GOING GREEN: A longitudinal study on the China Import and Export (Canton) Fair

Abstract

Sustainability has gained momentum in the event industry, but the literature mainly views green events as static while neglecting the process of event greening. There continues to be a paucity of research on how to engage a wide range of event stakeholders during the greening process. To bridge this gap, this chapter employs a longitudinal case study on a trade fair in China – the Import and Export (Canton) Fair. Results show that Canton Fair attempted to promote green events in 2012 but faced challenges due to stakeholder disengagement. The greening process began in 2014 with the initiation of the Green Development (GD) project. During GD project 1.0, the Canton Fair organisers utilised institutional and bargaining powers to encourage eco-exhibiting (i.e. green booth construction and dismantling). In 2016, they successfully engaged stakeholders and encouraged all exhibitors to adopt eco-exhibiting. The GD project 2.0 was further released in 2017. To date, exhibitors have transitioned from a compliance-based approach to considering eco-exhibiting as a competitive advantage. Additionally, the Canton Fair shows a positive spill-over: its green practices are imitated by more fairs and promoted nationwide. Overall, this chapter offers practical implications for events and tourism industry in engaging a wide range of stakeholders for sustainable development.