Sustainable Event Planning

Sustainable Event Planning Alternatives For An Eco-Friendly Event

Sustainable event planning opens your business up to new clients, new design ideas, and contributes to a healthier planet. Here’s how.

In the past few years, we’ve all become more conscious about pollution and excess, especially taking the natural state of our planet into account. This mindset has grown the Event Planning environment, an industry with an unfortunate history of wastage. 

Sustainable event planning involves various factors but is primarily focused on limiting the detrimental effects of events on the environment and the local population.

If you have ever experienced a slight feeling of guilt as you took note of the amount of unused and discarded goods when prepping or concluding an event, these ideas can help with that.

1. Sustainable Event Planning Begins Right At The Start

When organizing a more eco-friendly event, you should have sustainability in mind at all times. By including green businesses in your pre-planning contact list, you can ensure that you have all the amenities you require to have a successful event. But at less of a cost to the environment. These businesses often attempt to reduce wastage and over-supply, thereby decreasing the overall prices of food vendors, for example.

By collaborating with like-minded businesses, you enable a whole range of new customers to form part of your events. And you could make a name for yourself in the green event-planning industry – people appreciate going the extra mile.

2. The Great Outdoors

Your choice of venue might be one of the most impactful factors when planning an event with a smaller carbon footprint. Many cities and towns support green events and even have resources specifically allocated to promote such events. Support eco-conscious venues which are actively busy implementing measures that you wouldn’t have to worry about, or would you like to do the recycling?

When choosing a location, research the public transport networks in and around the venue. Encouraging public transport (or car-pooling) is a small but simple way to have fewer cars idling in traffic.

Related: Local Transport Tips for Event Planners

ICLEI, Local Governments for Sustainability, is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. When scouting for a suitable venue, you can use the ICLEI’s sustainability performance reports, which document the sustainable urban development of cities and towns.

3. Green Eggs and Ham. Or At Least Green Food Choices.

You can benefit from the most is your choice of food and drink— and how you plan on serving these things. Try and locate a supplier who produces reusable or recyclable drink cups, plates, or cutlery

Food waste is a massive issue in the event industry and should be at the forefront of your planning. By ensuring you have a complete, committed, and organized guest list, you can arrange exact quantities of food and drink from vendors or caterers. If you have some leftovers from your event, consider donating it to those in need. This would result in your event not producing as much solid food waste and providing meals for the less fortunate. If you would like to learn more about post-event food donations, visit Rock and Wrap It Up!.

Your event could also use organic food suppliers and vendors, who often cater to vegan and vegetarian events. Organic foods are a welcome addition to events. Many caterers are strictly organic, and organic-only menus have been becoming more popular in recent years. 

4. Tickets, Please.

ticket stand
Photo by Claudio Schwarz

If you’ve never used it, you should consider digital event marketing like Eventbrite. By employing various social media platforms and websites, you can reduce your event’s environmental impact by avoiding the use of flyers or pamphlets. These paper-free marketing alternatives would also be more cost-effective and quicker. 

This same strategy could be applied to your choice of invitation, with many electronic ticketing options available. Electronic tickets are a lot more convenient and safe. They can be emailed to customers directly, ensuring that no one ever has to convince a security attendant that they left their tickets ‘on the kitchen counter.’

5. Recycling

If you want to start out slow, try and make use of recycling stations or bins. These amenities can be placed all around your venue and ensure that you dispose of packaging and waste products properly. 

This will boost your overall eco-friendly street cred and help landfills or recycling centers to protect our environment.

recycling bins
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski

6. Non-Profit, Profit

Include non-profit or non-governmental associations in your events to support the local economy. When making use of community-orientated organizations, you help the local population stay afloat economically and socially. So when you’re serving your guests, serve a plate to the locals too.

We’re all in this together, so by helping out wherever you can, you are ensuring a sustainable and prosperous event-planning industry for future generations. Being eco-friendly shouldn’t hinder your business. In fact, it’s an additional selling point, adding value to customers and the world alike.

Use ThymeBase’s event planning software to loop every supplier into the sustainability discussion with event team functionality. And keep clients in the loop too.