Stop the noise. One of the underlying themes behind the recent trend of sustainability is the call to de-clutter and simplify as much as possible. The call to reduce the flow of useless information, both verbal and written, belongs at the core of any green or eco-friendly event planning strategy. The justification for this can be easily witnessed whenever someone says, "We always do it this way." The new era of sustainable event planning is one that hails innovation and clarity of purpose. If something must be done, be sure to do it with as little spending as possible, produce as little waste as is manageable, consume little energy, and, for goodness sake, ensure it has strategic priority. You'll see what I mean. Keep reading.
When I think about the sustainability of an event, I like to think about the reoccurring ones as they're the most likely to have a stable audience. When an event happens at regular intervals, monthly or yearly, there's a unique opportunity to plan in such a way that you're engaging the new attendees and re-connecting with the returning ones. The event plan should take full advantage of the fact that you're not starting from scratch all the time. There are countless examples but for now try this on for size: All signage should be reusable. Stop making single-use signs. If the signs are branded that's fine but ideally a sign could be used for more than one event. Don't bother with putting a date on the sign; if they're people at the event they already know what day it is. If you need to put a bunch of content on it then do it up on a printed page so it can be removed. When it comes to sponsors, have a separate sign for their logos or, even better, find ways to recognize sponsors without signage. Now, let's not forget that the materials used to make the sign should also be recyclable (I'm so done with corrugated plastic and vinyl lettering).
Now, let's use this sponsor sign scenario to revisit the noise issue. Think back a few years. Yep, that's right... 1999 is a good place to start. Brand recognition and logo positioning were everything. Companies paid big bucks to have their logo splashed on everything in order to get as many impression counts as possible. We do not live in that era anymore. Sponsorships are more about strategic alliances, partnerships, and, ultimately, relationships. A gigantic smorgasbord of sponsor logos communicates none of these values. When wanting to highlight sponsors, keep it verbal or, at least, digital. Shy away from stacking logos on pages or signs because all it does is decrease the impact of any one logo and homogenize the contributions. I know that most planners like to assign metal categories, like platinum, gold, and silver, and that the bigger the logo the more love the company gave; but come on... let's get with the times.
Let's talk paper. Most brochures, flyers, info sheets, PowerPoint notes, and program guides are absolutely useless and are of no value whatsoever to event attendees. When an event includes the spoken and/or written word (which is pretty much every event with the exception of parties and maybe street mime) the gathering should have valuable content that communicated with purpose. It used to be that printing on recycled or post-consumer paper was the latest thing; that's now the bare minimum. What's trendy, in my books, is no printing at all. Another case in point is the program guide. What's wrong with a program guide you ask? In most cases, it's redundant, as the content has already been published online. Republishing a website in print format is a total waste of time and money. Event planners need to organize events in such a way that attendees don't depend on printed material. The cunning use of LCD projection or announcements is a start, or making a website viewable via a mobile device; these are ways to stop the printing press in its tracks. For a small conference you could easily save $5,000 by not designing and printing a program guide. If you're worried about hanging people out to dry, set up some computer kiosks in the lobby with the event website as the home page (or as the desktop screen saver or wallpaper showing the schedule).
The rise of the eco-conscious event industry has been much slower than one would hope. Events are by and large still grossly wasteful and the planners who bring it all together are often ill-equipped or inadequately empowered when it comes to making the decisions necessary to bring sustainable practices to their event project. When I say "your father's eco-friendly event," I mean that there's already old school eco-planning and we should not fool ourselves in thinking that we're doing something good by doing the basics. The basics are not good enough anymore. Blue bins, bottle recycling, name badge drop boxes, printing on 10%post consumer paper, or even reusable trade show bags are not bad in of them selves they just don't make an event sustainable. Single-use items are major waste makers; just because you recycle them doesn't actually account for a whole lot. Oh, and don't get me started on branded gift bags!
Cut out the junk and simplify.
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