Feb. 29 Deadline for Green Fair Sponsors, Exhibitors

WOOSTER, Ohio — You can boost your business’s green cred — and reach several thousand environmentally conscious customers in the process — by being a sponsor or exhibitor at this year’s Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair in northeast Ohio.

But make plans soon. The deadline to apply is this coming Monday, Feb. 29, and only a limited number of exhibitor spaces are left.

The event, which is a free public festival focused on sustainable living, is April 19 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. Its theme is “Green Is for Life!” New this year is a concurrent Renewable Energy Workshop.

By being a sponsor or exhibitor at the fair, businesses, companies and agencies can “demonstrate their support of a healthier environment and a more sustainable society,” said Laura Chapin, a research associate at OARDC and a member of the event’s planning committee.

Last time, about 2,000 people attended

The fair’s previous edition, in 2014, attracted about 2,000 people, 70 exhibitors and 30 sponsors that contributed a combined $20,000, Chapin said. In all, the event has been held seven times.

Sponsors’ contributions to the fair, which is a not-for-profit event, will help pay for such costs as facility and equipment rental, advertising and promotion, facility charges for the Renewable Energy Workshop, and some of the recycling to be offered, such as of compact fluorescent bulbs, Chapin said.

Details on being a sponsor — including the donation levels, which range from $100 to $499 in the “Buckeye” category to $2,000 and up in the “Green” category — are at u.osu.edu/sggf/sponsors.

Sponsors get name recognition, exposure

All sponsors will be recognized by name and logo on the fair’s promotional materials, including its website. Sponsors in most categories will receive free exhibit space, if wanted, while sponsors in the Buckeye category are eligible for a 50 percent discount on the cost of that space.

To learn more about the fair’s sponsorship options, contact Russ Yoder at yoder.275@osu.edu or 330-287-1270.

Exhibits can teach about, sell what’s green

Exhibitors at the fair can use their space, for example, to promote their company’s sustainability efforts, to teach people about an environmental issue, or to sell eco-friendly products and services, Chapin said.

Exhibit space prices range from $50 for an eight-foot indoor space for a nonprofit group to $200 for an outdoor stand-alone space for a commercial organization. Further details are at u.osu.edu/sggf/exhibits and go.osu.edu/SGGFExhibitorReg. The latter website offers online registration and payment.

For further details about being an exhibitor, contact Gwen Zimmerly at zimmerly.30@osu.edu or 330-263-3719.

The fair’s coordinating sponsors are OARDC and the Wooster area’s Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network.

OARDC, which is about 60 miles south of Cleveland and 95 miles northeast of Columbus, is the research arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences of The Ohio State University.