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Trade fairs, conferences, workshops: any type of corporate meeting represents an important opportunity to promote your brand and enhance its reputation. Organizing an event, however, is a complex matter, especially if you want to do it sustainably.
We talk about sustainability because it is an increasingly present value in consumer demands and is now widely shared by companies that are gradually reducing their environmental impact.
Let’s discover why events are an excellent business tool for your brand and how you could organise them in an ecological way!
Events are important for brand image, especially when organised sustainably
From waste sorting to car sharing and plastic-free projects: organisations that want to focus on sustainability often use projects and events to showcase their environmental commitment to the public, foster cooperation among companies, and promote the active participation of employees and customers.
Corporate events are therefore important to communicate the brand’s values and initiatives that benefit the community, and to encourage more people to adopt sustainable lifestyles. However, these are not the only reasons companies organise such events.
Many brands, in fact, organise eco-friendly events to:
- attract new customers and increase sales,
- connect with other industry professionals, find partners, and discover market innovations,
- promote their brand, communicate their mission, and build a positive reputation,
- launch a new product or service or inaugurate a new office, store, or showroom,
- increase corporate engagement, meaning to involve not only customers but also employees more deeply.
In short, events are true business cards for a company.
They must therefore be organised with attention to every detail to reflect the brand’s image (and goals) and meet audience expectations.
How to organise your event sustainably
First of all, when organising an event it is important to define a number of fundamental elements:
- What type of event will it be?
It could be a dinner or an aperitif for colleagues and partners, a meeting or a conference to engage other industry professionals and attract new partners or customers, an inauguration or an office party to celebrate a special occasion… - What is your target audience?
This decision is closely linked to the previous point. Indeed, a particular event may be more suitable for one type of target than another. - What is your planned investment?
It is important to set a precise budget to avoid overburdening your business finances. - What is the most appropriate location?
You need to find a venue that suits the type of appointment and the selected audience, and above all your brand. It could be a hotel, a restaurant, a conference room in a co-working space… - Do you plan to distribute giveaways?
You might prepare giveaways to offer to guests as a form of "thank you" for their participation. Gifts are an effective corporate marketing tool, but it is important to choose carefully: for occasions like this, it’s key that they are green or plastic-free products, preferably customised with your company logo.
Once these general elements are defined, you can focus on the details that will make your event unique and above all ecological. Here are some tips.
1. Minimise paper use as much as possible
Today it is possible to organise almost completely paperless events thanks to technology, which makes all types of materials accessible online.
But how?
You can send invitations by email! Even brochures, catalogues, slides and other materials shared during the day can be delivered digitally. Some hotels provide energy-efficient monitors placed at entrances and corridors to indicate directions and room names, thus reducing the use of printed paper.
To check tickets at event entrances, you can set up a paperless reception where a digital code is enough to identify attendees. Alternatively, you can activate an online check-in service to speed up guest recognition.
2. Sustainable location and setup
A sustainable event should take place in a low-impact location that uses renewable energy. Even better if it is well connected to public transport or cycle paths, allowing guests to reach the event by choosing among various sustainable transportation options. Increasingly, people select bicycles and electric scooters for city travel.
If possible, use recycled or recyclable materials for a high-quality setup with minimal environmental impact. You can rely on associations and professionals in furnishing who can create zero-waste decorations for you.
3. Local refreshments
Want to delight your guests with a light refreshment? Here too you have several ecological alternatives: you can turn to caterers, eco-responsible restaurants or suppliers offering local products, preferably zero-kilometre, and washable or recyclable tableware.
Be careful about food waste! Do not over-order: it’s important to find a balance based on the expected number of participants. If possible, ensure leftover food is donated or delivered to organisations that can handle it.
Finally, you can provide water dispensers in various areas of the venue so participants can refill cups and bottles (which you could distribute as a welcome gift so they can use them during the event) whenever they wish.
4. Set up waste sorting bins
A sustainable event must include the possibility to sort waste properly: plan for containers in different areas for organic waste, plastic and paper, glass, and non-recyclable materials (general waste).
5. Adopt ecological solutions to reduce CO2 emissions
When organising a green event, details make the difference. Therefore, you must include solutions to reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible.
First, you can choose, as mentioned, an environmentally conscious and easily accessible location, and find alternatives for participant travel: for example, you could organise a shuttle service to transport several guests in one trip, or create social media groups that allow participants to coordinate taxi sharing or carpooling. These alternatives also help save transportation costs.
6. Distribute sustainable giveaways with eco-friendly packaging
A company committed to sustainability can demonstrate this also through the choice of plastic-free promotional giveaways distributed during the event.
Gifts of this type are very common at conferences and trade fairs and are used by companies as a form of thank you to participants for their presence. The offered item should represent the company and it is therefore appropriate to customise it with your logo.
Usually, these are practical items that can be used daily at the office or home, such as a mug or a planner. But if you are organising a sustainable event, you can aim higher by choosing ecological objects like cotton mesh shopper bags, thermal water bottles, or bamboo power banks!
A corporate gift, if presented with a well-designed, customised, and ecological packaging, is unlikely to be discarded after the event and will remain a long-lasting memory for your guests.
The choice of materials for packaging matters a lot here too. Among the various eco-friendly packaging options to choose from, fabric can be a perfect substitute for traditional plastic packaging, thanks to the wide range of natural and certified textiles such as hemp, jute, cotton, linen…
Fabric packaging can truly make a difference in gifting, as it is itself part of the gift and can be used for a long time since it is durable, washable, and reusable for many purposes.
Moreover, bags can be customised in every detail, so you can create packaging made to measure for your giveaways and promotional purposes.
Here are some sector-specific ideas:
- large bags for the hospitality, footwear, and leather goods industries
- bags in sophisticated fabrics for luxury brands
- shopper bags made of natural fabrics for natural foods and cosmetics
- pouches for makeup and accessories for cosmetics brands
How to choose the most suitable fabric for your brand
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