Going green in the event industry!

The environment is beginning to be at the heart of business main concern; because their activities impact the environment. According to the Agency of the environment (ADEME), 80% of companies are concerned with the management of the energy and the protection of the environment. Event planners are more and more developing corporate social responsibility which has recently exploded in importance. The CRS refers to “companies taking responsibility for their impact on society. As evidence suggests, CSR is increasingly important to the competitiveness of enterprises. It can bring benefits in terms of risk management, cost savings, access to capital, customer relationships, human resource management, and innovation capacity” (European Commission definition).

So why go green? Here are several reasons why you should consider eco-friendly solutions for your events. First of all, it is important to answer customer expectations as sustainability start to be the norm during events. In addition, there are lots of participants coming for larger events so green concerns are a must because inevitably many of them will care about environmental and sustainability issues. It provides a positive brand image currently to develop some eco-friendly tools during all the event process, from the planning to the after event management. Moreover, the fact to go green will allow both the re-use certain materials and recycle some of them. But also to avoid wasting goods excessively and therefore to reduce events footprint. Furthermore, most of organizational and promotional tools for green events use online channels, such as email, social media and other electronic marketing tools which allow minimizing the waste of papers and consequently reducing the cost of your marketing campaign.

Indeed, it is important to properly manage the resources consumed directly during the occurrence of the event such as electricity, water, food, etc. As well as the resources consumed indirectly, such as the energy and CO2 related to transportation for the event,  the waste created by the event, and broader issues such as the dishes, equipment, and paper that is used.

What event companies can develop to design a sustainable event? Here below we will give you some tips to socially engage your business in the green responsibility when you attend an event.

Create a real green community: By encouraging your employees to carpool or share cabs when they have to travel. Doing good work in the community will inspire your co-workers, but it’s also a great way to network.

Eliminate printed material: It’s really important to going paperless and start providing more information digitally. With the rise of technology, smartphone apps, social media, etc you will be able to provide efficient up to date to your attendees.

Buy local: Nowadays with internet is very easy to look and find opportunities to buy or rent components of your exhibit in the city at your destination. You will save money on transportation costs, and have a good impact on the carbon footprint.

Use smart components: You can use components which meet environmental standards. For example the label Energy Star was created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Pay attention and replace components that use too much energy (monitors, lighting, appliance)

Elsa Yenigotchian & Eve Dellinger

Sources:
http://www.bizbash.com/why-socially-conscious-meetings-are-a-growing-trend/new-york/story/29077#.VTpCpZNcpuo

http://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/green-event-how-to.pdf

http://www.bizbash.com/11-ways-to-make-trade-show-exhibits-sustainable/new-york/story/28378#.VTpCi5Ncpuo

Photos: Free digital photos 
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v9KLp4A2zU