Giles Stanford, director, global events, for CSM Live, outlines 12 ways sports right-holders can procure, design and produce more events that take less of a toll on the environment.
The event industry is unique in that it is both a very collaborative but equally competitive sector, packed full of innovative, imaginative and practical people. We all want to do the right thing: be sustainable, be regenerative and reduce our consumption. So, can we all work together to achieve this common ambition?
From the Olympic Games, right the way down to festivals, weddings and community get-togethers, events are complicated, dynamic things. It goes without saying: “the bigger the event, the bigger the impact”, but the actions taken by the big players filters across the whole industry. Wherever you are in this chain, you can make an impact. We can all procure, design and produce our events with a focus on the three crucial applications: reduction, circularity and innovation.
“Doing the right thing usually emboldens people to do more of the right thing”
Sustainability is no longer a tick-box exercise for events and event organisers. Instead, it is now a critical part of what the entire industry does – core to all the operational functions. At CSM Live, for instance, we provide, amongst other things, look, wayfinding and signage solutions. Historically, this has all been particularly wasteful, with too much one-time usage of materials. But for several years now, we have been committed to making significant improvements in our actions and capability.
