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BMA House - The Courtyard
vision for Britain , which will take place at The Eden Project in Cornwall . “ It ’ s a great example of how the choice of the venue has really enhanced the subject matter . Straight away , The Eden Project is a significant landmark in its own right that sparks interest and shows attendees that we are trying to practice what we preach ,” she adds .
According to Bannister , from a practical perspective , venues will struggle with sustainable expectations from time to time .
Bannister says Day Delegate Rates ( DDR ) are one area that presents a sustainable challenge . “ DDR packages can be quite restrictive , the inclusions are set , be they power , equipment or catering and that makes trying to reduce and tailor to demand and delivery a bit trickier ,” he explains . There ’ s also “ less sustainable guidance ” for venues , compared to what ’ s available for event organisers . “ I haven ’ t seen anything that ’ s as targeted for venues , and they have a different set of requirements than the rest of the supply chain .
“ This issue was brought up by multiple venues at a recent event .
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PHOTO : LUCIE WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY
They tried to decide what they should and shouldn ’ t be doing , and just couldn ’ t decipher it ,” reveals Bannister .
Another challenge is the varied supply chain expectations . “ There ’ s a real range between clients ,” he adds .
This is something Knill is also seeing . “ Some clients aren ’ t asking for sustainable venues at all , but we would be keen to look at those things anyway . Then you ’ ve got some clients who are interested in them . Then others who are interested at the procurement stage , as it ticks boxes for them . But then , as you go through the planning process , there ’ s a disconnect and issue of following it all the way through ,” she explains .
“ How can venues plan and incorporate sustainability , when there ’ s such a range of desire coming from clients ?,” asks Bannister .
A helping hand
One answer may be education – which starts internally at your own organisation , which can then feed into client conversations . This is something
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Mark Bannister |
Rebecca Hurley |
l Charlotte Horler , founder of Nula , is available as a speaker for events through Expert Impact Speakers , who use 100 % of their profits to support charities and social enterprises .
l To enquire , please contact venita @ expertimpact . com
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sustainable education consultancy Nula strives for . “ Education is important to accelerate change ,” says Horler . “ A survey by Unily in 2020 found that 65 % of respondents want to work for an organisation that has a strong environmental policy , and 63 % who said they need more specific training on climate goals .
“ You have this real knowledge gap where people want to be involved , want to take action , but they don ’ t know how ,” she adds – echoing the same way venues feel .
In the events industry , there are various job roles – from organisers , to suppliers , to caterers . “ You ’ re going to have a much stronger effect if you can have every single person thinking about their role from a climate perspective ,” says Horler .
This is where Nula comes in . “ We have a range of educational resources , starting with accessible Climate Literacy , because we want the whole workforce to be able to get involved . In addition , we run a range of workshops from Finding the Joy in Climate Action alongside a more advance e-learning course for business leaders or green team members .
“ Organisations that are ready to embrace and invest in education are going to be the ones that get their employees excited and engaged about sustainability – which is key to deliver a competitive edge .”
Sustainability journeys often start internally and , from there , organisations can use their knowledge to educate and engage all parts of the supply chain – making sustainable expectations both clearer and easier to meet . CN
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