In the 2nd of a 2 part series (read the 1st part here), we’re looking at how certain areas of an event – accommodations, marketing materials, and products in general – can affect its overall sustainability impact in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Planning an event itself can be a difficult task in the […]
James Watson
Step aside paper bag princess, Ryerson University’s eco-conscious fashion show leads with style
The paper bag princess was so 1990s. Make way for the plastic bag princess! Who knew that a plastic bag evening gown could look so glamorous? This piece by Stephanie Yiu was one of many highlights at Revolution 2014, Ryerson University’s eco-conscious fashion show held on campus on Saturday, February 1st. The fashion show’s mission was to educate new […]
Key Impact Areas of Sustainable Events (Part 1/2)
When it comes to planning sustainable events, the devil is in the details. Now admittedly, there can be a lot of those details when it comes to planning any type of event and sustainability can quickly add an additional degree of difficulty. By focusing your attention on certain key areas of concern, however, the entire […]
Sustainable Events and the Three Pillars of Sustainability
Before looking into the more specific areas that can affect the overall sustainability of an event (e.g. venue, food and beverage, travel, accommodation, etc.), it is helpful to understand how sustainability in general may relate to an event. Below, we identify a range of factors related to the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability […]
What is Event Sustainability?
In a number of this blog’s previous posts, I’ve jumped into some of the more specific aspects of sustainable events, like how to manage your event according to ISO 20121, or the pros and cons of using carbon offsets. With a mind for the basics, I’d like to go back and answer the fundamental question: What is […]
Green Meeting Hashtags
Are you a green event ninja? Here are some green meeting hashtags that can help you stay on top of your game on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Green meeting hashtags #greenmeetings #gmic #sustainablemeetings #hybridevents Event planning hashtags #eventprofs #bizbash #cmp #mpi #ises #pcma Sustainability hashtags #sustainability #susty #csr #socent #greenbiz Green meeting hashtags for an […]
Carbon Offsets Strategy for your Next Green Event
In my previous post, Sustainable event management with ISO 20121:2012, I mentioned the importance of avoiding any form of “green washing” while planning an event. To this point, it’s appropriate to bring up the concept of carbon offsets and their use (or misuse) in green events. Carbon offsets are commonly used by green event planners to […]
An Introduction to ISO 20121: Sustainable Event Management Systems
ISO 20121:2012 is an international standard for sustainable event management. If you’re planning on hosting a sustainable or “green” event that is both comprehensive and credible in its implementation, this really is the standard you need to know. Ask yourself this: Do I supply products or services to the events industry? Does my organization plan […]
Event Sustainability is not about Love of Nature – it’s BIG Business!
For the love of nature? Yeah right! Event sustainability, like corporate sustainability, is all about business. There are no granola eating, tie-dye wearing, tree hugging hippies in this mix. You see, corporate sustainability is BIG business (click on any of the logos below to be directed to their corporate sustainability website): Large companies like these […]
Event Planning SWOT Analysis
We help event planners build better businesses by being able to organize more sustainable events. Here is a quick SWOT analysis for your event planning business and a look at the green meetings / sustainable events opportunity: Strength The projected growth rate for the event planning marketplace is significant (e.g. 44% growth in its labor market […]