17 July 2026 // The newly published "Guide to Future-Ready Resource Management in the Exhibition Industry: Refuse – Reuse – Return’. This joint publication by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) and the Federal Association of the German Events Industry (fwd:) offers practical recommendations for the resource-efficient use of materials in the exhibition sector.
The guide combines industry expertise and practical experience and translates current requirements for resource efficiency, material transparency and the circular economy into concrete measures for practical application. It supports exhibition companies, exhibition organizers, exhibitors and service companies in integrating resource management at an early stage into planning, procurement, implementation and dismantling.
Practical guidance – in 14 languages
In addition to technical fundamentals and classifications, the publication contains numerous tools for day-to-day work: checklists, communication templates and guidance on wording for tenders and purchase orders. In addition, a concise one-pager on resource management is available in 14 languages – from Arabic to Turkish. The guide is thus intended to provide guidance whilst also facilitating collaboration across the entire value chain of the trade fair and events industry.
Shared responsibility for sustainable events
With this guide, AUMA and fwd: are sending a joint signal in favour of greater resource efficiency and the circular economy. The exhibition industry can harness its innovative strength, creativity and capacity for cooperation to use resources more effectively, strengthen material cycles and make sustainable transformation economically viable.
“With this guide, AUMA and fwd: are creating a common foundation to make resource management in the exhibition industry more concrete, predictable and economically viable,” says Marko Roscher, Sustainability Officer at fwd:. “Our aim is not only to provide guidance for companies but also to support them in implementing these measures. After all, the circular economy does not begin at the end of the production cycle, but right from the planning and design stages.”
“Trade fairs are platforms for innovation and economic development. That is why it is crucial that their organisation is also designed to be sustainable,” says Barbara-Maria Lüder, Manager of Legal, Tax, Technical and Sustainability Affairs at AUMA. “The guide shows how resource efficiency, the circular economy and high quality can be combined in a trade fair stand – in a practical way that can be integrated into existing processes.”
The guide is available for download in German and English at auma.de and forward.live.
