Sustainable Event Management is the process used to produce an event with particular concern for environmental, economic and social issues. Sustainability in event management incorporates socially and environmentally responsible decision making into the planning, organisation and implementation of, and participation in, an event. It involves including sustainable development principles and practices in all levels of event organisation, and aims to ensure that an event is hosted responsibly. It represents the total package of interventions at an event, and needs to be done in an integrated manner. Event greening should start at the inception of the project, and should involve all the key role players, such as clients, organizers, venues, sub-contractors and suppliers.
For that and if your considering adding sustainable events management approach to your company objectives and services its crucial in the beginning to get the commitment of the company`s leadership to adopt sustainability approach, develop vision and mission statements to comply with sustainability objectives, create and promote the culture of sustainable events among employees and stakeholders, gradually set up standards of sustainable events according to the international best practices in ISO 20121 and finally and most importantly monitor, revise and develop your event sustainability policies.
in 2016 and due to the commitment of Communications Craftsmen (COMCRA) leadership in events sustainability, COMCRA revised and developed its business plan strategy to commit to the event management sustainability approach by developing its mission statement “To provide creative events planning and management services that meets the customers’ satisfaction and exceeds their expectations, on budget, on time, on brand and environmentally friendly” and adding sustainability to its main objectives” Adopt Triple- P events management approach; people, planet and profit to be applicable to the legal requirements and sustainability practices of our International contractors.
Communications Craftsmen (COMCRA) then continuously developed partially and gradually its sustainable events management practices according to ISO 20121 sustainable events management process by integrating environmental and social responsibility issues into event planning and organization..
Our significant sustainable development issues and practices considered 10 sectors for organizing green events that are; event information, accommodation, technical equipment`s, communications, destination, exhibitions, food & drink, venue, office and transport. Our continuous developed practices included;
- Select destination, venue and caterers with good recycling and composting programs.
- Select venues with certifications and in closed distance to participants.
- Provide waste stations, signs and monitors to help exhibitors and attendees sort their waste.
- Take advantage of and improve donation programs particularly for food and exhibitor materials.
- Encourage paperless events by using mobile apps and virtual conferencing systems.
- Conserve energy consumption by effectively monitor AC, heaters and lighting.
- Set up group transportation with electrical and hybrid options.
- Donate unused materials and use reusable materials.
- Raise awareness among other people about the impact our activities have on the environment — directly and indirectly.
- Encourage women and youth participation in events by procuring services and products provided by women entrepreneurs and recruit experienced personnel from women and youth.
In final words, making the planet cleaner and greener is not as hard as it seems as all we need to do is think of innovative ways to hold large scale meetings and conferences in an eco-friendly manner to make events more sustainable and reduce as much as possible the impact on the environment from one hand and improve you company image and reputation, bring social benefits to your communities and trigger innovation from the other hand, so with no doubts sustainable events management should not only be a practice but a culture of innovation, excellence and sustainability.