Sustainability in Event Management: Promoting Environmentally Friendly Practices

Organizing major events have a significant impact on the environment due to the waste generated, energy consumption, and noise. Using fossil-fuel-powered vehicles for commuting to the venue also impacts the environment, not visibly but by producing carbon dioxide. Therefore, sustainability in event management has emerged as the new trend in the industry.

Suppose you are in the event management industry and want to organize an eco-friendly event. It requires extensive planning from the ground up. Modern society would highly appreciate massive events that do not leave much impact on the environment. Sustainability in event management equips event organizers with practices to host environmentally friendly events. That will allow event attendees to have a pleasant and unique experience.

What is sustainability in event management?

It includes a set of practices and processes that help event organizers to host environmentally friendly events. For instance, arranging transportation facilities to the venue, so the event attendees would not utilize their vehicles to commute to the venue. That will significantly reduce carbon emissions, or hosting a food festival that serves food in biodegradable containers so that waste generated does not get sent to a landfill.

This article explores how to promote environmentally friendly practices while hosting an event.

1. Choose the right vendors 

The event hosts follow many practices to make the event more environmentally friendly- for instance, recyclable materials. But the success of the event depends on partnering with appropriate vendors. For example, if the vendors you have partnered with do not follow any eco-friendly practices and have the waste sent to landfills. That can potentially damage your reputation as an event organizer.

Therefore, while selecting the vendors to organize the event, you have to ensure that they follow eco-friendly methods. Partnering with the right and like-minded vendors ensures following eco-friendly practices. 

2. Take advantage of technology while organizing an event 

Over the years, technology has advanced manifold. It has managed to integrate into our daily lives, and it seems we cannot live without technology. Leveraging technology can assist in reducing the environmental impact and make the event more environmentally friendly. For instance, you can email a digital copy of the entry pass to reduce paper usage.

To further reduce the environmental impact, you can harness the potential of event scheduling software like Picktime. The booking page or widget of the software is very customizable and easy to integrate into any website or social media platform like Facebook, Instagram. The attendees can log onto the website and enter the relevant information to confirm whether or not they attend the event.

The software sends automated reminders over email or SMS. That informs the attendees about the event. They can report in a few steps if they cannot attend the event because of any unforeseen circumstances. 

The software also allows you to create a secure attendee information database. You can store the information about the attendees while ensuring their privacy.

The potential of the software is not merely limited to organizing the event. As an event planner, you have to coordinate with your clients and vendors. The calendar feature of the software gives you a detailed overview of your daily schedule. So you can organize your day to complete multiple tasks, be on time for the meeting with clients and vendors, and improve your time management skills.

The reminder feature informs the clients and vendors about the meeting. So they will be ready. You can also incorporate popular video-conferencing platforms like Google Meet or Zoom to host virtual meetings with your clients and vendors. 

The potential clients can schedule a meeting from the website 24/7, removing the need to contact you directly by email or phone, i.e., if you have embedded the software into your website. Furthermore, you can create a secure database of your client information to safeguard privacy.

3. Select the appropriate venue for the event 

Choosing a green location is one of the essential aspects of organizing a green event. These days, many countries and cities have dedicated planning for sustainability to combat climate change. The initiative by the government bodies has imparted awareness about preserving the environment among the people. Therefore, while selecting the location for hosting the event, you have to confirm the site is greener and has installed measures to safeguard the environment. That will show a positive message to the attendees or maybe encourage them to be more environmentally conscious. 

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4. Pick a destination that is easily accessible 

When determining a location to host an event, you have to consider a few things. For instance, how far is the nearest airport from the venue, or are hotels nearby for guests to stay? If the place where the guests stay is far from the venue, that can hurt the environment. You will likely wonder how. The commute to the destination by the fossil- fuel-powered vehicles will damage the environment, not visibly but by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

If the attendees can access the venue and any other facilities within a walkable distance, that will considerably reduce the environmental impact. Otherwise, you can consider arranging green transportation facilities or relying on public transportation. Taking these measures will assist you in ensuring sustainability in event management. 

5. Vehicle pooling  

As an event planner, you may not always find the ideal venue, so that should not disappoint you. You can still figure out ways to reduce the environmental impact. Suppose the destination is a little far away. You can arrange group transportation to the location, which will help to lessen the environmental impact.

You will likely wonder how. If the guests utilize their vehicles to commute to the location, that would release significant carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With vehicle pooling, you can ensure that the guests reach their destination on time without much impact on the environment.

To sum up, there has been significant damage to the environment due to human intervention. Therefore, preserving the environment is essential, and the importance of sustainability in event management. Sustainable practices ensure that significant events do not produce much waste that goes to landfills and preserve the environment.