhibitions is a moral issue that the industry must continue to contend with .
“ We learned to change the model of what we do . ( Exhibitions ) has a very high carbon output but when you start to reuse , you can dramatically reduce that by 60-70 %. If anything , it has contributed to our growth as we ’ ve seen 54 % growth in sales since coming back from the pandemic . We understand some of this is post-Covid demand but more significantly as a direct requirement of customers wanting a more sustainable solution .”
For Whitespace sustainability is is now so ingrained their focus is on their wider corporate social responsibility .
Cole says : “ To an extent , my perspective on sustainability is different
“ Exhibitions has a very high output but you can dramatically reduce that ...”
to others , in so much as this isn ’ t a bandwagon that I ’ ve jumped on .
“ Since we started the company , it ’ s been ingrained into what we do and how we do it . The fact that sustainability is now being discussed as part of the wider social responsibility piece makes total sense to me , and something that we ’ ve been working to without it being an agenda point .”
Their holistic approach covers their workers , the environment , community and philanthropy .
They now measure the emissions of all the stands and events they produce , as well as improving their offsetting , by moving from green carbon to blue . By planting trees in marine and coastal ecosystems they protect against rising seas as well as providing habitats and reducing CO2 .
As a female leader in a male dominated industry sector Cole is passionate about improving DE & I .
Whitespace ’ s resilience during the pandemic saw their workforce grow and a raft of commitments to support their welfare-including training , development and healthcare . Within that they have improved gender split and increased diversity .
Cole says the exhibitions industry and society as a whole needs to do more to welcome the next generation .
“ With a younger customer base , we need to remain relevant and communicate in ways that they understand . Our marketing team are constantly adapting to maximise engagement through video , social media , webinars and face to face interaction before we get to site .”
The company has lead the way for environmentally conscious events and grown with demand . Whitespace was set for their best ever year at the start of 2020 .
“ We ’ d put a lot of investment down so we could start to see a bit more profit coming back into the business . We were very excited about that . In the first two months , we ’ d already done over £ 1.5m turnover .”
What happened next needs little explanation . But , Whitespace kept going
44 — November