Positive impact on the environment:

Sustainable events usually involve practices that reduce the negative impact on the environment. This may include using renewable energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing waste, managing water and preserving biodiversity. Participants of sustainable events can be aware that their participation does not contribute to a negative impact on the environment but, on the contrary, contributes to reducing the negative effects on the environment, which can improve their awareness of environmental conservation and encourage them to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives.

Social Responsibility:

Sustainable events often promote social responsibility, such as inclusiveness, social justice, equality and respect for human rights. Attendees of sustainable events may be drawn to such events because they feel good about supporting events that promote positive social values. This can increase their engagement, satisfaction and loyalty towards event organizers and promote positive social action in the community.

Economic aspects:

Sustainable events can also have a positive economic impact on participants. For example, local resources, products, and services can boost the local economy and community. Also, reducing energy, water and waste costs can lead to financial savings for event organizers and participants. Participants of sustainable events can be aware of these economic aspects and recognize the value of participating in sustainable events that support the local economy and provide financial savings.

Personal development:

Participation in sustainable events can provide opportunities for the personal development of participants. This can include gaining new knowledge and skills, networking with other industry experts and professionals, and career advancement opportunities. Participants can use sustainable events as a platform to develop their interests, hobbies and career goals.

Long-term sustainability:

Participation in sustainable events can contribute to the long-term sustainability of the environment, society and economy. Sustainable events can be examples of best practices and drive industry and community change towards more sustainable approaches. Participants in sustainable events can be part of that movement and contribute to long-term sustainability on a global scale.

Raising awareness of sustainability:

Sustainability communication in sponsorships can be crucial in raising sustainability awareness among event participants, sponsors and the general public. Event organizers can communicate their sustainable practices and initiatives and educate their sponsors and attendees about the importance of sustainability in events. This can include examples of sustainable practices such as recycling, reducing energy consumption, using sustainable materials or supporting the local community. Sustainability communication can encourage sponsors to support sustainable initiatives and join organizers in promoting sustainable behaviour at events.

Promotion of sponsorship sustainability:

Sponsorship can also allow sponsors to highlight their sustainable values and initiatives. Event organizers can communicate the sustainable practices of their sponsors as part of sponsorship promotion. This may include highlighting the sponsor’s sustainable initiatives on the event website, social media, press, or other marketing channels. Communicating about sponsorship sustainability can help sponsors increase their visibility, build trust among event attendees and the public, and promote their commitment to sustainability.

Transparency and accountability:

Sustainability communication in sponsorships can also be important to promote transparency and accountability. Event organizers can communicate transparently about their sustainable practices and achievements and their expectations of their sponsors regarding sustainable behaviour. Transparent communication can improve the relationship between organizers and sponsors and ensure that sustainability expectations are clearly understood and met. Also, transparent communication can provide the responsibility of event organizers and sponsors towards event participants and the public and help build trust.

Education of participants:

Sustainability communication can also serve as a tool to educate event participants about the importance of sustainability. Event organizers can use different communication channels, such as presentations, panels, workshops or participant materials, to educate participants about sustainability and encourage them to adopt sustainable practices during the event. Participant education can increase sustainability awareness, facilitate changes in participant behaviour, and promote sustainable values supported by the event organizer and its sponsors.

Long-term effects:

Sustainability communication can also have long-term effects on event organizers, sponsors and audiences. Actively communicating about sustainability and promoting sustainable practices during the event organization can create a positive reputation for the event organizer as a responsible and sustainable organization. This can attract new sponsors who share the same values and sustainability initiatives. Also, such communication can attract an audience that supports sustainable practices and prefers events that promote sustainability. In the long term, event organizers and sponsors can profit from positive effects on reputation, brand and attracting new participants.

Use of renewable energy sources

Event organizers are increasingly using renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind farms, to reduce their consumption of fossil fuels.

Waste reduction

Event organizers are increasingly thinking about ways to reduce waste. This includes using biodegradable products, such as biodegradable plates and cutlery, and recycling and composting waste.

Use of public transport and alternative forms of transport

Research has shown that transport is one of the biggest polluters of industry. For this very reason, event organizers are increasingly encouraging participants to use public transport or alternative forms of transportation, such as bicycles or electric scooters, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Using local products

Event organizers are increasingly using local products to reduce their environmental footprint. This includes using locally sourced food and drink and local labour and suppliers.

Sustainability education

Event organizers are increasingly educating attendees about sustainability to raise awareness of this vital issue. This could include showing films, organizing sustainability discussion panels or putting up information boards about the event’s ecological footprint. But also, they are increasingly choosing to invest in educating themselves to keep up with the latest criteria and ideas related to sustainability.

Sustainability as part of business strategy

Event organizers are increasingly realizing the importance of sustainability as part of their business strategy. This means that sustainability is not only seen as an additional cost but as a way, the organization demonstrates its responsibility towards the environment and the community in which it operates.

1. Be aware of what sustainability is – sustainability is more than just recycling. Even the birds on the branches know that. If you’re thinking about sustainability, don’t think of it as an additional cost. Think about sustainability in the light of efficiency, investment, and investing in the future.

2. Think long-term – short-term sustainability makes no sense. Do nothing today to see tomorrow; if you don’t see results, you will stop. Forget about until. You do sustainable events because of a higher goal, because of the belief that things can be better in the future.

3. Accept the knowledge and experience of the younger generation – it happened to us quite a few times when older colleagues refused to accept the idea of sustainable events because they thought they knew how to organize events. There was no need to introduce changes. Wrong. You know how to manage them because you’ve organized a bunch of them. But be aware that times change, and trends change. What was five or even three years ago is no longer relevant. Embrace the opportunity for education and advancement. This is the only way we can create a quality future.

4. Measurability – did you organize a sustainable event? Great for you! But how do you prove it? It’s not just about reducing plastic or paper at the event; find a way to calculate CO2 emissions, put the difference between a “regular” and a sustainable event on paper, show numerically what you’ve done, show it with examples and be proud of yourself.

5. You don’t work sustainably because “everyone does it” – those who decide on a sustainable course of business must be aware that sustainability is an investment that we don’t make for ourselves, for our profit or because everyone else is doing it. Those who practice sustainability must practice it because they understand what it means and the difference we make with our actions. That’s precisely why you do it for the environment, society, and company culture, not for profit and trend.

6. Sustainability is the base, not an addition – when creating an event, we always advise our clients to think about sustainability from the very beginning. This will make it much easier for them to apply sustainability in their desired areas. When the whole concept is set, it’s more difficult. But it is not impossible.

7. Transparency and highlighting of what we do – transparency is a topic we always advocate, although it differs from that in our industry. Let’s show clients and visitors they can trust us and that agencies are not there to rip off clients. Also, you made a great event – don’t keep it to yourself. It’s not a matter of whether someone will copy you but of showing how it can be done and encouraging someone waiting for that encouragement.

Shocking. That’s precisely why we tried to single out a few more examples of CO2 emission that we didn’t know about or didn’t think about, but it’s certainly interesting and appears in our daily lives.

• Water heating in a water heater – 70g CO2
• One hour of LCD TV with a 32″ screen – 88g CO2
• Driving 1.5 km in an average car – 710g CO2
• Enjoying a steak during lunch or dinner – 2,000g CO2
• One sent message – 0.014g CO2
• A glass of water – 0.06g CO2
• 1 email – 4g CO2
• T-shirt ironing – 25g CO2
• A cup of coffee – 23g CO2
• A cup of coffee with milk – 55g CO2
• 250g of strawberries produced in Croatia – 150g of CO2
• Shower lasting 6 minutes – 550g CO2
• Ice cream on a stick, which we eat on the day we bought it – 50g CO2
• 1 kg of mixed household waste – 700 g of CO2
• Litre of milk – 342g CO2
• Physical book with thin covers – on average 1kg CO2
• Bread – 1kg of CO2
• A bottle of wine – on average 1,040g of CO2
• 1 kg of rice – 4 kg of CO2
• Swimming pool – 400t of CO2 annually

After we selected only about 20 examples, we see how everything around us emits CO”, even us. We don’t think about this data when we talk about sustainability, and it certainly has a very big impact on it. So let’s start thinking about how our daily behaviour contributes to CO2 emissions and try to reduce it.

That’s why we won’t talk about what sustainable events are and the why behind them. We will give you ten simple tips on how to organize them:

Assess the effect of your event on the environment.

To make your event as sustainable as possible, it is essential to ask yourself which area of your event is the most problematic. The simplest way to do this is to go through all nine categories of sustainable events and think about which is the biggest problem for you. Is transportation your biggest problem? Or a large amount of plastic and paper that remains after your event. Or is it the amount of food that will be wasted? Once you have mastered the answer to this question, you will know what it would be best to focus on to contribute the most to sustainability.

Choose a sustainable supplier

We have repeated many times that it is easiest to organize a sustainable event if you do it from the beginning of creating the concept. That’s why you give yourself more effort and find sustainable suppliers. Do you like working with your current suppliers and don’t want to research new ones? Even better! Encourage your existing suppliers to change. Together you can achieve great things.

Throw away all plastic at the event

By now, we all have become aware of the damage that single-use plastics do. The problem is not only in the damage it does after it is produced and after we have used it, but also in the production itself. Why not try to make a sustainable event without using single-use plastic? It may be a little more difficult at first, but your pride will be even more tremendous in the end.

Throw away all paper at the event

Although paper is often used instead of plastic, why not ditch both? Is it scary for you? That’s good. It means that you go outside your comfort zone, and that’s where the magic happens. Not sure how to ban visitors from paper? Place recycling bins. Not sure how you will succeed? Create QR codes that will contain absolutely all information about your event.

Choose sustainable catering

Sustainable catering is not only based on a vegetarian diet. It also uses local foods and seasonal foods, but also creates menus that promote the region where the event takes place. What better way to introduce visitors to local dishes than to serve them at your event? Don’t forget about the leftovers, either. Why throw them away when visitors can take them for later or donate them?

Support sustainable transport to and from your event

It’s not that you can only contribute to an event’s sustainability by ensuring that everything about it is sustainable. What matters is what you do before and after the event. You encourage your participants to consider how they travel to and from your event. Think about a location close to public transport, focus on visitors within a short drive of your location, and organize a hybrid event…

Technology instead of print

When organizing conferences, perhaps your first impulse is to set up branding through banners, fabric walls, penguins and similar prints. Forget about it. Play around with production and come up with something completely different but digital. Something that is not common but is sustainable.

Using LED lighting

LED lighting is not new. It’s widespread, sustainable, and there’s no reason not to use it.

Get out into the open

The most sustainable location you can use is the outdoor space. Take advantage of natural light, where you don’t have to use air conditioning, heating, or other electrical devices.

Reduce water consumption

A statistic that strikes us repeatedly is that less than 1% of the water on Earth is water that can be consumed. By using less water at the event, you indirectly reduce the use of fossil fuels. To reduce water consumption at your event, do not distribute plastic bottles. Provide locations where guests can pour their water into the bottles they took from home or hand them out at the event.

According to the GBTA, 89 percent of survey respondents identified sustainability as a priority with only 14 percent believing that the industry has made good progress. Reasons include a lack of reliable measurement tools, concrete goals, and the proper budgeting mechanisms, leaving event profs in unknown territory.

In the absence of clear national and international guidance, it is up to the industry to hold itself accountable to its stakeholders. With many promising tools in development, there are a lot of opportunities to achieve the priorities that are now more promises than plans.

Getting there will probably be expensive – at least in the short term – but there are significant dividends for companies that can realize their sustainability commitments. In the long term, decarbonization initiatives may lead to innovations in engagement and connection that ultimately will be easier on corporate travel and meeting budgets.

It’s worth noting, as well, that there are bigger-picture incentives driving sustainability initiatives in the event industry. Will Curran, the founder of Endless Events, uses the analogy of a monkey that, having reached through a small opening to grasp some fruit, can’t remove its clenched fist and becomes trapped. “I think that analogy could be applied to people’s events and needing to reinvent their models. Quite literally, not letting go of the fruit, in this case, air travel and national conferences, might literally kill the planet.”

Lack of Actionable Targets 

The GBTA/Cvent study, The Journey Towards Sustainable Corporate Travel and Meetings Management Programs, found that while more than half of the companies surveyed commonly have organization-wide carbon reduction targets, only 23 percent reported specific business travel targets, with just 9 percent having a target for company-hosted meetings and events.

The lack of actionable targets in meeting and travel programs is a result of a lack of tools for tracking emissions. While 59 percent of travel programs track emissions from flights, only 35 percent said their company tracks or estimates emissions from other transport, with 28 percent reporting that their company tracks or estimates emissions from hotel employee stays.

The event planning community is taking note of this lag between verbal commitments and operational change, and there’s considerable appetite for more concrete action.

Suppliers, buyers, investors, employees, governments, and external stakeholders have all gotten behind net-zero initiatives – and they want more than just intentions.

What’s Holding Up Progress? 

Another GBTA report found that the two most significant blockages to taking action were higher costs (82 percent) and lack of transparent sustainability data (63 percent).

The first problem is relatively straightforward. Where cost is a factor, choosing sustainability will come down to senior executives encouraging budgeting priorities that may cost more in the short term but represent a long-term investment in a company’s brand and reputation for corporate social responsibility. The GBTA/Cvent report finds cause for optimism on this point, noting that more than half of respondents (57 percent) identified senior executives as a force for sustainability and carbon reduction at their company.

The second problem – an industry-wide lack of clarity around how to measure the ecological impact of event travel and attendance – continues to be a significant impediment to implementing concrete strategies and achieving measurable change.

There’s a lack of industry-wide consensus around what measurement tools to use or how to use them. This may be why only 6 percent of respondents indicated that their company was using any framework to evaluate a meeting program’s sustainability score.

The need for reliable data is well recognized, and organizations are working toward creating more frameworks. For example, Net Zero Carbon Events is currently circulating the first draft of its roadmap to achieving net-zero events by 2050. GBTA’s Founding Partners In Sustainability Program has similarly committed to creating a toolkit and other resources to “guide the journey” towards sustainable events.

Another factor impacting sustainability measures is the upheaval caused by the pandemic. Will Curran points out, “Especially when staffs have been cut, sometimes the people who are planning these conferences have never planned an in-person one before —- so they’re picking up that old playbook and copy-pasting it.”

Curran also notes that until very recently, Covid-fuelled uncertainty has inhibited any big moves towards rethinking events from a sustainability perspective. However, he thinks that may change soon. “I do think that people need to be ready to do things differently, and they’re just getting into that comfort zone,” said Curran.

Strong Support For Holding Events at Sustainable Venues

According to the study, the two most requested environmentally-friendly actions are working with sustainable vendors and venues. Preference for energy-efficient accommodations and event venues was cited by 81 percent of respondents, and 78 percent want to use suppliers with recognized sustainability certifications.

“From a planner’s perspective, it’s about finding ways to minimize environmental impact at all stages of the planning process. If you can source a green hotel, organize group travel instead of individual, utilize digital signage onsite, or work with the venue to minimize food waste,” Rachel Andrews, Cvent’s Senior Director of Meetings and Events, says. Carbon measurement tools will be instrumental in “helping organizations paint a clearer picture of their overall event impact – both on their business and the environment.”

However, the study indicates that right now, most companies don’t engage with third-party sustainability initiatives like the Science-Based Target Initiative or the Carbon DIsclosure Project to evaluate their event venues and vendors. And though 70 percent ask at least some sustainability questions in their requests for proposals, only 41 percent say their company gives “some preference” or “a lot of preference” to hotels with green certifications in the RFP process.

Location selection

When choosing a location, we take care of whether the location uses LED lighting, what kind of recycling system they have, whether they use natural materials when doing business, and providing the services we need for that event. In addition to the above, we are also thinking about the geographical location of the event location itself in order to reduce pollution as much as possible if people arrive at the location by car. If possible, we also organize the arrival of the guest to the location in order to exclude private cars from the equation. Guests can have fun without having to worry about having to drive home, and we’ve ensured less air pollution. Definitely a win-win situation, right?

Recycling at events

At the events, we try to make sure that there are various trash cans so that it does not happen that after the event plastic or paper is not separated and recycled. A bin for plastic, paper, or leftover food does not have to be ugly and ruin the look and experience of the event. There are various solutions, from sponsor branding to visuals that will complete the event so that the baskets are clearly marked, but not overly aggressive at the event.

Working with sustainable catering

People quite often don’t think about catering as an area where sustainability can be achieved very well. From sustainable cutlery to special plates that are later recycled, to researching where food comes from. If the catering focuses on local suppliers, it is on our list of suppliers we like to work with.

Goody bags

Every event visitor likes to receive a small gift when he comes to the event. It is in the shell nature. Instead of focusing on a ton of brochures, unnecessary brochures, or tiny branded plastic gifts that will end up in the trash anyway, our choice is sustainable gifts like shopping bags that can be used later for shopping, water bottles that can be reused later or maybe a plant or grain plants that visitors can plant and enjoy. It all depends on the type of event we are doing.

Reducing paper at events

As I already mentioned, we are trying to reduce the number of flyers, brochures, and similar things that visitors throw in the trash anyway. But sometimes this is not possible because of sponsors who want their brochures and leaflets to reach visitors. Of course, it is possible to achieve both. In today’s age of digital marketing and online communication, in the world of mobile applications and the majority of digital addressing to the audience, it is a priority to send such things to visitors or publish them in other ways. For things that have no other option than to be printed, such as participant names, the most sustainable method should always be chosen.

Yes, balloons are hard to think about from a sustainability point of view, especially when it comes to decorations. Balloons are more or less included in every decoration to raise the event and sometimes maybe create that wow effect that everyone eagerly expects.

Are balloons an environmentally-friendly option for decorations? If special attention is paid to the choice of balloons, they can be. If they are made of quality material, if they are handled in the right way AND if they are ultimately disposed of in a proper way – there is no need to worry.

Latex balloons, filled with air or helium (but in this case they must be well sealed if they must be used in this time of helium shortage), recycled in a proper way instead of being thrown into the garbage will not create a problem but only contribute to the decorations at your event.

But what about those balloons that are released into the air?

Researching various sources that deal with this topic, they all agree that this option is not as sustainable as the first one, especially considering that the balloons fly uncontrollably AND will not go down in the trash but end up in the environment where they can cause damage until they completely decompose. Moreover, some states have banned the release of balloons by law.

In a conclusion, we can say that if balloons are handled with care, they can be an excellent addition to the decoration at the event. If you are not sure where they come from and whether you will later recycle them in the right way, there are other options that can be used to decorate your events and achieve the desired wow effect.

Here, we’ll share seven seriously effective ways to lower the carbon footprint of your event.

So, how to create sustainable, green events in a few simple steps

1. Hire the right partners

Many green meeting practices are driven by event planners — things like recyclable name badges and paperless agendas. But hosting a sustainable meeting is largely dependent on working with other sustainability-minded partners.
When you contact potential vendors and partners, ask them about their event sustainability practices.

2. Choose green destinations

The single most impactful choice you can make for a greener event is where you host it.
Today, many cities and counties have a dedicated event sustainability planning department or a climate action plan — and those things make a big difference. In general, that’s a sign that the community is more aware of their environmental impact. Better yet, the city might be running initiatives that will support your sustainability goals.

In fact, some convention and visitors bureaus even give event organizers sustainability information up front or provide full event sustainability-focused packages. For example, you can learn all about Chicago’s green initiatives on Choose Chicago.

3. Keep distance and transportation in mind

How far from the airport is the convention center? How far apart are the convention center and your recommended hotels? The closer together, the shorter the ride to the convention center — which typically means a lower carbon footprint.
Another green option includes public transportation like high-speed rail. If public transit is available between the convention center area and the airport or around the city, that helps!

Finally, consider the walkability of the convention center district. How many hotel rooms are located within walking distance (less than 1 mile) of the convention center? What about restaurants? The more accessible the main venue is to attendees on foot, the lower the environmental impacts.

4. If needed, set up group transportation

If you have to choose a venue that doesn’t meet the above criteria, don’t write off eco-friendly transportation entirely. Set up carpools or shuttle buses so that you can transport more people at once.

5. Look for sustainability certifications

Find out the number of hotel properties within 2 miles of the convention center that hold a 3rd party sustainability certification (such as LEED, APEX/ASTM, Green Key, or Green Leaders). The more options, the better.

6. Remove potential waste from your events

First, make it easy for your attendees to go paperless. Send invitations via email or set up digital ticketing — rather than sending paper invitations or tickets. Use an event app to communicate essential info about the event. Put your agenda online or in the app, too! At the event, don’t hand out plastic water bottles and individually wrapped items to participants. Instead, place glasses and water pitchers in the meeting space.

7. Reduce energy and water consumption at your events

To reduce your energy and water impacts, ask the following questions:

• Do you hold any sustainability certifications?
  Venues that are LEED certified have followed a strict certification program in which the systems and programs throughout building are high efficiency and minimize waste.
• Can you keep the lighting to a minimum during move in and move out?
• Can you keep AC or Heat off during move in and move out when possible?
• Can you implement a power down plan and end of show day? (basically make ask that lights are turned off and that any other AV equipment enters a power saving mode a the close of show day.)

What can you easily influence as an event organizer? To reduce the energy and water use onsite, remember to eliminate bottled water from your event, ask the catering partner to not pre-pour water glasses for banquet events.

8. Streamline waste management at your events

To reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill, ask the following questions:

• Are waste bins clustered in sets of recycling and landfill throughout the facility? If not, ask that they be clustered in that way or that you want clearly marked recycling bins next to every trash can in the center. Check out the GVR Garbage Gallery for images of good waste signage. Or use this nifty link to create your own green event compost, recycling and landfill signage for free!
• What is the average waste diversion for the venue? (this will give you an estimate of how much waste from each show makes it to the landfill and how much is recycled, anything over 50% in the US is pretty great)
• Do you have a list of non-profits or community programs that you work with on a regular basis to donate left over conference materials?

What can you easily influence as an event organizer? To reduce waste going out, reduce what you bring on site. Encourage exhibitors to reduce or eliminate give-a-ways onsite that often end up in the trash. Track what is left over at the end of your events and see what you can do to reduce printed materials, badges lanyards etc. If you can reduce the quantity to produce you can save money and save space in the landfill.

9. Opt for event food & beverage that’s sustainable

To reduce the impacts of food and beverage ask the following:

• Request that condiments (sugar, creamer etc.) are to be served in bulk
• Does the kitchen compost organics? Do you recycle kitchen grease?
• Meatless Monday Menu – to produce a pound of beef it takes 1,799 gallons of water and releases about 22 lbs of carbon.
• What can you easily influence as a green event organizer? Incorporate as much seasonal/local/and organic food offerings as possible, ask if the venue has an onsite garden or local or regional food vendors that can round out your menus. (local or regional can be defined by less than 250 miles)

10. Go green in your event planning

Do you still use a huge binder to keep track of all the details of an event? Save paper (and time!) by using a technology platform for planning purposes! Here’s another detail you might not have considered: Do you need to have planning meetings in person? Virtual meetings are a great alternative for people who aren’t in the same place (you save gas too!).

11. And of course, recycle at your events

We couldn’t leave good old fashioned recycling off the list! In the events world, recycling comes in many forms:

• Donate unused materials: Things like vinyl signs and poster boards could be repurposed. Look for organizations like Repurpose America or your local “hard-to-recycle materials” facility.
• Make it easy for attendees to recycle: Place recycling bins next to trash cans so guests can easily deposit recyclables.
• Choose reusables: Stay away from disposables. For instance, insist on reusable flatware and cloth napkins, or collect plastic name badge holders at the end of the event.