This year's EVENTIT, Scotland’s only trade show for business events, meetings, incentives and hospitality, is set to be the most sustainable show so far.
The theme of this year’s event is sustainability and well-being and this year’s conference on Tuesday 13 September will see the show making a big effort to improve its sustainability and encourage others to do so too.
Judith Wilson, events director at EVENTIT, said: “The best way for the events industry to move forward in the right way is for it to become a much more sustainable industry. Events can often create a lot of unnecessary waste, and we want to help the industry understand specific ways to target this and to become more sustainable.
"What better time to show how events can become more sustainable than at a showcase attended by people from all over the UK and beyond, who can put these sustainability methods into practice?”
The event will be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), which earlier this year announced a five-year partnership with RSPB Scotland to support peatland restoration.
The partnership, part of the EICC’s commitment to mitigate operation impact associated with holding large scale events, will see £1 for every conference delegate, and 50p for every dinner guest attendee go to RSPB Scotland.
EICC will also provide EVENTIT with an impact report detailing its CO2 emissions to help the team plan for future improvements.
Event Cycle will work with EVENTIT to repurpose and redistribute items from the show that are no longer needed to charities and community groups as well as back into the events industry.
This year's show will have water dispensers as an alternative to plastic bottles and organisers have asked exhibitors not to hand out delegate bags. There will be a virtual exhibitor handbook that can be accessed via a QR code.
EVENTIT continues to partner with catering company Leith’s, which is introducing new sustainable menus that incorporate more plant-based, locally sourced ingredients.
EVENTIT will also have a Quiet Room, a safe and accessible space that enhances an individual event experience by providing a gentle mental space away from the stimulation of the event.
All exhibitors have been asked to use reusable and/or recyclable materials, to use QR codes as an alternative to printed leaflets and not to provide delegate giveaways as another way to reduce waste.
