Agenda
S
ave the Planet! Or Your Bottom
Line? was the debate, we, as an
industry needed to have. The event
was chaired by BCD Meetings & Events
Senior Director Marketing EMEA,
John Kelly, who called for “greater
communication and regulation across
the industry.”
The passion and enthusiasm was
infectious and many ideas were
discussed, from choosing sustainable
carpets to going paperless. However,
became glaringly obvious, was that
there is no widely accepted directive
for the industry to follow. More
alarmingly, many organisations, in
particular sustainability specialists
and agencies, have over-complicated
the subject of sustainability, making it
nigh on impossible for the industry to
understand what steps they need to take
first.
Exhibition News has promised to
support efforts to improve the industry’s
‘carbon footprint’ by introducing a new
initiative to help companies understand,
by department, what they can do to
make a difference.
NEC Venue general manager Linda
Ritchie, who sat on the panel at EN Race
Day, said: “What’s really important is
EN’s pledge to support
sustainability:
• Introduce a sustainability assessment
EN’s Race Day tackles
sustainability ‘head on’
Leaders from across the event industry gathered at EN
Race Day at Sandown Park, to discuss what steps the
industry can take to mitigate its effects on the environment
that we continue to move forward and
not wait for someone else to show the
way – if we all take action to improve
on our sustainability journey the events
industry will be in a better place”
Mr Kelly, who created his own green
paper for BCD, added: “I really felt that
we made a lot of headway through the
debate and am excited to see how this
develops going forward.”
Raccoon Events Managing Director
Mike Seaman explained that as event
organisers, we can (and perhaps
should) challenge our suppliers on their
sustainability credentials as part of the
tender process.
He added: “It’s not a hopeless cause
and there are simple steps that we can
all take to reduce the environmental
impact of our events. This won’t ‘solve’
the problem, but if everyone makes
On the panel (pictured below):
BCD Meetings & Events senior director marketing EMEA, John Kelly, Raccoon Events managing director
Mike Seaman, Reeds Carpets commercial director Martin Cairns, NEC Venue general manager Linda
Ritchie, Futurebuild Events managing director Martin Hurn.
programme (SAP), encouraging
organisers, venues, agencies and
suppliers to assess the materials and
suppliers they use and the impact on the
environment.
• Create a cross-departmental,
sustainability rating system with the help
of specialist agencies, associations and
leading venues and organisers defining
the top 10 biggest polluters.
• Regularly publish SAP reports, showing
how organisers, venues and suppliers
rate themselves for sustainability
efficiency and highlighting what
measures they are undertaking to
improve their businesses.
14 —October
a small effort then it can make a big
difference. As event organisers, we
can (and perhaps should) challenge
our suppliers on their sustainability
credentials as part of the tender
process.”
Reeds Carpets Commercial Director
Martin Cairns, who surprised much of
the audience explaining that the bulk
of his carpets, were fully recyclable or
made from natural materials added: ““It
was very encouraging to learn that our
industry recognises the urgent need
for sustainable change. The EN Race
Day debate clearly demonstrated how
effective an open dialogue can be in
assisting all stake-holders within our
industry achieve their mutual, common
sustainable goal. Communication and
collaboration are key for a sustainable
future.”
Photo: Aniseed Photo