How Events Fall Short on Sustainability

Data collection related to sustainability is an industry challenge, according to Global Experience Specialists (GES), an events and exhibition services company.

“Across the spectrum of events there are a plethora of different businesses assessing different kinds of data. For example, at any one point you can have the venue, agency, client, production company, and graphics company all taking data, none of which is standardized,” said Kate Holliday, GES EMEA’s first head of ESG.

This results in stakeholders measuring outputs using varying standards, apps, and in some cases, creating their own metrics. In response, GES is pushing for unified data insights.

A company like GES has more than 250 suppliers, all doing things differently. 

The industry must find common ground regarding data insights, said Holliday.  “This could provide us with massive data sets across sprawling industries from different perspectives. Then, real change can be tracked, measured, and implemented across the breadth of the industry,” she said.

Social Sustainability Important as Well

Conversations around ESG should also include social sustainability and the impact events have on communities, according to the report. “Events are often transient. They consume waste, carbon, and the like, before essentially moving on. The notion of legacy and social good addresses the responsibility to leave behind good, not just trails of waste and carbon footprints,” said Holliday.

GES is collecting data to understand the impact event flooring has on the environment. Carpeting at trade shows and exhibitions is often non-recycled waste. That is why many companies are doing without. 

Unravel is a company that recently created a net-zero trade show booth. “Getting to net zero didn’t just stop at the materials used to build our booth but also required us to think about emissions from the upstream and downstream transport of the materials, waste generated at our booth, and also the business travel of employees to get to the conference venue,” said Qiyun Woo, sustainability consultant at Unravel Carbon.

GES is also working with Enistic, a carbon accounting company, to track, analyze, and report its greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it has employed Seismic to reevaluate the footprint of its events.

It has lessened its environmental footprint by moving its warehouses and offices into ExCeL London and NEC Birmingham, the heart of London’s event community. As a result, travel time and CO2 emissions are reduced. It reports this move has helped reduce its emissions by 50%.

For more tips on planning sustainable events, click here.