Overcoming the challenges of creating sustainable events
The world of sustainable events can be a minefield for event planners. In this blog we explore some of the common challenges in sustainable event planning such as.
- Finding credible and reliable partners
- Creating sustainable events whilst maximising budgets
- Creating tangible impact to avoid greenwashing
Introduction
The word ‘sustainability’ is fast becoming a non-negotiable in event planning and marketing however, it is also something that needs to be approached with the right knowledge and delivery partners to ensure credibility and real environmental and social impact. Having attended the Event Industry News Sustainable Event Guide Breakfast Briefing this week, here are some of our top tips to help you plan your sustainable event.
Finding credible and reliable event partners
Event organisers can’t do everything alone and when planning the sustainable aspects of their events must find the right partners and support networks to make sure that their events stand up to ‘sustainability scrutiny’ and are impactful for attendees and sponsors alike.
Event planners can utilise sustainable event partners such as AGF, ISLA and Planet Mark to assist in this process. Through the network of organisations associated with sustainable events groups like these, event organisers can find truly sustainable partners in event tech, event agencies and event delivery they can trust.
Creating sustainable events whilst maximising budgets
Tightening budgets is something that we are contending with which can make choosing sustainable suppliers, partners, and materials even more challenging. We are not yet at the stage where the sustainability credentials of suppliers are an essential part of doing business and so these options are often more expensive and harder to source. Event planners are often getting push back when they present the more sustainable offering that is perceived still as ‘non-essential’.
When you find the right partners to work with, contracting over multiple events can often deliver economies of scale and bring the price of sustainable options such as carbon footprints, zero waste streams and sustainable food and travel into budgets that work. This has the added benefit for event planners of creating mutually beneficial long-term partnerships with leading sustainable event delivery partners to deliver tangible engagement and impact for attendees.
You can also consider presenting the potential risks to brand perception and media critique, if consumables, set up and waste are scrimped on and come from single-use or non-environmentally friendly sources.
Creating tangible impact to avoid greenwashing
Greenwashing is a phrase that we have all become very wary of in the world of sustainability. More and more companies are being hauled over the ‘media coals’ for making environmental claims that don’t stand up when placed under scrutiny.
So, when planning the sustainability aspects of your events, knowing clearly what you want to achieve and communicate is key. Are you looking at the carbon impact of the event itself and the travel of your attendees to get there? Perhaps you are more interested in the ethical sourcing of the set-up, event services and food suppliers?
Once you are clear as the event planner, you can then place your key environmental objectives at the centre of your supplier sourcing and codes of conduct to make sure that the event organisations you choose to partner with are credible and have proven impact in their space. At Noodle we have found that the sooner you start to think about this, the better to allow you to build this into every aspect of your event from marketing, to delivery to attendee engagement.
Conclusion
And we are only scratching the surface of what is proving to be a complex ecosystem of sustainable event delivery. At Noodle, we are partnered with Planet Mark as one of the leading environmental and social impact organisations in Europe. By working with them, we can ensure that the sustainable event technology and services we offer are aligned with best practice and evaluated to deliver real environmental impact that our clients can trust.
Planning a sustainable event? Reach out and talk to us to find out how we can help.