With an ever increasing focus on being ‘green’ and environmentally friendly, demonstrating a sense of social responsibility at your corporate event is key. With companies doing their bit to stay sustainable and minimise their carbon footprint, it’s becoming more and more important to ensure your working environment is as eco-friendly as possible.
How can you carry this across, though, if you’re planning an event outside of your workplace? We’ve compiled this list of top tips for planning a green event:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
It’s a simple concept, but can make a huge difference.
- Provide recycling bins for your delegates to put any waste paper and plastic bottles etc. and point these out at the beginning of the event.
- Where possible, reduce the amount of paper you’re using. Do you really need to provide print outs when people can view resources on their laptops via a shared doc or on a projector screen?
- Consider the electrical equipment you’re using. Do you need multiple screens and lights in the conference room, or can you make use of just the one? Check if there’s an area within the conference venue where you can make the most of natural daylight- perhaps a room with large windows or somewhere outdoors in warm weather.
- Put everything online. Is there a way you can present traditional delegate welcome packs online, instead of using reams of paper? Consider setting up an app for handouts, timetables, resources, travel arrangements and directions and set up an online registration system to make the process more streamlined and eco-friendly.
Consider location
It sounds obvious, but you can reduce the impact of your event simply by considering it’s location more carefully.
- If your offices are in the North West, there’s no reason to hold your event in London and make your delegates commute. London might be a great place to hold events because of its handy travel links and the many business venues, bars and restaurants it offers, but consider a closer city if you really want to reduce the impact your event is having on the environment. Northern cities such as Manchester and Liverpool are catching up with London in terms of popularity and utility, and on the plus side- they don’t boast London prices!
- Similarly, if you have offices located across the country, find out where the majority of employees are and hold the event closer to them. That way, you can reduce your carbon footprint by travelling fewer employees to your event.
- Is the venue close to transport links? It’s great if your delegates can all catch a train to the area, but if the conference is being held miles away from the station, they might all have to make their own way there. Where possible, hire a venue within walking distance from the local train station. If this can’t be done, organise a coach or taxi to pick all of your delegates up from the station at once so they can travel to the event together. Not only will you reduce the emissions and carbon footprint of your event, your delegates wont need to worry about finding the venue.
Think about the venue
How carbon neutral is the venue you’re looking to host your event at?
- Do they use sustainable energy as part of their day-to-day running? Farncombe Conference Centre, for example, only use ecological, bio-degradable extracts- much better for the environment.
- Does the venue make use of natural light and save energy? If it has large or full length windows, you may you may want to ensure your conference is held earlier in the day to make best use of the light. Check if the venue uses energy saving bulbs or solar panels too, these are great ways of ensuring your event is more sustainable and beneficial to the environment.
- Does the venue recycle? Whether they simply provide separate bins for different waste materials or have a more complex system which, for example, makes use of using food waste for power or reusing waste water, every little helps.If you need any help or advice finding the perfect location for your business event, feel free to get in touch and we’ll be happy to help! Use our Express Venue Finder to request a call back and we’ll be in touch!