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How To Make Your Next Event More Sustainable

Sustainability is an integral part of event planning, but knowing where to focus can still be difficult. Every event is different, and the right approach will depend on factors including your location, audience and event requirements.

There is no simple checklist that can make an event more sustainable, but there are practical steps that can help you ask better questions and make more informed decisions.

Think of these as a starting point. For more complex requirements or in-depth analysis, working with experienced sustainability specialists can help you understand the options and determine the right approach for your event.

Some of the biggest opportunities sit within decisions you are already making.

Start with destination choice

For many events, attendee travel is the largest source of emissions, which makes destination choice one of the most important decisions you can make.

Before confirming a location, look at where attendees are travelling from, how many would need to fly and whether lower-emission options such as rail are realistic.

You don’t need perfect data. A simple comparison can help you understand which destinations create a higher or lower travel impact.

Ask better questions about venues

Venue sustainability is about more than certifications. Look at how a venue manages energy, water and waste, but also consider its location. Can attendees walk between hotels and event spaces? Is public transport practical?

The aim isn’t to label a venue as sustainable or unsustainable. It’s to compare your options more consistently and understand the trade-offs.

Build sustainability into event delivery

Food, materials and transport can all create opportunities for improvement. That might mean reducing food waste through better attendee forecasting, including more plant-based options, cutting unnecessary printed materials or making shared transport easier.

Decide what you want to measure early

You don’t need to measure everything. Start with the areas most likely to have an impact, such as attendee travel, accommodation, venue operations and food and beverage.

Planning what information you need before the event makes it much easier to build a useful carbon baseline and identify opportunities to improve future events.