Dragging dinosaurs into the future
Ahead of Cop 26 , highly experienced freelance executive producer Jon Sinigaglia calls on the industry to take focused , meaningful action to sharply reduce its environmental impact .
The events industry , such as we know it , has had a rapid rise from the economic margins of the early 1960s to where we are today . By any measure , it has expanded and adapted over the years to become an industry where – depending on whose calculation we use – it is today worth literally billions and billions of pounds globally , not to mention employing hundreds of thousands of people – if not millions . It is the size of a dinosaur but moves with the suppleness of an iguana .
So why , I wonder , does this industry which prides itself on being on the cutting edge and ahead of the game on so many issues , not stop dead in its tracks and absolutely demand – before it takes another step forward – that something pretty fundamental gets done to make us all more sustainable . Don ’ t flip to another article ! I know this all seems somewhat tedious and unsexy to discuss , however we have passed the point of no return and in all truth – we have no more options any more .
We are currently hamstrung
Jon Sinigaglia
by two separate but related problems : Firstly , our clients continue to demand the seemingly-impossible and within time frames that are equally seemingly-impossible .
Secondly , because we as an industry seem to be permanently working against such impossibilities , our suppliers don ’ t have the time to reflect and invest in tomorrow ’ s technology with the resource or the time required .
There can be no denying that we , as an industry , are way behind where we need to be . Generators , portable A / C systems , LED screens , power amps etc etc – all these things are demanded of us and equally demand masses of power . The more the clients demand , the more we need to supply .
Concomitantly , the truth is that fudges such as carbon
offsetting are not an answer . Convenient , yes , but it ’ s an unsustainable reality that is up to us as an industry to address and find solutions for .
Agencies and suppliers have to be at the forefront of finding solutions – some of them potentially unpalatable – to this very real existential threat .
The fear is that if we fail to do so , we will be forced to do so by some unsympathetic government at some time in the not-too-distant future .
So here ’ s a hopefully practical suggestion : Our events tend to have substantial budgets , and we work with serious suppliers – most of whom are keen and also actively looking to find solutions . What if we add a small 1 % or 2 % levy on the budgets – completely openly and with client buy-in – on the clear understanding that this levy goes directly to invest specifically in finding sustainable solutions to this problem ?
To start with this would require some open and frank discussions with clients , something that some agencies will find awkward . The fear , however , is that if we fail to have these discussions freely and openly , that we will then have to move to Chapter 2 of the negotiation of contracts , which will be that we simply can ’ t supply the client what they are wanting because it would be illegal .
I cannot believe that a
“ There can be no denying that we , as an industry , are way behind where we need to be .”
single agency in the world would want for that to happen .
So with so much sustainability-related politics about to come to fruition ( COP26 etc ) – lets lead the charge and be at the forefront of the debate , rather than playing catch-up .
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