State of Sustainability in the Events Industry: Our Recent Findings

 In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, we released some new information and infographics on the state of sustainability in the industry and some easy practices that can improve your event’s footprint. Let’s take some time to celebrate our achievements, and focus on opportunities to further advance our industry through the adoption of sustainable practices.

This past January, in collaboration with Sustainable Brands and Radisson Hotels Group, we conducted a survey on sustainability practices in the events industry. We have some good news to report, as well as some opportunities.

• Mainstreaming: We were thrilled to see a substantial increase in some sustainable practices since our last 2015 survey, including opting for water stations over bottled water, and vegetarian and allergy-responsible menus.
• Planner/Supplier Differences: We continue to have a difference in expectations about including sustainability in RFPs and proposals, with many planners expecting it to be included without asking, and suppliers waiting to be asked. This is a definite opportunity for both planners and suppliers to better communicate about sustainability.

Check out our infographic for more information on the survey results.

We’ve also released some practical ideas for shrinking your carbon, water and plastic footprints for events. These are small changes, but they add up to a big impact. These recommendations should be adapted to your organization’s culture and specific event type to maximize the benefits by targeting issues where you have a material impact.