Sustainable Event Planning: Action Steps to Lasting Strategy

Becoming a sustainable event planner is a marathon, not a sprint

As the events industry continues to evolve in its sustainability journey, there are a lot of accomplishments to celebrate. Planners, partners and attendees are more aware and invested than ever, and it’s a crucial element of events across every industry, whether major financial and insurance conferences, small incentives or anything in between. But there’s no denying that sustainability is a very broad topic, and sometimes, you might feel left in the dust.

Creating more sustainable events is a journey, and it comes down to breaking it up into bite-size bits. As planners learn more about practical best practices and work to implement them in their meetings, before they know it, the scope and scale of sustainability don’t seem nearly so daunting.

If you’re just getting started on your sustainability journey, or you’ve found yourself stuck and aren’t sure where to go next, read on for actionable steps alongside overarching mindset shifts that can help you continue to grow, from experts themselves.

Meet the Experts

Ellie Hurley, events director at Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP), has spent the past three years leading FICP’s event-specific approach to sustainability and social impact and also holds the Sustainable Event Professional Certificate (SEPC) from Events Industry Council (EIC).

Lori Allen, vice president of global event operations at MetLife, has spent 20 years overseeing and enhancing global event strategies. She is also an FICP board member and brings particular expertise in managing complex global programs, consolidations, multi-regional contracts and fostering stakeholder engagement to meet business objectives.

Defining Sustainability

Over the past few years, the term “sustainability” has become somewhat of a buzzword, and it’s important to remember that sustainability refers to many dynamic practices and goals.

Addressing MetLife’s cohesive sustainability strategy, Allen said, “Sustainability can be such a big thing, especially when you’re looking to define it…But sustainability at MetLife really aligns with our corporate purpose, which is always with you building a more confident future. It’s really about protecting the environment, but also improving the places that we live and work, and improving the lives of both our customers, our shareholders and our associates.”

Read More: Case Study: How One Event Achieved Renowned Sustainability Accreditation

When it comes to building a strategy, how we define sustainability is the starting point; from there, you can ensure your strategy addresses the many overlapping layers. “As far as the definition goes,” said Hurley, “it’s a lot more than being green. If you look at the [United Nations’] Sustainable Development Goals and ESG [Environmental, Social and Governance] strategy overall, there’s so much more to it—from corporate responsibility to, basically, sustaining the human race and the earth.”

Sustainability is no longer just about waste. Today’s sustainability begs the question, what is your community doing to give back?

The Building Blocks of Sustainability Strategy

Due to the broad nature of sustainability, it can feel like a massive journey to undertake. “It becomes really overwhelming when you’re thinking about the way to implement event practices in this space, because it does encompass so much,” said Allen.

Hurley said, to deal with this, particularly for those at the beginning of their sustainability journey, start small. Choose one sustainable practice to implement—and then master it. The following year, add something else. “Just don’t let feeling overwhelmed stop you,” she urged. “You don’t have to be perfect your first time around. Make a small step.”

Coordinate opportunities for attendees to volunteer for more sustainable event planning. In fact, many planners are probably already further along than they expect. Allen said, “A lot of what you’re already doing is probably something that’s contributing to your sustainability activity and metrics that you can measure. As an events professional, one of the things we look at is how you measure this. How are you reporting on this? How are you showing that what you’re doing is making an impact?”

Just as planners gather data to show overall attendee satisfaction, for example, planners can gather data on the sustainability of their meeting, its carbon footprint, the amount of waste produced and the practices that helped offset emissions. “Even choosing a hotel that’s LEED certified is an action that is impacting and contributing to your sustainability measures,” Allen said. “Or maybe you do activities that have more of a volunteerism or community service angle. A lot of what you’re doing already can actually fit into these goals if you’re just a little bit more mindful about it.”

Messaging with Purpose

Messaging is one major piece that makes all the difference—but often gets missed. When you implement a massive change for the sake of more sustainable meetings, share the story behind it so attendees aren’t caught off-guard. In fact, if they come in well-informed about why, for example, you may be offering disposable plastic water bottles by request only rather than giving them out to everyone in an effort to reduce waste, they first and foremost know to bring a reusable water bottle; and secondly, they’ll more likely than not admire the effort you’ve made. That admiration will show up in your post-event surveys.

Communication is everything when developing a sustainability strategy. Talk to your team and other organizations about what they’re doing; you may just stumble upon an idea you’ve never considered.

Action Plan

With so much to consider, deciding where to get started is the most difficult part. Hurley and Allen shared some concrete questions planners can ask themselves as they develop a sustainability strategy. And, once again, if you’re just starting out, just choose one! Make one change and perfect it. Then, next year, tack on another. Before you know it, you’ll be a sustainability superstar.

#1 What’s in your RFP?

RFPs are the very beginning, so by asking questions about a venue or hotel’s sustainability practices, you’re starting strong. Do you ask about food sourcing and waste handling? Do you ask about the location’s carbon impact, such as if it has LEED certification or solar paneling? How walkable is the area?

Read More: The Overlooked RFP Asks That Could Save The Planet

By asking these questions at the start, planners are also able to report about these topics and how successful they were, post-event.

#2 How are you doing poster boards?

Sometimes, last-minute changes come up. When you’ve printed your poster boards weeks ago, they may not be accurate. Consider finding a venue that enables you to use video boards, so your information is always up to date. In the process, you’ve eliminated using materials like Styrofoam that have a negative impact on the environment.

Or, if you still want to print out your poster boards, consider alternative materials like cardboard or honeycomb that are more easily recyclable.

#3 Where are you sourcing?

When you work with suppliers, ask them about their operations. How do they package? Will you receive a box of hundreds of individually plastic-wrapped items? Ask the supplier if they offer environmentally friendly packaging options.

Another way to reduce waste and carbon impact, in this case, is to source locally. This would eliminate any additional emissions created by shipping materials that could be sourced from an organization closer to your event location.

#4 How are you incentivizing attendees to get their heads in the sustainability game?

Gamification is a longstanding champion of getting attendees involved and invested. Set up a program where attendees can get points for different sustainable practices, such as bringing their own reusable water bottles or attending a volunteer event.

#5 How are your attendees getting there?

If the destination is walkable, more attendees will walk to and from the hotel and conference center, which can help offset the carbon emissions produced by their travel to the destination.

We know that air travel has one of the largest carbon impacts on events. If your attendees are all localized around one area, it can make a major difference to book a venue that many of them can get to without air travel. Or look into the kinds of flights available and consider whether most attendees will be able to book a direct flight over one that requires connecting flights.

#6 Commit to continued learning.

Take advantage of the resources at your disposal. Consider pursuing a sustainability credential like the SEPC. If you’re earning CEUs, take courses on sustainability. Set aside time to do some research and explore sites focused on sustainability, like the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and FICP’s sustainability and social impact resources.