40 Column
BRINGING THE OUTDOORS
any of us have experienced a renewed appreciation for the natural world because of the pandemic . From parks and gardens to forests and moors , green spaces provided a solace for many during lockdown , as well as a place to exercise and meet friends safely .
Green space has also become highly sought-after , and many people have chosen to relocate from cities and urban environments to rural locations .
We recently updated our Great Outdoors Report to reflect this new chapter in meetings and events . The report explores how integrating the natural environment into our events can help us address some of the key challenges we face going forwards .
As well as helping to keep sustainability front of mind , incorporating nature into our events can help relieve stress , boost creativity and productivity , and ultimately create more
Danielle Bounds
engaging event experiences . In addition , in this ‘ new normal ’, delegates want a fresh experience , and they are likely to be pickier about which events they choose to attend , favouring those which offer mental , wellbeing , creativity and productivity benefits .
A green future for Wales
We all know that protecting the
Making the most of the outdoors
l Integrate natural environments from the start – think about how you can use surrounding or nearby natural spaces in your event .
l Keep your agenda flexible to allow time to be spent outdoors and enough time to reconvene .
l Incorporate walking meetings , outdoor creative brainstorming
and other breakout sessions that can take place in nature .
l Make the weather forecast an integral part of your event planning so that you can plan for outdoor activities whatever the weather .
l Integrate clothing packs and clothing advice for delegates to encourage outdoor activity .
“ Wales is one of the first countries in the world to have sustainability written in its statute , which continues to steer its economy in innovative new directions ” environment is now more urgent than ever .
Glasgow is the host city for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference ( COP26 ). Not only is this a fantastic opportunity for Scotland but for the UK in showing its commitment to change . COP26 aims to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change .
This is pressing because , as the latest IPCC report ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ) which was released in August made clear , scientists are observing changes in the Earth ’ s climate in every region and across the whole climate system .
Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands , if not hundreds of thousands of years , and some of the changes already set in motion – such as continued sea level rise – are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years .
However , strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) and other greenhouse gases would limit climate change .
Here in Wales , we take climate change incredibly seriously . Wales is one of the first countries in the world to have sustainability written in its statute , which continues to steer its economy in innovative new directions .
The nation is working to eliminate landfill by 2050 and the Welsh Government has pledged to www . conference-news . co . uk