Great expectations

Louisa Daley talks to the most sustainable venues out there, and explores how they keep up with supply-chain expectations
Great expectations
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Louisa Daley talks to the most sustainable venues out there, and explores how they keep up with supply-chain expectations.

The majority of clients are pushing for sustainability now more than ever. As a result, everyone in the industry from organisations and suppliers to corporates and organisers are changing for the better and making greener choices at all stages of the event life cycle.

But what are venues doing to meet these needs? Being sustainable is no easy task, it often requires long term strategy and can be quite costly – particularly with the current energy crisis. On top of this, there are multiple perspectives to consider – arguably making it even more challenging for venues to get sustainability right.

To find out how venues balance the expectations from all areas of the supply chain, Louisa Daley speaks to a panel of eventprofs, including Rebecca Hurley, venue marketing manager, BMA House; Lee Dobson, head of event management, the Barbican; Lucy Knill, senior client partner, TRO; Mark Bannister, productions and operations director, Toucan Agency; and Charlotte Horler, founder, Nula.

Leading the charge

Everybody wants to be sustainable. But it can be challenging to get there – particularly for venues who, nowadays, are primarily chosen for their sustainability credentials. The good news is, there are venues out there that are doing it right, such as BMA House and the Barbican, who have various sustainability accreditations and, therefore, a ‘green’ stamp of approval. Ultimately, making it easier for event organisers to pick them out in the crowd.

“We have retained our gold accreditation with Green Tourism, which we have held since 2017 – it’s the highest level you can achieve,” reveals Hurley. “We have also recently acquired and gone straight to platinum level with Greengage’s ECOsmart.”

In terms of awards, BMA House took home silver for Best CSR or Sustainability Initiative at the 2019 London Venue and Catering Awards and Most Sustainable Venue at the 2019 London Summer Events Show.

Similarly, Dobson tells me the venue was awarded as ‘winner’ for both The Sustainability Award in 2021 and Best CSR or Sustainability Initiative in 2019 at the London Venue and Catering Awards. Most recently, the venue took home the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award at the 2022 London Tourism Awards. As an arts venue, the Barbican also hold the Julie’s Bicycle Creative Green certificate, the only environmental certification dedicated to the creative industry. “We were awarded four out of five stars,” he reveals.

But a venue’s sustainability ethos goes beyond accreditations and awards. Knill tells me events agency TRO have a list of requirements when venue finding for its clients.

“TRO have lots of considerations when we are selecting a venue. We weave sustainability in with everything else that we have to consider. We rank venues based on, yes, they fulfil this requirement well, and this requirement, not so well,” she explains.

For example, TRO choose venues partially based on their energy; location; waste policy; catering; and most recently – if the venue has electric charging points.

I asked BMA House and the Barbican about some of these very same requirements. In terms of location, although BMA House is accessible via public transport, it encourages attendees to walk or cycle to the venue.

“We have created a ‘clean air’ walking route from Kings Cross. It takes delegates off the busy, polluted Euston Road, and takes them along the back streets of Bloomsbury. This is not only a more scenic walking route, but it has 57% less polluted air,” explains Hurley.

About 40% of BMA House staff also cycle to work, she tells me. “We have showers onsite which we promote to delegates, should they wish to cycle to us, and then freshen up,” reveals Hurley.

“We see it as our goal to breakdown the presumption that Grade II listed buildings cannot be sustainable. Our team lives, eats and breathes sustainability – it has made us and our venue healthier and a better place to be,” adds Hurley.

Moving onto energy, the Barbican operate on 100% renewable electricity. “Our electricity, district heating, cooling and gas are major sources of our Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Our current and urgent focus until 2027 is to ensure we reach net zero on both emissions by our target date,” he says.

“For example, we have just completed a project to deliver over £3m of investment to upgrade our heating, lighting and ventilation. We are installing LED lighting and replacing fans with smaller, more efficient ones to use less energy,” Dobson explains. This is particularly important now more than ever, because of the energy crisis.

“Events still need to happen, but it’s a case of thinking a little bit more smartly about what needs to be switched on, when it needs to be switched on, and how quickly it can be switched off,” he adds.

Finding common ground

Considering these factors, how exactly do venues like BMA House and the Barbican keep up with these sustainable expectations? “I feel for venues because I think the expectations are now very high,” says Knill.

“When helping clients plan their events, it’s vital to choose the right venue. Your venue is one of the only aspects that is visible to everybody that attends that event. Anyone can go on that venue’s website and read up about what that venue stands for,” she says.

This is the case for events like Anthropy, a new senior leadership summit focused on the future 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. 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 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. 

Photography credit: Max Colson.

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