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The term sustainability strategy refers to any measurable objective aiming at optimising (reduce environmental impact and cost), innovating to improve participant experience, engaging organisations and attendees to change behaviour and leave positive social impact and finally communicating sustainability initiatives while building brand reputation.

Every year, $165 billion of food is wasted in the United States; while at the same time, many families go hungry. Two events industry experts, Courtney Lohmann, CMP, director of culture at Koncept Events, and Mariela McIlwraith, CMP, CMM, MBA, director, industry advancement at the Events Industry Council, participated in a recent MeetingsNet webinar on reducing food waste in the meetings industry. Lohmann and McIlwraith focused on two strategies, reducing the amount of food that is wasted at an event, and using any extra food in a planet-friendly way.

Spring and summer are synonymous with event season. Whether it be conferences, concerts, community events or festivals, chances are we are all heading to at least one in the next few months. In honor of Earth Month, now is a great time to reflect for a moment on impacts these events are having on the environment; particularly in the area of single-use plastics, which given their prevalence in event settings as well as their difficulty to recycle & break down, present a unique challenge to attendee, venue, and planner alike.

In this post, we share a variety of green meeting ideas and walk you through how you can create green policies to further your sustainable reach. Plus, we are going to show you how to do it in a way that keeps costs down and actually save money through your sustainable efforts. Above all, we promise not to use jargon or bamboozle you with science that busy eventprofs simply don’t have time for.

The concept of “sustainable” and “green” events is not new. Over the years, we have seen a shift towards making events more eco-friendly. This has been most noticeable with more hotels and convention centers coming up with detailed eco-friendly initiatives. With venues stepping up to the plate, planners and producers (myself included) need to do our part to prioritize sustainability.

It’s January and everyone is trying to make wise food choices for themselves and those they care about. Events are no exception. If you are responsible for selecting the food for your event guests, you know how complex it can be in today’s world. Allergies, dietary preferences, local experiences, budgets and current trends all impact your decisions. Do you know your food choices also affect your event’s environmental impact?

Events are known for causing a big strain on society and on the environment, as they stress local resources and generate a lot of waste which is a big environmental issue – especially if this waste is land-filled! Since many aspects go into organising an event, here are our top tips on 3 main areas for successfully organising high performance sustainable events.

Whether it’s your conscience or your wallet that’s motivating you to go green at your event, you’ll find you’re in good company. Many event planners are looking to create more environmentally sustainable events.

A Nielsen study discovered that 55% of global consumers said they are willing to pay more for products and services from sustainable companies. Making that switch to an environmentally-sustainable event may get you more attendees and make it possible to charge higher ticket prices.

Deploying green strategies is fundamental to maintain a sustainable environment, but also, event planners can enjoy heaps of benefits that are tightly related these strategies. From a wide perspective, climate friendly events do make good sense for the planet, as they contribute significantly to the reduction of harmful emissions that lead to climate change.

Green energy and innovative sustainable solutions have been in the event industry’s spotlight for quite some time now – the latest paradigm being the recent EXPO 2017 in Astana. It is evident that our world needs to move away from the ever-increasing power consumption and its severe environmental repercussions, with events spearheading this massive effort.

Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Five thousand Calgary residents were invited to one in downtown’s Olympic Plaza on June 15, no strings attached. On the menu: carrot soup, chickpea salad, Panzanella Greek salad, and potato salad, topped off with bread pudding with compote. The cost to feed the crowd was well below even the most constrained F&B budget: $380. 

Sustainability efforts are a win-win for meetings industry professionals; cutting down on waste is financially desirable and contributing to local communities and educating attendees is part of what makes face-to-face meetings so powerful.

With more and more communities, governments and businesses joining the fight to tackle climate change, environmental degradation and social challenges, it is exciting to reflect on our journey towards sustainability and see where we have come and what we have learnt in the past ten years.

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have been around for a while now. You’ve probably been using them on your Christmas tree for years, and most new automobile headlights are LED. Though they aren’t new, they are still affecting the theatrical lighting world in a big way—but their usefulness doesn’t stop there. If you have a stage to light up, a ballroom desperate for pretty colors on the walls, or you want to have different looks for different parts of your show, LEDs are the answer.

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.

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.

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!

We want to feel invested in our communities — but that's just one of the many reasons event attendees are looking for locally sourced meals.

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.

For nearly a decade, technology usage is increasing and experience has proved that virtual connections increases face-to-face attendance and plays a very important part in your event sustainability strategy.

What’s involved in greening an event for over 4,500? What happens on a typical day at the show?

When designing an exhibit booth most of us think brand impact first. Environmental impacts are rarely top of mind.

Event paperwork leaves a lot of room for error. Here are 3 simple ways to make illegible, incomplete, or lost paperwork a thing of the past.

As President of the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) with over 14 years’ experience in designing and delivering winning sustainability strategies and organising sustainable events, Roger Simons looks at the 5 common mistakes planners make when...