A few months ago, we talked about sustainable events and how people are becoming more aware of sustainability every year. It is our task to look after the planet and to minimise all negative impacts – not only when being part of an event, but also in our day to day life.
We mentioned the importance of paper-free meetings, making the most of our electronic devices; how avoiding plastic disposable plates and cutlery helps the environment, by 2021 the European Union will ban all single-use plastic; we also talked about how to save energy during your event, and last but not least, how supporting local producers can help the environment, with the Local Food Movement.
Going the extra mile for the sustainability of your event
Besides all the above-mentioned measures, there is much more than can be done to guarantee a sustainable or environmentally friendly event.
- Waste management: the key for this is in the 3 “Rs” – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
- Reduce: minimising the purchase of materials, avoiding the purchase of unneeded things. Prioritise the use of recycled materials for cups, plates, cutlery and straws, as well as notepads and pens.
- Reuse: consider reusing all the decoration items for another event, or donating them to charity. Arrange a compost bin for all organic waste that can be donated to a farm.
- Recycle: it is important to plan the number of bins for each material, its size and distribution throughout the event, as well as involving all staff and attendees in the practice, encouraging them to recycle.
- Generate a social and economic impact with our event: by maximising the positive impact of the event in the local community, our event can help generate wealth, involve the local community and, if advertised correctly, it can also attract tourism. By contracting local suppliers for our event, we do help the community, too, and reduce the greenhouse gases.
- Organising CSR activities as part of your event: there are countless ways of making a positive impact on the event attendees, by engaging them in Corporate Social Responsibility activities. From tree planting to river cleaning, the choice is wide. An added value could be organising a CSR activity in line with the ethos of the company. Read a bit more about the subject on our team building and corporate social responsibility section.
- Contracting committed suppliers: if we do our best, implement all possible measures to guarantee proper handling of residues, promote the use of recycled materials and advertise our event as a sustainable one, we cannot allow ourselves to overlook the commitment of our suppliers. We all have to be on the same boat and work towards the same goals.
- A significant part of the meeting spaces, including the best conference centres in Andalusia, have several international certifications, such as the ISO 14001 for environmental management, 20121 for sustainability management systems in events or the 50001 for energy management systems.
- With regards to the activities that can be organised during your corporate event, besides the aforementioned team building integrated with SCR, we offer alternatives like discovering the ecological agriculture, the rail trails or the extraordinary Caminito del Rey.
Sustainability and Meridional Events
In Meridional Events, we are strongly committed to sustainability, waste management and energy consumption.
We do avoid printing papers, 90% of our daily tasks are done electronically, we do recycle all plastic and paper – even electronic items, by delivering them to the waste recycling centre. At the office, the use of plastic is very limited and we do buy in bulk to reduce the packaging (it saves us time, money, petrol and avoids CO2).
As you can see, the benefits of using a DMC for the organisation of your events, not only include your own contribution to sustainability, but also the global contribution through the choice of suppliers to make the event as sustainable as possible.
If you are planning a meeting, an incentive trip, a conference or any other event and would like it to be sustainable, environmentally friendly and impact the local community, do get in touch with us. We will be glad to organise a green event for you.
Meridional Events is your local DMC for all Corporate and MICE events in Andalusia and the South of Spain, including Malaga, Seville, Marbella, the Costa del Sol and Granada, to name but a few. Contact us today.
Update 15/09/2020: we interview Jorge Treceño, Sponsorship Director of MPI – Meeting Professional International, at the Iberian Chapter
