Lobby Display

• Organize a Lobby Display
• On-site ideas for a One-Day Lobby Display
• Five-Day Lobby Display including on-site ideas
• Resource Centre

Organize a Lobby Display A lobby display in your building provides a great focal point for your activities and is a natural distribution point for information and promotional materials. Lobby displays are also versatile; small or large, they easily adapt to fit your budget and human resource commitment. Timeframe 1 to 5 days

What I Need

• Tables (with optional tablecloths)
• Chairs
• Movable wall panels or access to bare walls
• Computer (and Internet access)
• Brochure Rack
• Extension cords, duct tape, regular tape, pins, poster hanging putty etc.
• Permission to use the lobby from your Security Department or Facility Management

Staff

• Recruit volunteers from your office Green Team and/or from enthusiastic co-op students.
• Try to staff your display during the peak hours: morning rush hour, morning break and lunch hour.

Your Lobby Display -- Providing Information And Promoting Activities Posters

• Many free posters are available from various government departments.
• The Clean Air Day/Commuter Challenge poster is available from Go for Green.

Computer Display

• Clear the computer desktop of icons unrelated to your event.
• Have shortcuts for specially selected web sites i.e. Clean Air Day partners’ Web site, the Commuter Challenge web site, your local transit company's web site etc.

Brochures / Maps

• Promote other federal government programs addressing clean air and climate change. For example, Transport Canada and Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency both have brochures that help people reduce their consumption of energy.
• Promote similarly themed groups in your workplace and/or your community: cycling clubs, walking clubs, carpooling clubs and your building's Green Team.
• Distribute and hang maps of local walking and cycling trails and bus route and schedule.

Commuter Challenge Registration forms/drop-off box (if applicable)

• Provide hardcopy Registration Forms for people who prefer to record their Commuter Challenge information manually.
• Upon completion, these forms can be deposited into a simple drop-off box.

Promote Workshops and Speakers

• A wide range of interesting workshops/speakers can promote action on clean air and climate change. Possible topics include: bicycle repair/safety, energy efficiency, composting, planting trees, wood stoves, health effects of air pollution and climate change, etc.
• Seek experts within your organization or in your community.
• Screen films and videos.
• Combine your event with a "brown bag" lunch.

Promoting a Lobby Display

• Advanced e-mail advertising for your lobby display encourages employees to schedule time for your activities and to seek out specific information for their own needs.
• Post information and a schedule of events on your intranet (if you have one), and in your internal newsletter.
• Post a hardcopy schedule of events near elevators and other high-traffic locations.
• Weeklong displays benefit from daily e-mails

Timeline (important lead times to consider)

• Book the lobby in your building (1-2 months)
• Contact speakers / presenters (1-2 months)
• Contact organizations for posters and brochures (1 month)
• Organize Staff – Volunteers, include time for training (2-4 weeks).
• Arrange computer and Internet connection (2 weeks)
• Begin promotion (one week)
• Set up your display. (1 day)
• For a five-day display, set it up on the Friday before -- you’ll want to capitalize on the Monday morning’s rush hour.

On-site ideas for a One-Day Lobby Display

• Plan your display on Clean Air Day
• Focus on Clean Air Day themes: clean air and climate change.
• Distribute Clean Air Day brochures and similarly themed Federal Government materials i.e. from Environment atural Resources Canada.
• Promote your Commuter Challenge participation (if applicable).
• Provide maps/brochures for walking, cycling and public transit. Contact your local municipality, transit company and walking/cycling clubs for more information.
• Host speakers (DG, ADM, representatives from NGOs).
• Invite your DG and/or ADM to launch your activity, to thank employees and to greet green commuters.
• Promote workshops: bicycle repair, car sharing, walking.

Five-day Lobby Display

Weeklong displays are effective when built around themes, such as Environment Week or the Commuter Challenge. With a theme, you can have different focus topics each day of the week and create ongoing interest for your employees. Below are examples of themes you can use for your display.

Environment Week themes:

• Monday – Water, Tuesday – Endangered Species, Wednesday – Clean Air and Climate Change (Clean Air Day), Thursday – Forests, Friday – Recycling.

Commuter Challenge themes:

• Monday – Active Transportation, Tuesday – Everyday Champions (i.e. employees who are already "green" commuters), Wednesday – Public Transit (Clean Air Day), Thursday – Carpooling and Car Sharing, Friday – Teleworking.

On-site ideas for a Five Days Lobby Display

• Choose a theme. (See above)
• Provide brochures and maps to promote the focus days of your theme. Your local municipality, other government departments and non-governmental organizations have lots of free materials. Promote Clean Air Day’s action on clean air and climate change with brochures and similarly themed Federal Government materials i.e. from Environment Canada, Transport Canada, and Natural Resources Canada.
• Promote your Commuter Challenge participation (if applicable)
• Host speakers (DG, ADM, representatives from NGOs)
• Promote workshops and other activities.
• Screen films and videos.

Resource Centre

Consult the Resource Centre for supporting documents: templates for e-mails, letters from decision maker to employees, articles, ‘home-made’ advertisement and more!