Feeling powerless to make your events more sustainable? Want to make your events greener without having to ask your boss for permission or spending more money?

In her recent webinar, “5 No-Cost Ways to Green Your Events,” Julia Spangler, sustainable events consultant, offered tips for accomplishing just that, providing actions that event planners can implement right away to create more Earth-friendly events.

Uber is making it easy for corporations to pick up the tab for employees, clients and partners — and opening up new realms of possibilities for event transportation — with its new Uber Vouchers feature.

Rather than hiring a van or shuttle service for small groups, you can offer them the convenience and flexibility of car service. Some applications for planners that immediately spring to mind are airport transportation, customer dinners and getting staff to wherever they need to go, on time.

Back in April 1970, the first-ever Earth Day was started as a way to protest the negative impacts of industrial development on the environment. Now, nearly 50 years later, Earth Day is a globally recognized event, with an estimated 1 billion people in 192 countries taking part in the world’s largest civic-focused day of action.

Back in the ‘50s, it wasn’t unusual to spot celebrities like John Wayne and Lucille Ball lounging by the pool at Sportsmen’s Lodge. Being located 15 miles from downtown L.A. in nearby Studio City had the same advantages then as it does now — seclusion, lots of greenery, and precious peace and quiet. That’s a big part of why the property draws small corporate meetings (it can accommodate groups of up to 100 comfortably), and its boutique nature lends flexibility that event professionals love.

Sustainability and “green” practices are becoming standard for many corporations, driven by both a belief in corporate responsibility and by customer mindset. A recent Nielsen global online survey shows eighty-one percent of respondents feel strongly that companies should help improve the environment.

We’ve all been to corporate team building events that brought us closer with colleagues and reinvigorated our teams to work toward our common goals. Then we’ve been to others that fall flat, appearing “lame” or a waste of valuable professional or personal time. When corporations develop team building events, it often falls primarily on the event planner to ensure the experience is positive.

Start with the Basics

Karla Singson, CEO of PREP - PR, Events and Promotions, says effective team building events have three basic ingredients.

From black box spaces to renovated castles to cinemas, there are unique and transformative spaces around the globe. This ongoing series of articles highlights a few of the many options available for corporate events.

The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) hosts the largest annual networking conference worldwide for corporate finance professionals. With more than 7,000 attendees and over 250 exhibitors, the 2018 AFP Conference was the biggest AFP event in history.

Events are mirrors of the organizations and industries they serve, reflecting their values and priorities. Therefore, it’s no surprise that green initiatives have flooded the event industry as more and more companies include sustainability goals and practices in their missions. And just as sustainable practices can be good for business, reducing costs and potentially raising customer loyalty, for example; they can be great for events for many of the same reasons.

More than a decade after the launch of the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC), now the Events Industry Council Sustainability Initiative, we’re still trying to make our events more environmentally friendly. One area where it’s easy to make a difference is food waste, or the reduction thereof.

“It’s really just having a plan going in about what waste you’re going to generate and trying to minimize that as much as possible,” said sustainable event consultant Julia Spangler.