How To Make Your Next Corporate Event More Sustainable

Photo by Julian V: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-inside-a-cafe-with-tables-and-chairs-860227/

A corporate event is almost always an expression of the hard work your staff have put in all year, not to mention the values you hope to present. No matter if you have an award show for your team members, are unveiling a product at a local expo, or have brought together your investors for a pitch meeting, what matters is keeping the event running capably and doing so account for every possibility.

But before you become lost in the detail, it’s always important to try and simplify what you’re trying to achieve. What does the event aim to accomplish, who is it for, and what might it say about your brand? These questions and certainly the answers can differ completely depending on the industry you’re in.

Some principles are more than worth your time no matter what, however. For example, sustainability, with an eye to keeping the impact of the event as minimally harmful to the environment as possible, is great for marketing and worth it for its own sake. In this post, we’ll explore how you can achieve that outcome:

Consider Materials For Refreshments

The cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins you use at your event might not take up your main planning time, sure, but they add up to a lot of waste when you’re catering for dozens or hundreds of people. That’s why we’d suggest swapping out any plastic and styrofoam for biodegradable or compostable options, as it shows your guests that you’re thinking about environmental impact, and it’s not as expensive as it used to be now that more suppliers offer these alternatives. 

Disposable coffee cups made from plant-based materials are a great investment, as they break down properly and can be recycled. You can also point to that as part of your marketing, which is a win-win!

Donate Additional Fundraising To Charity

If your event involves ticket sales, sponsorships, or any kind of fundraising, committing a portion of those proceeds to an environmental charity ties your sustainability message together and shows you’re putting action behind your words – again, another marketing opportunity.

In this case, you could partner with organizations that plant trees, clean up oceans, or support renewable energy projects, and let your attendees know where their contributions are going so they feel good about being part of something meaningful. It’s a nice talking point, and can also help you offset some of the impact like with how many people drove to the event space that day.

Work With Reliable, Eco-Conscious Vendors

The suppliers you choose for catering, AV equipment, decorations, and transport all have their own environmental practices, and you can’t account for everything. But as far as you can, working with vendors who prioritize sustainability means your event’s impact gets reduced across the board without you having to micromanage every detail.

To achieve this, you can look for caterers who source locally and seasonally, AV companies that use energy-efficient equipment, decorators who avoid single-use plastics and synthetic materials are all top examples. There are many companies who would love to service your event, so don’t feel hesitant to ask for their bone fides, so to speak.

With this advice, we believe you’ll continue to make your corporate event more sustainable, even as time goes by!