Events industry sustainability body isla has launched an action-focused guide to support meetings and event venues in the transition to Net Zero.
The guide, Sustainability in Practice: A Pathway for Venues, encourages venues to review their sustainability progress, develop short to mid-term sustainability goals and set a “realistic but ambitious” aspiration to reach Net Zero by 2050 at the latest.
Best practice and strategy
The guide, created in partnership with VisitBritain Business Events and supported by the Association of Event Venues (AEV), the Meetings Industry Association (mia) and beam, looks at how venues can develop a sustainability strategy covering five areas: company operations; commitments and communications; event deliveries; measurement and reporting; and value chain engagement.
isla said the framework will describe the “what, when and how” of sustainability best practice and will include industry case studies.
Anna Abdelnoor (pictured), CEO and co-founder, isla, said: “Against the backdrop of the climate crisis venues understand, and acknowledge, the part they have to play in creating a Net Zero future. This pathway gives venues of all sizes the guiding light they need to get there, in a way that is practicable, actionable and transformative for the industry.”
Paul Black, head of business events, VisitBritain, added: “This new pathway will be a valuable tool to support our event venues to identify the key areas to address and implement in their progression to Net Zero, especially during the next critical decade.”
Shaun Hinds, chief executive, Manchester Central, commented: “Sustainability is an ever-increasing part of venue operations and we can’t afford to take our eyes off the Net Zero target.
“Yet despite its significance, as an industry, we are still grappling with a lack of clarity and understanding as to how to make meaningful, impactful change to help us get there. The isla guide is a useful tool to help us harmonise our thinking and take steps in the right direction, together. We have already demonstrated our ability, as a sector, to provide innovative solutions to macro challenges and this is another great example of that.”
