Delivering Green Events? Prove It!

I am currently putting together a 600-word piece on green(er) events for a respected online publication - the tack is that design will lead the charge, but only if a brief is given that truly challenges the designers. In order to get feedback on this subject - as I do anyway through my twittering (@MikeBell3D) - I posted a request for information and got so LITTLE back... I posted it under #eventprofs... perhaps I should have done more.. Well those few words may come back to haunt us all.

I have worked with agencies that declare to be 'sustainable'. I work with agencies that do not. As a person who can create complete or part solutions for either of these types of clients (ones either side of the sustainable fence, and some who sit on it as well) I can truly admit to only ever working on two projects that were anywhere near 'sustainable' in terms of production.

For this post and definition I am not including serving of tap water, using organic food, or 'green' taxis as shuttles, to qualify an event as 'green' or even 'greener'. It is not until EVERY strand of a production/event/exhibition is challenged can any of these be seen as REAL effort and REAL results..

Therein lies the problem that I face, and feeling quite lonely in doing it. The supply chain (and I am a weevil in it) are RARELY challenged by the agencies, by the clients, by the industry leaders. You can call yourself, your agency, 'sustainable' and that keeps you going in the green camp.

I wonder if anyone will speak up now and show me a RECENT (past 12 months) green event... not Greener... It should have snowballed (ironically) into a core offer of our big players, and an ambition of the smaller players, it should be a way of operating, a way of challenging your client and their brief. We are here to challenge our clients. We are here to challenge the brief... Or that's what I thought..