Sustainability in the meetings and events industry is a fast-growing trend, and it isn’t going anywhere soon.
Many businesses and event planners are already looking into ways they can reduce their events’ impact on the environment and event planners have a key role to play in addressing some of the sustainability challenges we face internationally. It can feel overwhelming, knowing where to begin with sustainability but here are 5 quick tips to help make your next event more sustainable.
- Choose a ‘Green’ Venue
Your choice of venue is key in creating a sustainable event. Your event venue will likely dictate your water and energy usage and sometimes catering too. Look for a venue with a strong sustainability statement. Some venues are fully powered by green electricity or have a zero waste to landfill policy. Check if the caterers source their produce locally, or have plans in place to reduce food waste. Rural venues can be a great sustainable option as they are often surrounded by green space and have policies in place to plant trees that offset their carbon footprint, but city locations can reduce travel, so it’s worth looking into your attendees locations and the benefits of different venues, to weigh up which is the right option for you.
- Consider Travel Arrangements
Once your venue is sorted, it’s worth considering how attendees will travel to and from your event. Try choosing a venue that provides everything you need in one place, for example, onsite accommodation and catering, or that is in close walking distance to other locations you plan to visit. Travelling to and from an event, and between the event to any post-event activities, is one of the biggest contributors to an events carbon footprint. If walking to your venue isn’t an option for most attendees, consider organising shared transport, such as a shuttle, or giving attendees details of public transport that has easy links to your venue. You could even consider offering an incentive to delegates who car share or choose a more environmentally friendly means of travel.
- Incorporate Sustainable Team Building
Many corporate events now include some form of team building activities, to get attendees connecting with each other and engaged in the content. Hosting a sustainable team building option is a great way to create a more environmentally friendly event. Choose activities that use recycled materials or re-usable set-ups, or look for something that actively promotes better environmental practices, such as Plan Bee – a team building event designed to help increase the bee population. You could also consider a hybrid or virtual team building activity, hosted through an app or via video conferencing. These events can cut out travel by suppliers and the need for any disposable sets or tools.
- Reduce Printed Materials
Something as simple as going paperless or reducing the number of printed materials your event uses, is a sure-fire way to reduce your event’s impact on the environment. Creating a digital invite or attendee registration site quickly cuts out paper and can be a quick and efficient way to communicate your event to delegates. Having your information readily available on your company’s website or blog also makes it easier for attendees to locate important information.
It’s worth evaluating bigger printed items too, such as banners and other large format print. Could your company branding or message be displayed digitally instead? Perhaps on a large screen or projected onto a wall? Many events services will have lots of options to choose from, quickly reducing your paper waste and having a big impact on your events sustainability.
- Eradicate Single Use Plastics
Single use plastics are one of the biggest threats to the world’s wildlife and environment. Around 150 million tonnes of plastic is currently floating around in our oceans, having a devastating affect on marine life. Implementing re-usable tools and resources into your event can be a big way to reduce your events environmental impact. Encourage employees to bring along their own re-useable coffee cups or water bottles that can be refilled, negating the need for disposable ones. Look for caterers who use re-usable or bio-degradable cutlery rather than plastic cutlery and ditch any unnecessary plastic decorations. Consider what impact the items you use will have, not only on the event itself, but also on the environment around you.
The need for sustainable events isn’t something that will go away anytime soon. We are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of our actions on the world we live in and actively trying to create a more sustainable way of living. The more we can incorporate sustainable events into company culture, the better chance we have of beating climate change and preserving the natural world for future generations.
