Green Event or Better Event??
Hi everyone I am delighted to say that I managed to find my way onto the green panel at the Event 100 awards held at Vinopolis a couple of weeks ago – particularly because it gave a great insight into where we currently are re the green event concept (‘audience participation required…touch your keypad now’ sort of thing)
And guess what – about 75% of people in the Events 100 audience voted that green events would be more expensive…this is really telling as it concurs with other data which suggest that 8/9 people out of 10 are sceptic about the whole idea of what it means to have a green event. Not one to be known for sitting on the fence 
I feel I have a duty to dispel this myth! Rather than talking about a ‘green event’ we should be talking about ‘producing and managing events sustainably’ which is very different. It about doing what we do already but doing it better economically, socially and environmentally. It also means getting our facts right – which requires instructive scientific analyses of the various elements – we need to be doing the right things well, not the wron things well! This can be done at the level of collaborative consultancy with an events management team or as part of an all-inclusive events management service (you are probably be aware that we do both) – the evidence being that both services lead to compelling commercial gains and a competitive edge.
I thought it was also interesting that the Events 100 panel discussing ‘how to survive the credit crunch’ talked primarily about ‘adding value without increasing budget’. Hard wiring sustainability into your events practices and processes means doing just that – in terms of short term budget management AND long term financial gains. Speaking to the head of CSR at BT at a workshop i recently attended (I love that a representative of BT is always present at these kind of things) – they don’t roll out any agenda unless it has a commercial incentive – says it all really doesn’t it….