he relationship between event organiser and venue is vitally important when conducting a sustainable event . If an organiser wishes to be eco-conscious but the boots on the ground aren ’ t following up , sustainable initiatives are doomed to fail .

I spoke to Edward Poland , co-founder , Hire Space , about the company ’ s EventLAB hybrid event , which took place in November 2021 at Central Hall Westminster . He talked about what the organiser and venue did to keep the event sustainable .

Partner up As with any sustainability charter , it ’ s impossible to look at what your organisation does in a vacuum . This means that organisers must assess the sustainability credentials of their supply chain when conducting an event .

For Poland , this means researching companies before partnering with them and setting clear goals with members of the event team , from both the venue and other key members of the delivery team .

Edward Poland

“ The events industry has come a long way on sustainability very quickly , but we are all still learning .”

Networking at EventLAB 2021

He said : “ We always ask our partners for their sustainability credentials when we kick off a new relationship . We knew , for instance , that our catering partners , Green and Fortune , would transparently detail the steps they ’ d taken to ensure their food was sustainable – using compostable plates and cutlery and being precise on food quantities .

“ That transparency was a huge draw for us , especially as this was a showcase for the industry . We also chose local suppliers and those with values which aligned closely with ours , such as b2 Events , who value sustainability

A keynote speaker leads a content session

highly , and early members of sustainability body isla .”

The venue plays a large part in the facilitation of the sustainable practices of suppliers , so it ’ s vital