The event business has not exactly had a good reputation for being environmentally friendly. Bringing together sizable crowds of participants can result in a lot of food waste, more electrical use, increased travel emissions and trashed event supplies. However, our industry might become a pioneer in sustainable business practices by implementing deliberate, gradual adjustments in the pursuit of sustainable in-person events.

With 86% of people worldwide expressing they want the world to become more sustainable, sustainability makes sense from a business standpoint even beyond the environmental and moral consequences. By coordinating your events with these initiatives, you may stand out from the competition since prospective clients will perceive that you are a part of the solution.

Consider these five tips as you plan the initial steps you can take to make your event more sustainable.

Consider The Location Carefully

Your journey toward sustainable in-person events might start with the venue. Here are some considerations to make while looking at event locations:

Venue: Try to arrange your venue adjacent to or connected to the hotel(s) your participants are staying at if they are traveling for the event. Walking or taking a group ride is significantly more environmentally beneficial than having everyone drive or use ride-share services. This can lessen the amount of CO2 your event emits and may lower the cost of events for attendees. 

Energy: Seek out locations that use green energy. Water, wind, or solar energy are far more environmentally beneficial than those that use only non-renewable resources, even if it only makes up a small portion of their total energy usage. 

LEED-certified: Using LEED-certified buildings is an easy approach to having an environmentally friendly venue. Buildings that have earned the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification have been found to have sustainable plans. This indicates that at least a portion of the materials, water use, energy use, waste, and other factors met LEED standards.

Ditch Single-Use Materials

Event planning involves a lot of single-use products, some of which can be unavoidable. Establishing goals to reduce your own consumption of single-use items, however, can have a big impact on the sustainability of in-person events. Physical tickets, presentation handouts, and schedules are hardly ever needed these days. All of these could be made digital and made accessible via a website or app. This not only reduces the amount of paper used but can also lower your printing costs.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Recycling is one of the simplest methods to create more sustainable in-person events, but it must be done properly. Wherever there is a trash can in your space, put a recycling one there as well. Research what you can recycle and label your recycling bin appropriately because each county has different recycling regulations. To make recycling easier for your attendees, place it close to the majority of your landfill bins.

When it is time to book an in-person keynote speaker, emcee, and more as our industry welcomes physical audiences back to events, our booking agents can help you find the perfect fit. Reach out to Speaker Booking Agency today to book one of our keynote speakers for your virtual or in-person event. We provide a selection of the best keynote speakers in the industry. Use our Online Booking Request Form or call us at 888-752-5831 for more information.