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added value . That ’ s why we are communicating with our event buyers from the very start of their booking journey about where the ingredients come from and why choices may cost more or less .”
Pace of change For many organisations in events , sustainability can seem like a huge challenge to take on . It ’ s a question of internal resource and communicating change to customers .
Morgan spoke about the training piece , saying : “ Climate change is the biggest issue facing all of us and the importance of educating sustainability can ’ t
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be overstated but it is something that will take time to properly filter through to delegates .”
He did however say that an increased desire for sustainable initiatives had led to some businesses , who may not be perceived as sustainable , to be more conscious of their events operations . He said that “ for businesses like that if they can make a conscious choice in everything they do alongside that , to help with their sustainability promises , that ’ s where we can add real value .”
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Sam Morgan |
“ I think the education piece is not a quick one , I don ' t think we ' re really going to see the benefit on it from a customer ' s perspective for probably another 18 months , maybe even two years .”
- Sam Morgan
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Dutson spoke about the internal pressures of delivering on sustainability promises , and how daunting it can be to take on . His advice was to “ break it down and go through every touch point that you can and think about what you can do , then that ’ s the way that we kind of approach it .”
He continued , saying : “ At Royal Ascot we are serving 90,000 people a day , it ’ s impossible to say , we won ’ t use a bit of clingfilm , or that we won ’ t have any vehicles on site . But as long as we ’ re pushing to do as best we possibly can , then each year we get better and better , then we are setting the standard .”
What ’ s in a label ? For sustainability initiatives across events businesses , shouting about how sustainable solutions work is an aspect of going green that is often left by the wayside . For Morgan , carbon labelling not only provides a signpost for guests , but also influences the way he curates menus .
He said : “ We use an online web portal and input the recipes that we use within our business . It allows us to see the carbon footprint per portion and gives us an average carbon allowance and also gives guidance to help us to make that dish have a lower carbon footprint .
“ But it just gives me a way of looking at my recipes to say : Do we need a dairy element in there ? Could we switch it to make it more carbon friendly ? Do we need the butter ? Do we need to choose ? Can we reduce the red meat or utilise a lesser cut ?” CN
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