2 August 2020
The Rise of Sustainable Events
Sustainable events are, rightly, in demand these days and it’s fantastic to see so many venues and suppliers upping their sustainability game.
The phrase ‘sustainable events’ has been on my radar for a long time now and I endeavor, wherever possible, to be as sustainable as possible in all my events.
Being sustainable means to be kind to the environment, be mindful on excessive waste and try and be as clean as we can in all aspects of putting on events. It’s an education piece for the event industry as a whole to ensure we work together to offer the most sustainable events possible and learn from each other how best to do that.
Here at Lucy Claire Events, we are hugely proud to say that we seek out partners that are as sustainable as possible and understand our clients’ requirements for this so we deliver the best events, but in the most environmentally friendly way.
Often clients will want to be as sustainable as possible but are unsure how to deliver this, so we do that work for them and educate and instill the best practices.
I’m pleased to say that there have been so many positive shifts from many of the venues I work with to ensure that they are being as sustainable as possible – from small things such as not using plastic straws and always recycling, to a complete overhaul of their venue’s offer.
A recent visit to the beautiful eco-friendly venue Woodhaven in Surrey really encapsulated this. The venue is a British and European made building with materials and furnishings that have been constructed to suit allergy sufferers, complete with a heat recovery and ventilation system. Pretty impressive stuff. Alongside this, they are really switched on with all the mod cons, technologies and space options to be a hugely credible offering for corporate events.
Another venue I utterly love is Sheepdrove – an organic farm and eco conference centre on the beautiful Berkshire Downs.
The owners always dreamt of self-sufficiency and their original aim was to protect themselves from the polluting chemicals used by the farmers all around them and recreate the original Downland landscape. They state that the conversion to organic farming has been a hugely positive experience.
They also say they have witnessed the nature around them coming back to life with the return of myriad birds, wildflowers, small mammals and insect life and it is so humbling to see how they have transformed this once arid prairie.
I get such a thrill from working with these types of venues and I am so heartened to see most, if not all, new venues taking their eco footprint very seriously as people expect nothing less.
The industry is definitely changing and during this enforced lockdown a lot of fantastic venues and suppliers have used this time to address their sustainability offer and ensure they are doing all they can. It’s by working together that we will support each other to be the best we can be.