Giving at Glee 2022

This year’s edition of Glee – taking place in late June (28th – 30th June, NEC Birmingham) - will welcome a number of new initiatives, all designed to help the show’s exhibitors and visitors to “give back” and protect the planet, reduce waste and raise vital funds for the industry’s charity, Greenfingers.

Grow My Tree

With sustainability no longer an option but an imperative, this year Glee is on a mission to help everyone at the exhibition to fight climate change by planting trees with its official climate partner, Grow My Tree.

Every attendee at Glee 2022 will be able to plant a tree free of charge.  Grow My Tree will work in partnership with one of its local operators within the global south (Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania), where the environmental, social and economic leverage is greatest, and the impact of each tree planted will take effect quickest. A code to access this ‘free tree’ offer will be provided to all attendees post-event.

Exhibitors will also be offered the opportunity to purchase up to 440 trees at a discounted rate, helping to offset almost 100% of their annual CO2 emissions* with every tree absorbing upwards of 22kg of CO2 per year. Further details on how to purchase these trees can be found in the E-Zone.

Show your love for Greenfingers

Time to dig out your boldest floral shirt, dainty flowery dress and everything in-between as Floral Thursday is back and ready to raise funds for the Greenfingers charity.

Taking place on Thursday 30th June – the final day of Glee 2022 – Floral Thursday is a special fundraising activity where it is hoped that the thousands of visitors and exhibitors at Glee will come together to show their flower power in aid of Greenfingers’ ongoing fundraising activities. Anyone that has reached for the floral clothing – from ties to socks to shirts and suits – will be invited to purchase a raffle ticket which will enter them into a prize draw to win fabulous prizes whilst, more importantly, helping to top up the annual fundraising total of the children’s hospice garden charity.

Last year, at Glee 2021, Floral Thursday raised over £2,000, and an even larger total is hoped for this year.

Further supporting the Greenfingers charity, entries into the Glee New Products Showcase in 2022 can help to raise much needed funds. Any brand that enters the awards can donate their product sample, where it will be auctioned by Greenfingers’ Bedford-based auction partners, W&H Peacock. Similar auctions have raised thousands for the charity, funds which help Greenfingers to continue to build therapeutic gardens in children’s hospices throughout the country.

Taking steps to reduce waste onsite

Becoming more sustainable is a key part of the development of Glee, which is why the organisers will be working closely with the NEC and all of their suppliers to ensure that steps are taken to reduce the potentially negative environmental impact that each event cycle can have. Guided by the ‘NEC Sustain’ Policy – an all-encompassing sustainability programme that focuses on the different elements that make up the reality of an exhibition including energy, waste and food – Glee will look to minimise everything from a reliance on plastic to introducing more water fountains, and even sourcing catering from local suppliers to minimise food miles.

Glee will also be working with Event Cycle to help exhibitors remove and repurpose any items that otherwise would have been thrown away. Event Cycle help reduce waste from events and create a positive social impact in the process.

Item donated by exhibitors are given to charity and community groups, as well as back into the events industry. Exhibitors can find out more about this initiative by visiting the Exhibitor Manual.

Introducing onsite welfare rooms

New for 2022, anyone present at Glee will be able to access a dedicated onsite welfare room. It will provide a quiet place to take a break or give additional support to anyone that needs it, no matter the reason.

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