For an event in New York City, Brand PDA served cocktails in coconuts with paper straws to make it more sustainable. Attendees could crack open their own. The coconuts were later composted. Courtesy of Christine Courtney

The business environment has embraced the green movement like never before. Visit an online news site or read a business publication and you would be hard-pressed not to find information on “sustainability” within the corporate world.

But what does sustainability mean from a meeting and events standpoint, especially as it relates to large-scale events? It turns out that more and more companies and their meeting planners are recognizing how large-scale events can impact the environment and they are eager to modify the standard way of orchestrating events in these earth-sensitive times.

Planners are recognizing that for events to thrive in an environmentally conscious economy, they need to adopt smart, safe and sustainable event planning and orchestration methods. Today’s companies taking steps to become more environmentally friendly within the events and meetings arena are incorporating sustainable components, such as green inks for printed materials, locally sourced ingredients, and reusable beverage containers.

In doing so, they often find that the benefits of “green and sustainable events,” especially large-scale gatherings, go far beyond contributing to a healthier planet. They also make for a healthier bottom line.

Christine Courtney is an industry-leading event and experiential expert and was named as one of the “Top 500 Most Influential Event Professionals in North America.” She is a brand marketing consultant specializing in creative strategy and experiential marketing and is the founder of Brand PDA. She offers strategic and creative direction to innovatively tell a brand’s story through live events and activations, immersive installations and high-level strategic partnerships. Throughout her career in the meetings and events industry, she has founded and led award-winning boutique event marketing firms.

For an event in New York City, Brand PDA served cocktails in coconuts with paper straws to make it more sustainable. Attendees could crack open their own. The coconuts were later composted. Courtesy of Christine Courtney

As Courtney points out, sustainability within the meetings and events industry has become a significant focus. As environmental concerns have heightened globally, the awareness an event’s impact can have on the environment has also grown.

Imagine thousands of attendees gathering in a massive convention center in the heart of a major metropolitan city. Within hours, trash receptables are overflowing with discarded water bottles; dozens of cabs idle outside waiting for riders; and the building’s inefficient cooling system is working hard to keep occupants cool. These elements often make attendees and planners of large-scale events cringe.

“Even if the client doesn’t include sustainability in its initial brief, event professionals are incorporating sustainability efforts into the plan to minimize environmental impact,” Courtney says.

JoAnn Reisinger, account manager and event designer at Shumaker stresses that sustainability isn’t just a buzzword, it’s very much top-of-mind for event planners.

“Clients and attendees are increasingly selective when choosing venue partners who have a demonstrable track record of reducing waste and minimizing carbon footprint by seeking out local suppliers,” Reisinger says. “For the production side of the industry, we are very mindful about partnering with local community impact organizations that take decor items and furniture. This way, we can curtail these items from entering landfills and into the hands of people who can continue using them once the job is complete.”

Food and beverage remains one of the biggest sources of waste, where most attention should be paid regarding sustainability, and as Reisinger points out, it is probably the one area of large events that can transform most easily with some dedicated culture shifts.

“Food and beverage is absolutely the largest area for change in the events industry,” Reisinger says. “From biodegradable serviceware to locally sourced food products, these can make a substantial impact on lowering the event industry’s carbon footprint.”

Sustainability Strategies

The sustainability concept is growing not only through increased communication between companies and event venues, but also through heightened awareness of the footprint large-scale company events can leave behind on host sites.

The main sustainability issues and concerns facing large-scale events include energy consumption, waste generation, water usage, transportation emissions and the overall carbon footprint. Convention centers are hiring dedicated sustainability staff members to increase accountability. Whether it’s recycling materials, donating leftover food or purchasing generic items to reuse for multiple events, many event entities are taking steps in a more sustainable direction.

“Large events often require substantial resources and generate significant waste, which can contribute to environmental degradation if not managed properly,” Courtney says.

There are a myriad of things planners can do to offset any impact on the environment as a result of large-scale events. As Courtney points out, these include:

• Planning ahead with modular signage and branded decor items that can be maintained and re-used in future events.
• Choosing eco-friendly venues that prioritize sustainability practices: energy-efficient lighting, water conservation measures, waste reduction initiatives, in-house digital signage options, on-site catering space.
• Encouraging sustainable transportation options for attendees: public transit, carpooling and shuttle services powered by clean energy.
• Implementing digital alternatives to printed materials to reduce usage of paper or other materials: event apps, wayfinding signage on tablets, posting attendee communications (agenda, schedule updates, etc.) online or via group SMS.
• Incorporating sustainable food and beverage options to minimize the carbon footprint associated with catering: locally sourced and organic ingredients, sustainable seafood, biodegradable tableware and minimal catering staff branding items.
• Partnering with vendors who prioritize sustainability in their operations.
• Implementing waste reduction and recycling programs to minimize the amount of waste sent to landfills.
• Incorporating virtual attendance options for participants who may not be able to travel to the event to reduce the need for carbon-intensive transportation.

Some of the non-negotiables that Courtney incorporates in the production of events that she handles include:

• No plastic straws, utensils or single-use cups.
• Venue must have a robust recycling program in place, or be willing to implement one for the event.
• Caterers must have a post-event plan for leftover food or be willing to partner with a local partner so leftovers are safely provided to food-insecure locals.
• Non-digital signage and decor to be created with recycled and/or recyclable materials.
• Create a plan to repurpose large-scale step-and-repeats, banners and other signage/decor post-event.

“One of my favorite sustainable-focused events is when we repurposed bigger-than-enormous IPO launch signage into tote bags and gifted them to stakeholders, executives and influencers,” Courtney says.

When possible, offer or incentivize eco-friendly transportation options: electric-powered shuttles, person-powered pedicabs, pop-up bicycle parking with free food or drink coupons for participants.

“For event production companies that specialize in lighting, converting all fixtures from incandescent to LED is a smart option when considering power usage and the environmental impact,” Reisinger says. “This simple change can help make a large impact.”

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SFG Productions is committed to advancing sustainability in the events industry. They have implemented a variety of innovative practices to ensure events are environmentally friendly while maintaining high standards of attendee experience.

Sean Gannet, founder and CEO of SFG Productions, says the use of biodegradable and recyclable materials in event setups is increasingly popular, as are the techniques for minimizing waste, including digital ticketing and reusable signage.

Gannet and his team at SFG recommend event planners “don’t fly, feed and house your global audience.” Instead, create effective hybrid events or smaller regional events that limit travel emissions and food waste.

“Determine if it is truly necessary to have everyone in the room or if a remote experience can be beneficial,” Gannet says. “And a remote experience does not mean simply throwing a camera in a room and broadcasting — it must be well programmed and coordinated for impact and engagement.”

Also consider making the large-scale event vegetarian, or at least one meal a day vegetarian. “We have good examples from The Carbonauts about how much less carbon a bean taco is than a steak taco — or just eliminate the red meat from your menu,” Gannet suggests.

Also, don’t focus on swag with zero staying power. Lanyards and plastic pens get lost on the way home and will not help a company or organization stand out in the minds of attendees. Shift that focus and those dollars to stand-out alternatives. Perhaps provide links for attendees to plant a tree in their name at a nature conservancy or maybe provide company-branded seed packets for them to start at-home vegetable gardens.

“Use centerpieces that can be repurposed or reused, digital programs and menus instead of printing, and setup compost/recycling/food waste stations so all can be repurposed instead of going into landfills,” says January Asbury, controller at DeSilva Meeting Consultants.

“We have had local nonprofits create centerpieces for tables that showcase the work they do, from small native trees that will be planted after the event or plastics/objects found on beach cleanups created into colorful displays.”

Other sustainability techniques for large-scale events include:

• Identifying and selecting venues that promote sustainability through the use of wind or solar power, or geothermal power for water heating and electricity; water-saving showerheads in hotel rooms; key-activated in-room electricity that shuts off when the room is empty; the use of natural pest control; full-spectrum LED lighting and plenty of oxygen-releasing plants. Of course, in certain areas of the country, such as Arizona and California, “green” is much more of a standard, as opposed to an exception. The majority of properties in the Southwest and West Coast understand the value, responsibility and profitability of going green and boast these efforts to capture meeting planners’ attention.
• Encouraging transportation sharing to/from the airport or train station. A meeting planner can set up a web page where event attendees can locate others who may be arriving at the same time to the destination city. For executives that are flying in, planners can also coordinate airport pickups to maximize vehicle occupancy.
• Incorporating reusable ceramic cups, organic and Fair Trade coffee and tea, and pitchers of filtered tap water and reusable glasses instead of water bottles. Fair Trade certification guarantees that the harvesters and processors were paid a living wage and that child slavery was not involved.
• Embracing green menu options by offering organic and locally sources food choices. Replace sodas and junk foods with healthy snacks like fruits, nuts, vegetable sticks and whole-grain treats.
• Incorporating the outdoors into scheduling. With large-scale events, dealing with the number of attendees can be challenging when trying to schedule outdoor activities, but planners can select venues that offer walking trails and carve time into the schedule for attendees to get outdoors. Even spending a half an hour of outside time a day may prove to beneficial to attendees who are sitting for hours in conference rooms and roaming event centers. Planners can also offer the options of local walking tours, to help attendees get out and explore the locale.
• Reducing paper usage is another sustainability initiative that more and more planners are embracing. Thanks in part to the digital lifeline that attendees have via mobile devices, today’s planners are now able to provide registration materials, speaker bios, itineraries and travel information digitally. When paper is needed, planners should use recycled paper and eco-friendly inks.
• Many planners are incorporating more community service components in events. And even though some planners of large-scale events may shy away from the idea of offering the opportunity to give back to others when they are dealing with thousands of attendees, others are eager to offer the option to those interested. A morning or afternoon of compiling bags of necessities for needy individuals, picking up trash from local parks, or serving food at a homeless shelter, can offer opportunities for attendees to engage with and give back to the host community.

The efforts surrounding sustainability at large-scale events should be shared with others. Meeting planners should communicate about the sustainability efforts that are being incorporated at the event.

Many attendees are eager to do their part and feel good about attending a large-scale event that is having less of an impact than other events they may have attended in the past. Perhaps provide resources to attendees about the event’s sustainability initiatives and how attendees can raise awareness of the impact large-scale events can have on the environment and encourage environmentally friendly behavior among fellow attendees.

The Green Horizon

Looking ahead, Courtney believes the focus on sustainability will intensify as the industry innovates and grows, not only to lean into a planner’s own eco-friendly values, but to also meet expectations of event attendees and stakeholders.

“I welcome regulatory requirements becoming more rigorous to help all in the industry include more sustainability practices in their event planning processes,” Courtney says.

Collaboration throughout the industry is expected to help drive growth in sustainability efforts, as other industry experts can help meeting planners determine how to make their events more environmentally friendly. It’s a question that every meeting planner should be asking in their planning process for both large- and small-scale events. Doing so is not only good for the planet, but also resonates well with attendees who welcome the opportunity to be sustainable whenever possible.

Reisinger adds that the meetings and events industry is already seeing the seismic shifts across events of all sizes, but there’s more work to be done. Going green must first be a philosophical shift in a business culture — not just a way to save money or appear forward thinking.

“If a planner is very clear about why sustainability is a critical part of winning a piece of business,” she says, “suppliers will follow suit.” I&FMM