Sustainable Events Summit

My thoughts on the Sustainable Events Summit 2011

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

I want to say a big thank you once again to all of the delegates who joined us at this year’s Sustainable Events Summmit. We are now in the process of collating delegate feedback, and so far I’m pleased to say it’s been overwhelmingly positive – with 87% of delegates saying they felt the Summit would help make their events more sustainable, and 93% saying they would attend again next year.

Of course there are always things we can tweak and improvee, and I thought as Chair I would give you my personal take on some of the elements of the day.

Speakers
I thought the speakers this year were excellent and seemed to really capture the attention of the audience. It was interesting that delegates seemed to respond to Tristram and Wayne just as positively as the other speakers, which suggests that keynotes don’t always have to be exclusively about sustainable events to be relevant to the audience.

It was also a real boost to have Nick de Bois MP with us – and I know that he was impressed with the level of passion and debate through the day. Hopefully the start of some real lobbying from our industry to parliament.

Round tables
A bit more of a mixed bag. Feedback was generally positive, and the message seemed to be that this format would work again in the future. However some delegates felt that a more “instructional” environment might have been preferable to the interactive nature of the tables. We could potentially look at running two round table sessions next time, or having a clearer split on each table between interested delegates and “experts.”

Venue
Our thanks once again to the Barbican Centre who proved excellent hosts for the whole day. We’re looking forward to working with them again in the future as a venue and also as part of the Green Meeting Industry Council.

Next time
Guy Bigwwod was fantastic in his call for more leaders to emerge as part of the Summit. While it’s always a morale boost to meet other people who are interested in sustainability, the focus has to be on increasing our reach rather than preaching to the converted. We need your feedback in order to be able to make this happen. Some suggestions we’re already looking at include more regional events and more online activity to supplement the Summit. If you have thoughts on how we can collaborate to push the sustainable agenda in 2011 and 2012, then get in touch.

Andrew Williams, June 2011

Video online now

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

A very big thank you to everyone who joined us for the Sustainable Events Summit 2011 on Monday. I thought it was a great day and I hope those of you who were there got a lot out of it. Just to let you know that the theatre sessions are now available to view online – follow the link to the BeThere Global site to check it out.

Sessions booking up fast

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

With just a few days remaining to book tickets, the round table sessions at this year’s Sustainable Events Summit are booking up quickly. Already three out of the fifteen tables are fully booked, though we still have a fantastic selection of other topics which will allow you to really get to grips with the issues facing our industry. From waste to communication, from exhibitions to social inclusion, this is your chance to have a say in the sustainable future of UK events.

We’re also delighted that Mervyn Jones, head of production and procurement at WRAP, will be joining us for the first panel session as well as the round table discussion on waste.

With the programme now complete we’re looking forward to a great day of debate and discussion on Monday – hope you can join us.

Final keynote speaker announced – Tristram Stuart

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

We are delighted to announce that the morning keynote address at this year’s Sustainable Events Summit will be delivered by Tristram Stuart. The author of “Waste – Uncovering the Global Food Scandal” will relate his experiences in dealing with the unbelievable scale of food waste in the UK and beyond, the lessons we can learn from other countries, and how the events industry can play its part in reducing waste.

Tristram joins Wayne Hemingway MBE, founder of the Vintage Festival, and Guy Bigwood, President of the Green Meeting Industry Council as a keynote speaker at the event, which also features over a dozen round table sessions looking at different industry sectors.

Tickets are available now from the Summit website.

New speakers, new delegates, and a drink

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

More new speakers are being added all the time to the Sustainable Events Summit 2011. Confirmed in the past few days are:

Guy Bigwood, President, Green Meeting Industry Council
Lindsey Dear, General Manager, City of London Festival
Emma Wellman, Venue Services Manager, Earls Court & Olympia

In response to the great speaker line up we are delighted that so many industry colleagues are joining us at the event, including delegates from:

All Party Parliamentary Group for the UK Events Industry
Amway
The Carbon Trust
Channel 4
EDF Energy
Environment Agency
GLA
Grass Roots Group
The Guardian
Julie’s Bicycle
Kuoni
London Business Network
The Sage Gateshead
Schroders
UBM
Visit Britain
Wandsworth Borough Council

As a special incentive to new delegates, we’re delighted that the Barbican Centre will be hosting a drinks reception for all delegates after the Summit. It’s a perfect opportunity to relax and network with industry and government colleagues.

Early Bird tickets now sold out

Monday, May 9th, 2011

The early booking discount period for the Sustainable Events Summit 2011 has now ended. Tickets for the event are selling quickly and with only five weeks to go until the event it’s time to guarantee your place by booking now.

Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group for UK Events Industry to speak at Sustainable Events Summit

Monday, April 18th, 2011

The new All Party Parliamentary Group for the UK Events Industry has placed sustainability firmly on the agenda with the announcement that following the first meeting of the group, members will be invited to attend this year’s Sustainable Events Summit. Both meetings are scheduled for 13 June 2011 and Nick de Bois MP, chair of the APPG, is now confirmed as a speaker on the closing panel at the Summit. All other members of the APPG will be invited to attend and will contribute to a landmark day for the UK events industry.

Join our round table discussion forums

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

This year we are moving away from traditional break out sessions, to host more interactive and in depth round table discussions. These will focus on a variety of different areas including waste, measurement, standards and procurement. Each table will have a facilitator as well as a scribe to record the outcomes from the session. The facilitators will guide the discussion but are there to lead the debate, not dominate it. Each session will be tasked to formulate a suggestion for the best route forward for their sector. Taken together these outcomes will help to build up our roadmap to a more sustainable events industry. Learnings and outcomes from all sessions will be able to view over lunch at the Summit.

If you are interested in facilitating a session or think there’s something we’ve missed, please get in touch. Special tickets are available to our Student Scribes priced at £50 + VAT. If you are studying event management at degree level and would like to be considered for one of these tickets then please email andrew@seventeenevents.co.uk.

First keynote announced – Wayne Hemingway MBE

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

We are delighted that our first keynote speaker for this year’s Sustainable Events Summit has now been announced. Wayne Hemingway MBE will deliver the afternoon keynote address. As well as founding influential British fashion label Red or Dead, Wayne and his wife Gerardine are the brains behind the Vintage festival which will take place this year on London’s South Bank.

Many other speakers will be announced in the next few days and weeks, representing a broad cross section of the sustainable events industry.