Sustainable Events Without Compromising the Experience

Choosing the Right Venue

Venue selection can have a significant impact on your event’s sustainability. Choosing a venue with good public transport connections makes it easier for your guests to travel sustainably, while venues with existing furniture, AV equipment and production capabilities can reduce the need to transport additional equipment.

Many venues are also improving their environmental performance through renewable energy, responsible waste management and partnerships with local suppliers.

Creating a More Sustainable Menu

Food and drink provide another opportunity to make sustainable choices. Choosing seasonal and locally sourced ingredients can help reduce food miles while creating fresh and exciting menus. Introducing more vegetarian and plant-based dishes can also reduce environmental impact without compromising on flavour or presentation.

Accurate guest numbers can help reduce food waste, while working with venues that donate or responsibly manage surplus food can make a difference.

Ultimately, sustainable catering should still be about providing guests with delicious, memorable food.

Making Travel More Sustainable

How your guests, suppliers and equipment travel to an event can contribute significantly to its environmental impact.

Selecting a well-connected venue close to public transport is one of the simplest ways to encourage more sustainable travel. Providing public transport information within your event communications can also make these options straightforward for attendees.

For events further afield, shared transfers can reduce individual journeys, while destinations accessible by rail can provide an alternative to short-haul flights where practical.

A venue that is easy to reach can also improve the guest experience, creating a smoother journey for your attendees.

Reducing Event Waste

Reducing printed materials and unnecessary single-use items, alongside choosing reusable or recyclable alternatives, can help minimise event waste.

Reusable signage and digital displays can incorporate your branding without relying heavily on disposable materials.

Working with venues and suppliers that have clear recycling and waste-management processes can also ensure unavoidable waste is dealt with responsibly.

Looking to Create a More Sustainable Event?

At SEVEN, we believe that understanding the environmental impact of an event is an important step towards reducing it.

We use TRACE, a carbon measurement platform designed specifically for the events industry, to measure the carbon footprint of the events we produce. This considers travel, accommodation, catering, production, energy and waste, helping us identify opportunities to make more informed and sustainable choices.

Following each event, we provide our clients with a carbon emissions report, highlighting opportunities to reduce emissions at future events.

We also use Ecologi, a climate-action platform that enables businesses to support verified climate projects around the world. Once your event’s carbon emissions have been calculated through TRACE, you can select the climate project you would like to support. We then purchase verified carbon credits through Ecologi to offset the calculated carbon emissions of your event.

Most importantly, making more sustainable choices doesn’t have to come at the expense of the guest experience. Whether you’re planning a conference, corporate event, incentive trip or company celebration, our team can help you create a memorable event with sustainability in mind.

Closing Thoughts

Most importantly, making more sustainable choices doesn’t have to come at the expense of the guest experience. Whether you’re planning a conference, corporate event, incentive trip or company celebration, our team can help you create a memorable event with sustainability in mind.

Ready to make your next event more sustainable whilst still ensuring it is high impact? Learn more about our Sustainability Business Policy and get in touch we’d love to assist!

FAQs

How would SEVEN measure the carbon footprint of our event?

We use TRACE to calculate your event’s carbon footprint, considering key areas including attendee travel, accommodation, catering, production, energy and waste.

What information is needed to calculate our event’s carbon emissions?

We gather information on attendee and supplier travel and accommodation, while working with venues and suppliers to collect data on catering, energy usage, production and waste.

Can SEVEN help us identify ways to reduce our event’s carbon emissions?

Yes. Throughout the planning process, we can identify opportunities to reduce emissions across venue selection, catering, production, travel and waste. Your post-event TRACE report can also highlight opportunities for future events.

Can we choose which climate project our event supports?

Yes. Once your event’s carbon emissions have been calculated through TRACE, you can select the climate project you would like to support through Ecologi.

Can we still create a high-impact event while making sustainable choices?

Absolutely. From impressive venues and memorable menus to thoughtful production and engaging experiences, sustainable decisions can be made whilst still delivering an event that leaves a lasting impression.