Sustainability
A climate check-in event programmes and portfolios , which will give the supply chain and their partners greater ability to embed
CATIE OWEN SPOKE TO UK-BASED INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION ISLA ’ S CEO ANNA ABDELNOOR AND MACROART ’ S DIRECTOR OF LIVE MATT PHIPPS ABOUT THE EVENT INDUSTRY ’ S CURRENT ATTITUDES
What are the most frequent trends in sustainable event planning you have seen recently ? Matt Phipps : As a production house , we ’ re finding commonalities rather than trends with our clients . People are engaging with us far more regularly on sustainability and we ’ re advising our clients on how to make the best decisions regarding sustainable materials . There ’ s a positive momentum ; at the design stage of the event , the client will come to us and say “ Look , let ’ s rip apart the whole thing and the status quo . How can we do this better .” Anna Abdelnoor : There ’ s a growing continuation of new practices in what everyone is doing . Organisers , brands , and associations seemed to take stock and reconsider relationships during the Covid pandemic , which has had a positive long-term impact on sustainability .
What challenges to sustainable event planning are organisers struggling with ? AA : The challenge is time rather than appetite or availability of solutions . Post-pandemic , lead times have become even shorter in an industry where lead times were already very short . Sustainability needs to be approached at the initial planning stage , and it ’ s hard to do that because we ’ re already stretched so thin .
Everyone involved in the process needs to think longer-term about their
Above : Anna Abdelnoor
Above : Matt Phipps
sustainable practices . MP : I agree , time is always the biggest challenge for us even beyond the realms of our involvement . But , if businesses take a more holistic approach to sustainability , they ’ ll succeed . As part of the supply chain , we try to work with our clients over a prolonged period so they can understand our business . We educate them on the due diligence we ’ ve done on our supply chain , as some materials are manufactured outside of the UK and Europe , and report to them that we ’ re happy with who we work with – and that it ’ s something we ’ ll continue to monitor .
Is the industry showing enough commitment to becoming Net Zero ? AA : There is still a long way to go , but the industry has come on leaps and bounds . Change is slow , but becoming Net Zero is something that we need to do as rapidly as possible . But , if the mainstream media won ’ t even talk about sustainability with urgency , how can we expect businesses to provide the money and time we need ?
Surprisingly , the more I work with and navigate different sectors the more I become proud of the events industry and the progress it is making .
The tables have turned and people who work with us are now holding us accountable also , which is a good thing and makes us work towards our goals faster . MP : I ’ m prouder of our work than I ever have been because of the advances in the way we react to situations – from our post-Covid bounce back to how we ’ ve embraced change and sustainable initiatives .
Everyone is at a different stage of their journey , but we ’ re all helping each other along . That ’ s the nature of the events industry .
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