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including Sarah Millington from Unique Venues Birmingham , Justine Meek from Warwick Conferences , Callie Richards from Inntel , Laura Dudley from arrangeMY , Richard Bull from Woburn House and Emma Williams from IHG . Fundraising and charity support also fall under this action group .
What support will you be offering ? One-to-one support , conversations , practical support , educational and networking events . We love working with strong sustainable partners , such as isla and Greengage Travel and Event Solutions . We ’ re open to working with credible sustainable partners that understand our sector and can move us forward . If members need help , they can get in touch with me or the beam office .
What is your biggest frustration when it comes to sustainability ? As a marketer , I ’ ve always been taught to listen to what the customer wants . However , when a business begins on their sustainability journey , I believe this shouldn ’ t necessarily be the case . Sustainability should be driven by morals , ethics and what is best for our planet . Businesses need to step back from what the customer wants and look at the way they do
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“ Create a really engaged green team with someone who can galvanise , enable , and communicate well within that team ” |
business . Identify short wins – the things you can do today , such as switching to green energy .
How well do you think we ’ re doing as an industry ? We ’ re doing okay . The key thing is that we are aware , and we know that it needs to happen . There is always more we could be doing . There are some shining examples of good things people are doing within our sector .
What are the biggest challenges around sustainability ? Agents and venues need to be effective communicators and educators to guide clients to make the right choices . We must explain why a buffet is less sustainable than a plated meal , or that apple juice can be a more sustainable choice than orange . Food is something in our control as a venue , but we also need to educate our clients on things we can ’ t control , such as how delegates travel to a venue . It ’ s about educating everyone to make better , more sustainable choices .
What does the industry need to do more of ? One of my favourite quotes is from the zero-waste chef Anne Marie Bonneau . She said : “ We don ’ t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly . We need millions
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Louisa Watson
of people doing it imperfectly .”
What are your top tips ? Create a really engaged green team with someone who can galvanise , enable , and communicate well within that team . At Wyboston Lakes Resort , we have secured three accreditations for sustainability , which have been important for us as a business . I ’ d advise any business to start with an accreditation . Even if you fail , it doesn ’ t matter – you have started your sustainability journey and you will learn from it .
What key trends do you foresee emerging in the future ? Corporate clients will become more demanding in this area . Food will change on menus to be more environmentally conscious – more local , seasonal , plant-based and meat will be better quality and smaller portions . Waste will become more of an issue as will our bio-diversity projects . And , of course , the UK Government will introduce more regulations .
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