Sustainable approaches The conference commenced with a session focusing on environmental sustainability and the immediate measures event organisers can take to minimise their carbon footprint . It involved Live Nation Entertainment head of sustainability UK & I Victoria Chapman , A Greener Festival cofounder Claire O ’ Neill , The Bulb founder Selina Donald and AEG Europe chief operating officer John Langford .
Among the many issues covered were how best to embed sustainability responsibilities and actions within the workforce . Chapman said it was important to find likeminded “ allies ” across a business to work on sustainable solutions : “ I am head of sustainability at Live Nation but have made sure we are bringing in people from other departments to set up a green team , and give people an opportunity to get involved , bring in new ideas and get trained up .”
Panellists also gave advice and guidance on how to start assessing the impact of an event or venue , and the best ways to collect data . Langford , who just days before had announced the appointment of Sam Booth as AEG Europe ’ s first
director of sustainability , spoke of the importance of the “ four Rs ”; responsibility , review , respond , reporting .
With the Ellen Macarthur foundation having found that 80 % of waste could be avoided if more responsible decisions were made at the creative and event design stage , Donald spoke about the environmental measures event organisers and suppliers should be implementing at the outset .
Among the many areas touched on by O ’ Neill was the hugely positive impact of reducing or removing meat at events , and the many event sustainability resources and guides available to the industry from organisations including LIVE Green .
Chain gang The second session focused on working through the cost-of-living crisis and how best suppliers and event organisers can work together to manage soaring costs . The panel was made up of We Are The Fair director Yasmin Galletti , ZENfest co-founder Stefan Poelman , Method Events director Will Holdoway and LS Events senior production manager Laura Armstrong .
Among the issues tackled was how the procurement cycle had changed . Holdoway said , “ The longer planning cycle should be good for our industry in the long term because to be planning a festival over 12 months , not six months , should make the industry a much more sustainable place to work .”
Poelman said that no matter what the challenges , it is important to stay positive and keep energy levels high because that is what audiences buy into . Armstrong spoke about her pride in LS Events ’ involvement in Operation London Bridge , and how the success of such large-scale events is partly based on strong relationships with contractors and their commitment to invest in new kit .
Galletti said headline acts are showing no signs of reducing their fees , and she is seeing many event operators choose to spread their investment more evenly across all levels of talent . Ending on a positive note , she said history had proven that in times of economic depression , people continue to attend live events . “ They want to escape the tough times and come out to party .”
Career moves The final session focused on how best to address the shortfalls in the workforce by making the industry a more attractive career choice . The panel was made up of Notting Hill Carnival CEO Matthew Phillip , AEG Europe executive vice president people & culture Kirstie Loveridge ,