haun Hinds , CEO , Manchester Central , discusses the partnership between the venue and

Conference News .

“ As one of the UK ’ s largest and most versatile venues , we take corporate , social and environmental responsibility seriously , and our strategic vision is to ensure sustainability is embedded in everything we do .

“ Being a venue reinvented from a derelict train station , our story is one of continuous renewal and re-use .

“ Back in 2012 we began collaborating with stakeholders to learn and develop our approach . Approximately 10 years on , and now emerging from the pandemic , the event sector has experienced lasting change , so there ’ s never been a more critical time to hone our efforts and collaboratively do all possible to address global issues and safeguard our future .

That ’ s why we ’ ve partnered with Mash Media to conduct in-depth

Lauren Hudson , sustainability and safety advisor , Manchester Central “ I don ’ t believe any business can be truly sustainable without having someone in place to implement and champion its sustainability agenda .

“ Sustainability isn ’ t just about protecting the natural environment . As a business , we want to engage with our supply

“ It ’ s important we demonstrate how we can be part of the solution to some of the government ’ s biggest challenges ; particularly its net zero commitments .”

industry research , generating insights and sharing solutions to accelerate sustainability across the industry .”

All of us working , living and breathing the events sector face a very real challenge with competing priorities . Doing the right thing sometimes costs more , at a time when businesses are facing an exponential rise in costs .

As a venue , Manchester Central has traditionally been an enabler , providing flexible solutions to suit a variety of needs . After all , we still need to provide a choice to our clients and customers . Yet we need to do that while maintaining our own baseline , reducing our consumption to manage our own carbon footprint and uphold our own pledges .

The research shows that education and training is lacking and could be the key to facilitating change across the industry . At Manchester Central , we intend to use our skills and expertise to help event organisers gain a better

chain and community to ensure we ’ re promoting innovative development , bringing local people , businesses and charities together to help shape the future in a sustainable way .”

“ Within my role , I ’ m able to ensure the business is operating with sustainability at the core of its activities , ensuring we have an effective but achievable roadmap to follow .”

Shaun Hinds

understanding on the impact their event could have and provide workable solutions to help them improve , offset and enhance their positive impact . We hope this can be a widespread industry approach moving forward .

What next ?

As an industry , we need to keep working hard at government level to ensure we have visibility . Collectively , the sector needs to lobby to ensure that any policies put in place are pro-business and representative of the events sector .

It ’ s important we demonstrate how we can be part of the solution to some of the government ’ s biggest challenges ; particularly its net zero commitments .

Through this research , we can see the intent is there to solve these big issues , but our collective voice needs to be louder . If you feel passionate about this , we would love to hear from you . CN