Depending on their scale, corporate events can generate a surprising amount of waste. From printed materials and leftover food to disposable items and transportation, everything adds up. This does not mean that event organisers need to make things complicated, compromise the attendee experience or spend more money to make their events sustainable. In many cases, making small changes to the way an event is planned and delivered can make a real difference.
If you want to plan a more sustainable corporate event but don’t know where to start, look no further! In this guide, we will look at some simple and practical ways businesses can make corporate events more sustainable, without making it a hassle.
What Is Sustainable Event Management?
Sustainable event management is all about minimising the environmental impact of an event by designing it to use fewer resources and generate less waste. It requires accounting for the carbon footprint of the event, from the early planning stages through to the end of the event.
With that said, realising the environmental impact of an event is only the starting point. The main step is to set clear, measurable sustainability goals that guide decisions throughout the planning process. So, let’s understand how you can set sustainability goals for your corporate event.
How to Set Sustainability Goals for Your Corporate Event
Use this five-step process to set sustainability goals for your corporate event:
Step 1: Identify the main areas of impact
Before you can set measurable goals, you need to start with the areas where your event is likely to have the most environmental impact, with regards to emissions, resource use and waste generated. For most corporate events, these will include:
- Temporary structures, furniture and equipment
- Printed materials
- Event branding
- Packaging and general waste
- Catering and food waste
- Travel and transportation
- Energy consumption at the venue
Don’t try to improve everything at once. Focus on the areas where a change is both achievable and likely to make a meaningful difference.
Step 2: Establish a baseline to measure the impact
You need a baseline to measure improvement. Use data from your previous events wherever available, or make estimates during the planning stage. Here are some numbers worth measuring:
- Quantity of printed materials produced
- Number of single-use items used
- Amount of food ordered vs leftover
- Volume or weight of waste generated
- Number of attendees and their expected mode of travel/transport
- Estimated energy usage
- Estimated carbon emissions
Step 3: Turn priorities into SMART targets
Replace broad statements such as “reducing waste” with targets that specify the desired outcome. For example, instead of trying to reduce the event’s use of printed materials, set a measurable target such as “reducing the use of printed materials by 50% compared to the previous event.”
Other examples include:
- Catering: Reduce food waste per attendee by 30% compared to the previous event.
- Waste: Divert at least 70% of event waste from landfill.
- Materials: Reuse at least 80% of signage and event display materials for future events.
- Travel: Have at least 60% of attendees travel using public transport, shared transport or other more sustainable transport options.
- Single-use items: Eliminate single-use plastic water bottles across the event.
Step 4: Assign ownership
Sustainability shouldn’t be the responsibility of the event manager alone. Assign each goal to the person or group that’s best placed to deliver it. For example, the catering team can track food waste, the marketing team can keep an eye on the use of printed materials, and the venue can report on waste and recycling. Make these responsibilities clear from the start and include them in the briefs or contracts where necessary, so everyone knows what needs to be done and how the set goals will be measured.
Step 5: Measure and report
Record the results against your set targets and identify what worked, what didn’t and what needs to change in the future events. For example, if your target was to reduce printed materials by 50%, but you could only achieve a 30% reduction, try to find out why. That insight can help make better decisions when you are planning the next event.
How to Make Your Corporate Event More Sustainable
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Choose the right venue
Look for venues that follow sustainable practices
When comparing venues, inquire whether they have policies around sustainability and learn about the measures they already have in place. Look for sustainability practices like use of renewable energy, energy efficient lighting, water-efficient systems and waste recycling. It is also worth asking how the venue manages food waste and what happens to waste after an event. These questions can help you choose a venue that already supports the type of event you want to run.
Consider the Venue’s Location
Consider how far attendees will need to travel and what transport options are available nearby. A venue that is easy to reach by train, bus or other forms of public transport can make it easier for people to leave their cars at home and reduce the overall environmental impact of your event.
2. Reducing waste
Reduce the use of single-use materials
The amount of food containers, cups, printed schedules, disposable signage and promotional materials used can quickly add up and increase the environmental cost, particularly at larger events. Minimise the use of such items wherever possible and try to replace them with reusable alternatives. Reusable cups, water bottles, signage and display materials can be used at future events rather than being thrown away.
Minimise printing wherever possible
Invitations, registration details, programme details, schedule, and venue maps can usually be shared digitally through email, shared on the event website or made available through the event app. However, this does not mean you should remove printed materials completely. The aim is to simply minimise the use of printed materials as far as possible.
Minimise food waste
Let your caterer know about the estimated number of attendees and how many meal breaks you have planned in the programme. These details can help them prepare an appropriate amount and help minimise food waste.
Have a clear waste management plan
Place clearly labelled bins in the right locations and make sure they are easy to find. It is also worth speaking to the venue and suppliers about what happens to waste once it has been collected. Find out which materials can be recycled and how food waste is handled.
3. Make better catering choices
Choose local and seasonal ingredients
Ask your caterer to prioritise locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, wherever possible. This can help reduce the environmental impact associated with transporting food.
Offer More Plant-based Options
Providing vegetarian and plant-based options in the menu is a simple way to serve your guests more sustainable food options.
Find ways to manage food waste
Even the most well-planned catering could have leftovers, so it is worth discussing food waste management with your caterer before the event. Ask whether surplus food can be donated, redistributed or handled through an appropriate food waste management scheme.
4. Sustainable Event Materials and Branding
Reuse Signage and Displays
Try to make use of reusable banners, displays and signage wherever possible. This can reduce both waste and the need to order new materials each time. It can also save money over time when used in multiple events, which not only makes it a practical choice, but also a more sustainable one.
Choose Sustainable Materials
When you are procuring new materials, consider what they are made from and how you will handle them after the event is over. Opt for recycled, recyclable or reusable materials over single-use alternatives, especially for signage, name badges, and printed materials. It is worth discussing these options with your suppliers in advance.
Rethink Event Giveaways
Before ordering hundreds of branded items for giveaways, consider whether people are actually likely to use them after the event, or would they end up in a drawer or bin. You may also choose to donate the money you would have spent on promotional items to a suitable environmental or community initiative instead.
5. Reducing the Impact for Travel and Transportation
Minimise the need for travel
Not every speaker or attendee needs to travel to the venue. For some events, it’s best to allow speakers and attendees to join remotely. This can reduce unnecessary travel, while still letting them participate in the programme. With that said, a hybrid event needs to be planned properly, so that remote participants feel just as much a part of the event as those who are attending in-person.
Encourage Public and Shared Transport
Travel and transportation contributes to an event’s environmental impact, especially when attendees are travelling from different cities or countries. This is why it helps to encourage public and shared transport, wherever possible.
Include information about nearby train stations, bus routes and other public transport options in the information sent to the attendees. In other cases, arranging shared transport options can be a useful alternative to everyone travelling separately on their own. Organisers could arrange shuttle buses between a central location and the venue, or encourage attendees to share cars, wherever appropriate.
Choose Venue Location and Suppliers Appropriately
A venue that is convenient not just for your audience but also your suppliers to reach can be a practical choice. If staging, catering, equipment and other materials need to travel long distances to reach the venue, it adds to the transportation cost required in delivering the event. You could also choose local suppliers, wherever possible, to help further reduce some of the environmental impact associated with transportation.
6. Using Event Technology
Going Digital
Using technology can help minimise the need for many physical materials commonly used at an event. Digital registration, event apps, online programmes and electronic tickets can replace printed forms, schedules and large quantities of printed paper. You could also use digital displays instead of printing and updating signage at the venue manually.
Collect Event Data to Estimate Attendance
Analysing registration data in advance can give a clearer idea of how many people are expected to attend the event. This can help with making decisions about catering, accommodation, staffing and equipment, so your team doesn’t end up preparing for more than what is needed for the event to go smoothly.
7. Working With Sustainable Suppliers
Ask Suppliers About Their Environmental Practices
Ask caterers and other suppliers how they source materials, manage waste and transport equipment before making your choice.
Choose Suppliers That Can Reuse Equipment
Wherever possible, work with suppliers that use reusable items, which can help reduce waste and the need for new materials.
8. Include Attendees in Your Sustainability Efforts
Communicate Your Sustainability Efforts
If you have made sustainable choices for your event, let attendees know about them. A short note in the event app, on signage or in the event information can help explain why you made certain choices, such as using reusable materials at the event or sourcing food locally, and may encourage them to make similar choices themselves.
Make it Easy to Make Sustainable Choices
It is much easier for attendees to make sustainable choices when the practical arrangements for it are already in place. For example, having clearly marked dustbins, water refill stations and easy to find public transport information can all be very helpful.
Common Sustainable Event Management Mistakes to Avoid
1. Treating sustainability as an afterthought
Consider sustainability from the start, rather than trying to make last minute changes.
2. Choosing sustainable options without checking their practicality
Make sure the sustainable options you choose are practical and suitable for your event.
3. Focusing on one area while ignoring the rest of the event
Consider every part of the event rather than focusing on just one area.
4. Ignoring what happens after the event
Plan what will happen to leftover food, materials and equipment once the event is over.
Final Thoughts
At Purple Patch, we help organisations plan and deliver corporate events with sustainability in mind. If you are looking to make your next corporate event more sustainable, our team of seasoned event planners can help you make practical choices around venues, suppliers, catering, materials and event delivery. To learn more about our services, get in touch with us today!
