Making your business event ‘green’ is much simpler than you might think! Whether you’re planning your annual conference, a marketing event or a new product launch, there’re some excellent ways to make your event eco-friendly. Let us know what you think and drop us an email!
Here are 8 simple ways to help your next business event be more eco-friendly.
1. Make sustainability the focus right from the start
Making an event eco-friendly is far easier for all involved if sustainability is considered right at the start of planning. Attempting to create an eco-friendly event at the last minute can lead to all sorts of complications and missed opportunities.
Instead, during the planning stage, try to generate as many sustainability ideas as possible. This could include the location of the event, the transport options by which people can arrive and your local waste management mandates.
Factoring in all the possible environmental effects tied to your event will help your team generate as many ideas as possible.
2. Hire the right partners
When you prepare for sustainability right at the start of planning, it opens the door for suitable partners. As well as your own eco-friendly measures for the event, working with environmentally conscious partners can also further the sustainability of your event.
Your event will then be full of like-minded and equally eco-driven people and businesses to network with.
3. Choose an eco-friendly destination
Many of you may not have the ability to choose the location of your event. For those who do however, you could pick a ‘green’ location to further drive the sustainability of the event. The location of your event could be one of the most impactful decisions you make.
This list of Best Green Venues from the Global Good Awards is an excellent place to start when looking at possible locations. If for now you’re just looking for the best sustainable city for your event, check out ICLEI. Members of ICLEI are committed local and regional governments who are actively working to improve their sustainability.
4. Digital invites
Rather than sending out packs of invites accompanied by leaflets, guides and general information, try sending e-invites and limit the number of printed versions.
You can use the super useful website Eventbrite to promote and manage your event. Eventbrite allows you to start an event page. Here you can create invites, send them out and manage responses, all from one platform.
Guests can receive their tickets to your event via the app or email and then have their invites scanned upon entry using QR technology – cutting down on paper waste.
5. Consider transport and distance
Your eco-friendly event will come under a lot of scrutiny if your guests need to travel far to attend. It’s important to consider where the majority of your guests are coming from, how best they will arrive and by what method of transport.
Consider how far the venue is from the nearest train station and how close the venue is to local hotels. The more organised you are logistically, the lower the carbon footprint of all your guests.
6. Don’t overfeed your guests
Food waste is a common issue for most business events. Organisers usually overestimate the amount of food required for fear of running short during the event.
Food waste from business events makes up a considerable percentage of global food waste.
You can avoid wasting food at your event by accurately estimating the amount of food required for the confirmed attendees, the timing of activities or breaks and by establishing dietary requirements before the event.
If you ensure that the unconsumed food has been properly handled, you could salvage it and donate to a food programme for homeless people.
Plant-based food and drink are all the rage these days and the United Nations says that switching to a plant-based diet can help fight climate change – so why not consider providing a plant-based menu for your event?
7. Encourage fewer materials
If you want to help reduce the number of waste materials at your event, you could offer any materials via email. Send it all out the day before the event starts and request that everyone should bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone to view the information.
Incorporate environmentally friendly marketing products that use recycled or biodegradable materials. If you do print guides and information items, consider reducing the weight of the paper to reduce paper pulp and transport. You could also encourage attendees to swap digital details.
8. Reduce energy
Some venues hold energy efficiency certifications such as LEED. This ensures the venue follows a strict programme where they only use equipment and systems throughout the building that are highly efficient and minimal on waste.
Hotels that are proactive with their sustainability can be found on the TripAdvisor GreenLeaders list. These hotels have committed to eco-friendly procedures and systems. The higher their rating, the more green practices and initiatives they have in place.
During your event, if inside, be conscious about your energy consumption and keep it to a minimum by switching electrical items or the heating off when not required. You could also implement a power-down plan at the end of each day, to ensure everything is switched off or moved into power-saving mode.
If your event is outside, consider using renewable energy to power it. Solar is a great way to provide all your electricity requirements for the event.
Here at MAD Ideas we’re experts in creating eco-friendly materials for business events and launches, including backdrops, brochures, cards, give-aways, invites, leaflets and pop-up banners, so give us a call on 01293 773085 and we’ll help to get you and your event noticed!