Glenn van Eck spotlights the crucial role sustainability plays in how the events industry operates.
Some senior event organisers have bemoaned the fact that they are bored with the whole ‘green agenda’ that keeps coming up. Take a moment to think about your perceptions of event sustainability and how big a role it currently plays in your customer pitches and planning. There was an early adopter organiser that put together a conference about a decade ago in the least likely of places. Karatara is a small woodcutters’ village, inland from Knysna, Western Cape. The downscaling of the wood industry has led to severe unemployment and it is a pretty bleak destination, or at least certainly not one that would come to mind as a conference venue for delegates that were largely from large hotel chains and similar products.
There were no conference venues in the village and the school hall had no air conditioning. Also absent were any large catering kitchens or a secondary indoor venue for meals. The local community catered and served the meals under a basic tent. They also produced authentic gifts, conference bags and were genuinely engaging in their unique village style. Knysna hosted a few excursions but the village dominated the conference proceedings and hospitality.
The senior delegate from the City Lodge Group said it was the best conference she had ever attended and left knowing that her life had been touched by the experience. Steve Carver and his team ensured the waste was recycled and removed, and the only impact on the ‘environment’ was on the locals who were left with a wonderful sense of pride and could now afford more basics for their families.
Key juncture
Sustainability in events is the wonderful point where pursuing world-first ideas and completing accredited training come together. We believe that the accreditations offered by the Council for Events Professionals Africa (CEPA), through the South African Communications Industries Association (SACIA), will set up an event organiser or PCO with staff who have the confidence and knowledge to see new possibilities in events. They are more likely to reach for the environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects that drive sustainability. It is a trend that is coming down the line as our post-millennials become the leaders who drive event decisions. They see this aspect as more of a necessity than a choice. It is not a nice-to-have for them but something they care about and feel that they need to take action on.
The event business is one of the largest economic sectors in the world. Can you imagine what a difference we can make with that purchasing power? Give customers the opportunity to choose you because of your sustainability profile. Build in the pitch aspect of how attendees will have an enhanced experience and become your promoters.
A good first step could be to aim higher. Even a small impact makes a difference. Consider applying for the Certified Event Associate, Certified Event Practitioner or Certified Event Professional designations via SACIA, and hiring a young prospect who is an ‘ideas’ person. Have them certified as an Event Associate, then free them up to look at each brief from a sustainability point of view.
In no time, ‘boring’ will turn to pride, a new lease of energy and a more profitable business future.
Glenn van Eck is the chairman of the Council of Events Professionals Africa and a member of the SA Events Council. His contribution appears in the September/October 2021 edition of Meetings magazine, which you can read here.
