Tips for sustainable events

Sustainability is on everyone’s lips, including those of event and conference organisers. People are travelling from all over, blowing their marketing trumpets and putting many resources to use. A lot of things need to be taken into account, but ‘greener’ meetings are really easy to achieve. We are continually working to make events ‘greener’ and have compiled tips for more sustainable events:

In Vorarlberg it is easy to make travel as climate neutral as possible for participants and guests. The ÖPNV event ticket is a ticket for public transport in Vorarlberg. A code allows participants to simply download it and use it on public transport. It’s also a well-known fact that cycling is an environmentally friendly way of getting around. More information about environmentally friendly mobility in Vorarlberg is available here.

Almost everyone takes their notebooks or tablets with them in this age of ‘digital first’, so it makes all the more sense not to print out documents but to upload them for downloading. We are also happy to use a simple licensing model to make our Events Vorarlberg platform available to event organisers. Documents that are still needed as hard copies may simply be printed out on ‘sustainable’ paper: recycled paper, bleached without chlorine.

The elimination of plastic often starts with the conference folders and congress bags. It is much more environmentally friendly to use recycled or environmentally friendly materials instead of plastic or to support social projects by using bags produced in a workshop integrating and supporting  socially disadvantaged persons.

Those for whom sustainability is important can choose an appropriate location. Austria’s Eco label makes this a particularly easy task. Our venue finder clearly highlights those conference facilities that are entitled to use the label.

Vorarlberg is famous for its cuisine and many opportunities exist to eat uncompromisingly well without the accompanying guilty conscience. There are many caterers who live sustainability, rely on organic quality and only use reusable tableware. These Vorarlberg-based caterers are the proud owners of sustainability certificates:

• evenTZ by foodaffairs 
• Seidl Catering GmbH
• derwalch GmbH

Rented plants from regional horitculturists can be used for floral decoration or small plant and herb pots, which cabe oan be offered to the participants after the event - therefore they will remember the event for long. 

It is very beneficial, of course, when people attending conferences are able to take away lasting impressions. Small souvenirs, such as welcome gifts and give-aways, help reinforce the effect. It is easy to pick and choose with locality in mind. We have joined forces with Vorarlberg Tourismus to put together a few welcome packages. There are many ideas for sustainable and regional gifts: find an overview here.

It is important to inform the participants about the sustainabllity standards of the event before their arrival. In this way they will be able to organise their environmentally friendly arrival and departure in time, book a room in a certified accommodation or bring their own writing utensils.

The best is, if all the equipment needed for the event, like furnishing or technology, is provided by the location. When this is not possible, the equipment should be rented from companies near to the location, so that the transport distance is as short as possible.

There is nothing wrong with aiming to stand out by going green. Certification as a ‘Green Event’ or ‘Green Meeting’ is the perfect guide to an environmentally friendly organisation. Information about how we support event organisers in that regard is available here.