Exhibition World Issue 2 | Page 39

local women who work on the project .
Ultimately , we wanted to do something good and give back to the world and this included our CO2 emissions . In 2019 we started a full measurement of our emissions just to get base figures . Our 2020 – 2021 pandemic figures were of course very low , so we started a schedule of decreasing our CO2 emissions going forwards . We have a travel policy which includes commuting via public transport , and we try to source as much as possible local to the project without jeopardising it . Additionally , this year we will be compensating for all of our CO2 emissions .
how best to maximise the event within that budget . Sometimes we have clients who want to have huge LED screens on their stages , and that can be expensive . If , in the end , you go for projection and add some extra moving show lights the impact can be much bigger , but the budget is smaller .
Sometimes a client will explain that they have a large budget , but don ’ t have any budget guidance . As an industry , we can make working with each other a bit easier if we have open communication .
CO : Can you explain ACS ’ range of sustainability initiatives ? JB : We believe that quality can ’ t be achieved without taking care of our surroundings . In the end , we still want to be successful , but we also need to think about what ’ s
happening around us , what we ’ re doing , and how we ’ re doing it . Initially , for us , that wasn ’ t driven by the conversation about Net Zero ; it was driven by our desire to do something good .
We ’ ve been a multi-year participant of the United Nations Global Compact and align ourselves with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ). From there , we wanted to find more things to do . To that end , we started partnering with an organisation called Justdiggit who regreen dry land in several places . We also adopted a project in Kenya , where they germinate seeds in dry areas where the soil no longer absorbs water . When the land is green again , it ’ s easier for the inhabitants to stay there – while simultaneously supporting the
“ If you just use an event or company logo , it makes show graphics and materials resusable .”
CO : How should the industry be taking responsibility for sustainable events ? JB : There are pluses and minuses to events . We work with a lot of medical conferences , which are incredibly important because of the education involved when doctors come together to learn . But that value doesn ’ t mean we shouldn ’ t take responsibility for the environment . Sustainability is just as important to tackle and take seriously .
Circularity is also an important part of sustainability . For example , why put a date and location on a conference logo ? If I ’ m visiting the event , I know where it is and when already . If you just use an event or company logo , it makes show graphics and materials reusable . We did this at IBTM in December so that they can be used on the stages again this year . In a more circular system , we consider how we ’ re using materials as efficiently as possible . It ’ s one of the small wins with a big impact – it ’ s just smarter .
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