Conference News and Manchester Central have revealed the findings from its whitepaper ‘Shaping a Sustainable Future’.
The research began early this year with a survey titled ‘Sustainable events: Play your part in shaping the future’ and included a range of social media polls and a roundtable discussion.
The survey collected data from 150 respondents including event planners, venues and suppliers and consulted with a selection of experts from industry. Shaun Hinds, CEO at Manchester Central, said: “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 have partnered with Mash Media, to gain insights, share best practice and solutions, in the hope of inspiring change and accelerating sustainability across the industry.”
Jack Newey, portfolio director, Conference News, said: “The whitepaper has really opened our eyes to the current state of the industry and how we view sustainability. It’s clear how many of us eventprofs see the importance of creating a much greener future for events, yet so little believe we are doing enough as an industry.
“Some really strong take-homes from the research, creating the perfect starting block to build on and start digging deeper in to what more can now be done. Thank you to Manchester Central of joining us on this research journey!”
Overall, it’s clear to see that sustainability is not only here to stay; it’s becoming more important and expected to become an even bigger part of our future decision making.
That said, more than half of respondents believe the industry isn’t doing enough to be sustainable or effectively prioritising it, and only 48% believe their organisations are sustainable.
Key findings include:
Invest in the future
The biggest reported challenge for our industry is cost, and since the research began, the landscape has changed somewhat. With Brexit, increasing inflation rates and cost of living, events are now running on even tighter margins than ever before, so this challenge is likely to be exacerbated, with businesses tempted to put sustainability on the back burner. However, with an increasing demand for businesses to invest in sustainability, it’s important to weigh up the cost of not investing in sustainability now, and consider the consequences of being left behind.
Procuring better
Another key challenge for our industry is greenwashing. Only 17% actually audit environmental claims made by the companies they work with. It’s time to be more diligent – as what’s the point in being sustainable if the companies you work with aren’t doing the same? Sustainable procurement policies are key to setting standards to ensure your suppliers are sustainable, and regular audits will ensure these claims are what they say they are.
Governance and guidance
Despite 97% of respondents saying sustainability has become more important to them, only 26% of organisations have signed a pledge to commit to net zero and just over half have a sustainability and waste management policy. 87% agree government need to introduce industry legislation, so perhaps this intervention would ensure the necessary action?
Educate to innovate
A lack of clarity and understanding around sustainability is another big challenge for our industry, yet only 36% of organisations educate and train their employees on the subject.
A strong trend in the research is that education, in all forms, is the key to facilitating sustainable success, so embed education into all areas of your organisation and empower your teams to share knowledge and work together to bring creative solutions forward
