Inspiration Hub

Event planning veteran Brad Weaber, founder of the eponymous Brad Weaber Consulting Group, has some news for meeting professionals who may have written off destination organizations as not relevant. “It used to be all about heads in beds; now CVBs are involved in subjects ranging from advocacy and safety to climate change; the role of a destination organization has changed dramatically,” he said.

Finding ways to include corporate social responsibility initiatives in events is an increasingly important detail as employee-driven activism is rising around the world. Unfortunately, there isn’t always a significant amount of funding available in the budget to design and implement give-back activities. While this does present a challenge, it’s also an opportunity for savvy event professionals to think creatively about how to help organizations achieve these goals.

With nearly 170 people arrested in connection with sex-trafficking activity around the recent Super Bowl in Atlanta, the FBI emphasized in the days after the game that the issue extends far beyond the premier annual sporting event in America. "Trafficking is not a problem just during large-scale events," the bureau said in a release. "It is a 365-day-a-year problem in communities across the country."

The Bangkok Manifesto started as a series of workshops with SITE’s international board of directors, trustees of the SITE Foundation and a cohort of global experts in the field of incentive travel, facilitated by Martin Sirk, former executive director of ICCA. The final 10 statements of The Bangkok Manifesto were then crowdsourced with the full conference assembly using Slido, the online, audience engagement platform.

A good run can often be interrupted by an unsightly confetti trail of litter. The constant disruption of stunning views with human debris signals a larger problem of ecosystem ruination. Luckily, fitness fanatics in Scandinavia contrived a solution to help do their part. They’ve invented “plogging,” or picking up trash while jogging. The phrase is a mash-up of jogging and the Swedish phrase “plocka upp,” which means pick up.

Less than a decade ago, corporate social responsibility activities were unheard of during conferences and events. Today, a majority of event organizers are including them in their program. The most popular form of social responsibility for meetings is a community or legacy project. Community projects fall into the “Feel Good, Look Good” category of CSR where the projects contribute to a sustainable cause and provide promotional benefits to the sponsoring organization. In addition, they provide the personal experiences participants are now craving during conferences.

Whether you’re trying to attract younger guests or simply just want to “do your part,” designing sustainable events is worthy a challenge for any organization.

As our society evolves into a more environmentally conscious mindset (including the increasing popularity of Earth Day), it only makes sense that our industry would follow suit.  If our goal is to create experiences that stick with attendees, aligning with the same philanthropic principles is a no-brainer.

I’m only one person, so what difference will this make?” is, unfortunately, something we hear a lot when discussing the world’s environmental challenges. Similarly, when organising events many planners will echo similar sentiments with claims that “one event isn’t going to make a difference” or that “it’s not worth the effort”. After all, what’s one more plastic bottle or one more tree cut?

With Earth Day just around the corner, consider this: 75% of millennials are willing to pay more for eco-friendly offerings. And your event is no exception. 

Savvy organizers know that positioning an event as “eco-friendly” is not just the right thing to do. It’s a smart way to align your brand with your audience’s values and protect your bottom line.

We now know the landscape of sustainable events is constantly shifting, improving, and growing. Our experience has taught us some green meeting practices are simply better at addressing negative impacts or creating benefit than others.

These 10 practical, easy-to-implement suggestions from U.K.-based not-for-profit Positive Impact  can help your organization reduce the carbon footprint of its events and inspire attendees to take the message to their organizations. Positive Impact, launched in 2005, provides sustainability education for the events industry.

As the holiday season ends, we thought it would be fun AND helpful to do a countdown with the 12 Days of Sustainability. Starting on December 25th we posted to our Facebook and Twitter accounts a useful sustainable event tip you could use during the holidays and year round! In case you missed them, here is the full list: Give a plant as a gift that will keep on giving all throughout the year!

A radical shift in global consumer attitude is underway – the rise of the conscious consumer. Today’s events must evolve with them. How can you innovate your events with purpose to build brand love and loyalty for your clients?

People no longer want just products or services – they want authentic experiences with a deeper purpose. Experiences that reflect our values.

The best, most competitive brands in our world today increasingly gravitate toward greater social purpose, sustainability and a net positive impact. They want us to get outdoors instead of shop Black Friday. Or celebrate our imperfect bodies as our real beauty.

This list of team-building activities will come in handy for your corporate events, including ones for remote and virtual teams.

A canceled event offers a real-life example of how donating food to those in need is easier than many planners and venue managers may think. 

This is a case study from Dawn Baldwin, Director of Sales, Halifax Convention Centre. More information about Event Manager Blog’s case studies.

Looking to make your event as green as possible? Here are 5 steps to make an event more environmentally sustainable.