Devin Cleary is the V.P. of Global Events at Bizzabo, the world’s fastest-growing event technology platform for hybrid, virtual and in-person events. Cleary is a passionate, results-driven event producer and marketing executive with experience leading the creation and active management of diverse experiential marketing programs for B2B, nonprofit and consumer markets. He was recognized as one of Connect Association’s “40 under 40” leaders in 2021. He was also featured in Event Marketer’s 2017 “B2B Dream Team” and BostInno’s “50 on Fire.”

Sustainability in business is no longer an option; it’s an expectation. A recent global report found that 88% of consumers consider ethical and sustainable practices key when making purchases. Additionally, more than half of corporate social responsibility decision makers think companies failing to act on sustainability initiatives won’t survive the next decade.

Yet, as sustainability expectations increase, demand is growing for a return to in-person events. In-person and hybrid events conducted on Bizzabo’s Event Experience OS increased 255% between Q4 2021 and Q2 2022, while the volume of virtual events remained the same, according to aggregated data. In-person and hybrid events must accommodate shifting consumer and business priorities, including sustainability expectations.

In designing for a new era of in-person events, you can, and should, build sustainability into your event strategy to future-proof your event experiences.

How sustainable is the events industry?

While event experience leaders are increasingly planning with sustainability in mind, the industry still has work to do. Consider this sobering finding: The yearly carbon footprint for the global events industry equals the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the entire U.S. That’s roughly 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Attendee, speaker and sponsor flights to and from a venue contribute to 70% of an event’s carbon footprint. An average three-day event with 1,000 attendees generates 12,500 pounds of total waste, 7,672 pounds of landfill waste and 530 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Even seemingly minor event details contribute to waste, such as printed materials, hotel room energy consumption, cab rides and swag.

While this doesn’t address every contributor to an event’s carbon footprint, it’s a reminder of the interconnectedness of each event experience decision with broader environmental concerns. Don’t let that notion paralyze your efforts toward more robust sustainability. Instead, let’s look at industry efforts to standardize sustainable choices.

Embracing sustainable event management as a strategy

Sustainable event management includes a collection of tools, processes and practices event experience leaders can leverage to minimize an event’s impact while still providing attendees with an engaging experience. A sustainable approach helps protect the environment while reducing event expenses and delighting environmentally conscious attendees, vendors and staff.

When event organizers embrace sustainable event management, they follow these common best practices:

• Working with venues and vendors with third-party sustainability certifications, e.g., LEED, APEX/ASTM, Green Key and GREENleaders
• Prioritizing biodegradable containers or reusable items for food service
• Offering attendees public transportation options to reduce CO2 emissions
• Incorporating hybrid and virtual elements, and standalone events, to reduce the overall carbon footprint

The Events Industry Council, guided by the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, has established four principles intended to help all event experience leaders take “action toward preserving our natural environment; promoting a healthy, inclusive society; and supporting a thriving economy.”

In the first principle, event organizers and suppliers share responsibility for implementing and communicating sustainable practices to their stakeholders​. The second principle addresses basic environmental practices, including waste management, carbon emissions reductions and management and biodiversity preservation.

The third principle includes a range of social considerations, such as universal human rights, respect for diverse cultures and community impacts.

Finally, the fourth pillar champions the ability of sustainable events to support thriving economic practices through collaboration and partnerships, stakeholder participation and responsible governance.

The council offers sustainability certification for all stakeholders in the events industry — from event organizers and accommodations, to venues, destinations, F&B, A/V and production and exhibition spaces — with detailed requirements to help organizations pursue sustainable practices.

Sustainable event experience tactics to start your journey

The goal of sustainability may feel out of reach when you’re facing the lofty ideals of a long-term sustainability program. If you’re ready to start, consider these sustainability tactics:

Create a sustainability policy — Outline your sustainability goals and motivations, and identify the steps needed to reach your goals. Also, determine milestones and how you will measure progress. Events Industry Council standards can help you strategize.

Create satellite events — Instead of holding one major annual event, host multiple regional micro-events to limit travel. Or, opt for a multi-hub approach, with groups of in-person meetings connected by virtual components. Multiple hubs connecting one event decrease air travel requirements and lower an event’s carbon footprint, while still maintaining a robust connection and a large audience.

Embrace hybrid and virtual event options — Rather than asking all attendees to physically attend your events, consider inviting only VIPs to attend in-person, and offering a virtual option for everyone else. If a conference with 5,000 attendees used this approach, organizers could reduce its event footprint by 98%.

Use sustainable materials — Use sustainable, recyclable and compostable materials. Even minor changes such as tree-free paper and bamboo plates can make a big difference, particularly when compounded over many events.

Donate extra food to people in need — In lieu of tossing uneaten food, partner with food pantries or soup kitchens to donate the excess food.

Find sustainable vendors — Now that you’ve learned about some of the sustainability certification programs available, seek out certified vendors or those working toward certifications.

Choose sustainable venues — Working with a venue already invested in sustainable practices reduces event footprints further and eases the burden for event experience leaders. In addition to other certification standards available for venues, the International Association of Conference Centers issues GreenStar certification to centers worldwide.

Emphasize green transportation options — Partner with rideshare apps and public transit options to help attendees avoid cabs and other single-rider options during the event. This tactic ensures attendees’ travel between their hotels and the event is environmentally efficient.

Building a more sustainable future, one event at a time

Explorer Robert Swan put it best when he said, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

Every step the events industry takes to become more sustainable is another step toward a greener event and a healthier environment. Sustainability, in this light, isn’t a challenge as much as an opportunity: to act on your organization’s principles, to show attendees your commitment to addressing environmental issues, and to encourage others to get involved. C&IT