Reward and recognition rewired Make a change in event design Clean up your marketing act IN THIS ISSUE
May 2021 | mitmagazine.co.uk
SUSTAINABILITY NOW!
Join theM&IT campaign to build back better
19
40 54
Sustainability Now! It’s time to drive the sustainability agenda 8 COVER STORY
In this issue
24 How to
Regulars 5 Editor’s letter 6 Comment 16 Hot take 19 Talking point 22 Secret eventprof 23 Supplier sounds o 27 Marketing mix 30 Strictly corporate 37 Agency pitch 54 Dr Virtual 56 Tech spec 58 Outside the box 78 Keyhole
Editor: Paul Harvey Senior Journalist: Holly Patrick Associate Editor: Sally Trelford Designers: Claire Gates, Samantha Dilley, Louisa Horton ADVERTISING & PRODUCTION Client Services Manager: Amanda Ludman Client Services Executive: Eloise Millen Group Commercial Director UK: Ross Barker Account Directors: Charlotte Bliss, Martin Balmer, Connie Magner, Brett Dempsey Data & Client Services Executive: Johan Skogqvist NORTHSTAR MEETINGS GROUP UK Managing Director UK: David Chapple Editorial Director: James Lancaster Group Marketing Director: Rochelle Jayawardena Portfolio Marketing Manager: Alex Softley Senior Circulation Executive: Nick Nunhofer
Rethink, reduce, recycle, reuse 32 Buyer quick re
Trang Chu Minh on making bold changes
40 Inside incentives
The changing face of reward and recognition
44 Case study:
British Travel Awards Are digital events a sustainable alternative?
Digital Manager: Stacy Taylor Head of Events: Emma Gordon
48 Case study:
Images: © 123RF
British Thoracic Society Pushing through the pandemic
The publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, although the utmost care is taken that information contained is accurate and up-to-date. Published by: Northstar Meetings Group, The Old Stables, Pippingford Park, Millbrook Hill, Nutley, TN22 3HW
51 The social impact Lisa Sweeting explores social sustainability 63 What it means to be green A tour of the UK & Ireland’s green venues
Plus 69 Melbourne 72 Malaysia 76 Milan
E-Mail: sales@ntmllc.com Website: mitmagazine.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1342 306700
ISSN 0953-2803 © Northstar Meetings Group
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 3
Team building since B.C. Athens, a city of myths, monuments and cultural DNA. Here, every experience has a backstory. Channel your team’s Olympian spirit in the home of the first modern Olympic Games.
Surprise, delight and inspire your team. In Athens.
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Touching distance I can almost taste it, can’t you? e return of in-person events is a tangible reality rather than the hopeless pipe dream it seemed
That’s why you’ll find this issue themed around the subject; from the latest on M&IT’s Sustainability Now! campaign to expert pieces on incorporating sustainable ideas into your event design, incentives, marketing and more. There’s never been a more important time to connect the dots on sustainability – and whether you’re a novice or veteran on green issues, we’ve got something to help you on your journey. Elsewhere in the mag we’ve got all the usual content for curious-minded event professionals. In this month’s Strictly Corporate I caught up with a planner who has seen Covid-19 bring into focus the value of events for her company, while for Agency Pitch I discovered how pivoting with purpose has propelled one rm through the pandemic. We’ve also got exclusive case studies from the British Travel Awards and the British oracic Society, both of whom took their annual events online for the rst time. Dr Virtual is on hand to cure your online networking woes, while our destination features onMilan, Malaysia andMelbourne will have you itching to get back – responsibly – to overseas travel. We also found time to catch up with the newly-minted Institute of Event Management, to discover its plans for greater professional recognition for eventprofs. It’s a real bumper edition, at the beginning of what promises to be a bumper few months for the sector. Dive in!
a fewmonths ago. We’re not out of the Covid woods yet, but we’ve got our map the right way up, we’re con dent we’re on the right path and we’re striding purposefully ahead. Here at M&IT we even got to go to a real-life in-person event, as senior journalist Holly Patrick ventured up to Liverpool to join 400 mask-free, freshly- tested attendees at government pilot event Change Business for Good, the UK’s first large-scale business event in more than a year. The massive response on social media showed the sheer scale of pent-up demand and appetite for the return of face-to-face. As I write this, the long-heralded June 21 date for reopening in England is under There’s never been a more important time to connect the dots on sustainability threat thanks to the newly-emerging Indian variant. But regardless of whether it happens precisely on the summer solstice or not, what is clear is that vaccines will provide us with our route out of this crisis very soon. And beyond that is the promised land of a packed domestic schedule for the rest of the year, where we will gure out what it means to be a post-Covid event professional in the UK. As we engage with the next normal, there seems little doubt that sustainability is going to be at the centre of our thinking.
pharvey@ntmllc.com
@meetpie
M&IT Magazine
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mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 5
COMMENT
Waiting onGovernment guidelines Anita Lowe, CEO, Venues and Events International
in Liverpool will hopefully help to shape future guidance as we start to bring live events back into our event programmes and we look forward to what this guidance looks like.
At Venues and Events International, we’d be very interested to see what the Government guidelines will be in regards to Covid certificates/passports/ apps. Throughout the pandemic, we have been working very closely with our clients, keeping them informed of the latest Government advice as we plan ahead for future events. Our key priority is to ensure delegate safety. If the Government states Covid certificates will be required, we’ll work with our clients to make this
happen. They appreciate the guidance is there for a reason, and will adhere to for corporate social responsibility and the safety of their employees. The recent pilot events
Sue O’Gorman, managing director at Davies Tanner Vaccine certificates
As the official secretariat and advisors to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Events, we hosted a meeting with chair of the APPG, the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, along with key representatives from
There was also a unanimous view for a single four-nation approach to the implementation and management of any form of certification, and there was a view that any individual divergence could prove counterproductive. The APPG is very keen to hear your thoughts
across the live events industry in the UK to discuss the potential use of vaccine certificates for events. The general view of the meeting was that the industry would welcome the short-term introduction of some form of certification if this enabled the swift return of live events with
on this subject. Do you think the use of vaccine certificates
as part of Covid-safety measures is practical for live events and if you have concerns, what are they?
maximum capacity levels and minimal mitigation.
6 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
We’re back!
I’m not booking any locations
We receivedadelugeof comments in response toour coverageof Liverpool’s pilot event, hereare just a few.. .
Graham Feest, Road Safety Consultancy
Certainly, I am not booking any locations and never do until I have viewed the premises and met the person whom I will be dealing with. However, it is not just a question of viewing a venue cold as it were I like to see it operational and always ind the way I can do that is to stay overnight
Itwarms the very cockles of ourpurplehearts
seeingand reading this, not longnowuntilwewill all see eachother again at businessmeetings and events. #meetingsareback #wewillmeetagain Inntel
We can’twait toget backonsite! Let’shope the trials area
success and thatwe canrestart and rebuildsoon. #eventprofs Elaine Dellar, founder and MD of Dellar Davies Ltd
- something I sometimes do
Soamazing toseeapositive return toevents asweknow
incognito so I don’t get any preferential treatment. The only real way to access its
and love them!! Alexa Martinez, St James’s Place Wealth Management
Will technology save the day? Julie Shorrock, Managing Director of HTS
suitability in my view is in that way. Regretfully,
At HTS, although we have not received any enquiries from clients regarding Covid certi cates for meetings and events, we are supportive of Covid certi cates, if it was to support delegate con dence in returning to live meetings and events. Currently, our client’s main priority is the detail of risk assessments from venues we are proposing. e question is, how easy would Covid certi cates be, and the technology required to ensure it is a painless process for clients to manage?
therefore I will not be booking up anything until I can achieve that objective frommy point of view unless I have prior knowledge.”
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 7
The time is now!
M&IT editor Paul Harvey on why now is the time to drive the sustainability agenda across the sector E vent professionals have a responsibility to take the lead on sustainability for two reasons. Firstly, events have a hugely costly environmental impact. Whether it’s transport, waste, food or plastics, our sector is undoubtedly doing lot of damage. which we aim to drive the sustainability message across the sector. And what better way to kick things off than with an event? The plan was to bring together
associations from around the events world to brainstorm ideas on how to further the sustainability agenda. Organised by M&IT in collaboration with
Secondly, events are extremely powerful as a vehicle for change. We can bring together all types of people across all types of events. How many other sectors have the
the Event Marketing Association (EMA), Axis Workshops, and production agency Broadsword Event House, each of the 10 associations sent three or four representatives,
power to influence that events have? As event professionals, we can show other sectors how it should be done. However, if we’re going to show others how things can be done – we first have to work out what
The 10 associations represented were: mia, EVCOM, HBAA, ILEA UK, Site GB, ICCA UK & Ireland, HOSPA, AEME, ABPCO and the EMA
we’re going to do. And if we’re going to do anything meaningful as a sector, we have to work together. Collaboration Earlier this year, here at M&IT we launched our Sustainability Now! campaign, with
who heard a keynote speech from sustainability pioneer Guy Bigwood of the Global Destinations Sustainability Movement, speaking about the Regenerative Revolution, a new paradigm for event management.
8 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
After that, the 40-strong cohort entered a workshop led by Axis Workshops founder Rob Hopkin, during which they set out to define and prioritise a set of actionable ideas to make the events industry more sustainable. More than 80 ideas were generated in response to the question, “As the industry recovers from the impact of Covid, what can we do to become more sustainable?”. These ranged from small, easily implementable ideas like re-using event materials, to bigger long term projects such as embracing the circular economy. Attendees then ranked the ideas and rated them in terms of cost and sustainability impacts. Out of the 80 ideas, there was a clear top 15. Then, things got really interesting. Dividing each idea’s impact score by its cost score gave a return on investment (ROI) score for each idea. That meant that these ideas were, in sustainability
The top 15 ideas...
Producelesswaste Recruit locally Roadmap to net zero Reduce food waste Zero to landfill Vegetarian/locally-sourced food Re-use event materials Influence supply chain Communicate daily food waste at events Employee engagement tools Sustainability committees for each event Embrace local thinking Buy local wherever possible No plastics at events Circular economymodel Collaborate with venues
Whether it’s transport, waste, food or plastics, our sector is undoubtedly doing a lot of damage to the environment
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 9
The corporate view A corporate event planner, who asked to remain anonymous, shares their sustainability journey “People have been talking to me about
sustainability for a long time, but it’s only since my company introduced an ethical code that it has been a deciding factor. We work with certain venues because they’ve got great sustainability policies. “When working with venues we ask them what they do about repurposing food, where does it go to, what do they do with water, do they recycle towels? We don’t just give out delegate gifts for the sake of it, we do things with purpose. We also try to repurpose event collateral, we don’t do things with the event name and date on them, so we can use them time after time.” “It’s about challenging suppliers, using local suppliers and produce. Don’t put food on your menu that’s not in season, look at making small changes. If I’m sending stuff out I make sure there’s no single use plastic, that everything is compostable and that we only use UK suppliers. It’s slightly more expensive, but only a little. A lot of the things we do make a small difference, and if everyone makes a small difference it has a big impact.”
The agency view Speaking at the Sustainability Now!
webinar curated by isla, Toby Lewis, CEO of Live Group, shared his thoughts on the importance of locality... “The regional roadshow is going to make a significant comeback. That allows people to walk,
cycle or drive a short distance to a regional show. If you layer on the tech on top of that, there’s a real advantage to being able to have a national and regional conference on the same day. “If you run an event at a destination and you want people to attend, you need to present them with something that sits outside of the content days. People want experiences – and that could actually be part of the journey. “You’re looking at where people are coming from and maybe meeting in small groups, sponsors hosting those groups, there’s all sorts of stuff we can do. Who wouldn’t want to go on a train to another country, if on your train there was a carriage full of people who were coming from your country? It sounds brilliant. “Before Covid we were really struggling to get people to do the incentive as well, I hope that has a rebirth. I hope people think, ‘I’m flying to Barcelona, I’m actually going to do that thing that I’ve ignored for the last decade, because why wouldn’t I? I’m there, it helps support the place I’m actually going, even better’.”
10 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
terms, the easy wins. The five things that would bag you the highest results as a company with the lowest cost. Our top five scorers on ROI were as follows: 1. Produce less waste 2. Influence supply chain 3. Reduce foodwaste 4. Recruit locally 5. Collaborate with venues The webinar With our top ideas in place, we then spoke to Anna Abdelnoor and Ben Quarrell of isla , the independent industry body supporting the events sector transition to a more sustainable future. Using the ideas generated by the associations in the workshop, isla curated a webinar featuring: Juliane Caillouette Noble, MD of the Sustainable Restaurant Association; Chantal Kerr-Sheppard and Carina Jandt, founders of EventCycle; Toby Lewis, CEO of Live Group; Elena Salazar, policy and knowledge manager at Eating Better; and Jo Austin, sales director at Lime Venue Portfolio. Through laser-focused interviews, presentations and discussions, the panellists explored the ideas, creating new directions and channels of conversation. The idea-packed session is available on-demand. Watch now
Going forward What’s so exciting about Sustainability Now! is that this is just the beginning. The appetite in the events sector to talk about sustainability and to make real, tangible change has never been stronger. At the heart of the campaign is a desire to drive the agenda across the sector – and create actionable, achievable goals. We know we do not have all the answers. No one does. It is our aim to facilitate that conversation in any way that we can, because it is by talking to each other that we can foster the collaboration that will be so vital to the sector’s sustainable future. If you want to help us drive the conversation, we want to hear from you. Let’s get together and tackle sustainability. Now. It is our aim to faciliate the conversation in any way that we can, because it is by talking to each other that we can foster the collaboration that will be so vital to the sector’s sustainable future.
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The challenge Sustainability-driven agency
hassle, and when you’re busy as an events organiser you just don’t have the time to do the research you need to do to find out which products are genuinely sustainable. “A third barrier is linked to
Legacy Events has just launched Legacy Marketplace, a platform that aims to help anyone organising an event to do it more sustainably. Through market research and speaking to clients, founder and MD Abena Poku-Awuah discovered there were three main barriers to sustainability for organisers. “One barrier is the perception that making events more sustainable costs more,” she says. “Another perception is that it’s a lot of
greenwashing; our clients were telling us they were worried that products that advertised themselves as being sustainable weren’t really sustainable. That was risky for them, it opened them up to challenges from delegates and stakeholders.”
12 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
First steps
TAKING ACTION
Sustainability can be very daunting – and knowing where to begin can seem impossible. Here are a few ideas for first steps:
Look at where you are and what’s already being done. The first step is to evaluate where you are – and how you can leverage that. Train and engage staff. People don’t all have the same definition of sustainability. You need to make sure everyone understands what sustainability is in your company’s context. What does it mean for you? That will determine how you train people. Identify sustainability issues depending on the format of your events. The sustainability conversation will be different based on whether you’re holding roadshows, virtual events, conferences, etc. You have to decide which impacts you’re trying to address. Don’t try to do everything at once. Pick just one or two of the most important issues to begin with. Work it out incrementally. Allocate roles and responsibilities, engage people by making them responsible for what you want to achieve. Talk to suppliers. Suppliers are waiting for clients to ask about sustainability. A lot of them already do sustainable things, but perhaps don’t know how to communicate it. If you talk to suppliers you can find new solutions, you don’t have to start from scratch.
Be persistent. You might feel reluctant to engage with suppliers, but you’re not going to be the first to ask them about sustainability. And the more people ask them, the less they will be able to resist. Not achieving your objective is ok – as long as you know why you’re not achieving your objective. Some people never get started with sustainability because they’re afraid of not doing well. Remember: doing anything is good, as long as you’re willing to learn. Once you get going it’s not as hard as it seems. You have the power. Event planners have the power to introduce green policies and influence stakeholders. If we push the message out to leaders, to supply chains, to associations, we can make it work. Some people never get startedwith sustainability because they’re afraid of not doing well. Remember: doing anything is good, as long as you’re willing to learn
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 13
venuedirectory.com
I magine bookings for meetings filling the For many venues, this is real. Many have been integrating with technologies to turn this concept into reality. The cost-efficiency benefits are reaching their bottom line. venue’s diary without anyone answering all the questions on a Request For Proposals (RFP). At the heart of this, digitally integrating the many software systems that connect bookers with venues is venuedirectory.com, with the largest data centre of venue information about the UK MICE industry covering nearly 20,000 meeting and events venues in the UK. CEO Michael Begley explains; “Our commitment has always been to make it easy for bookers to find the venues they want and for venues to showcase what they have to offer. “Digital integration is the latest opportunity to offer further efficiencies and the best possible service to everyone. It’s exciting that so many venues, from worldwide hotel groups to dedicated venues, are recognising the benefits that this can bring.” Dana Lewis, Vice President M&E, Luxury M&E & Leisure for Northern Europe at Accor says; “We are delighted to be fully digitally integrated with venuedirectory.com as this allows us to track and manage the business and to really understand the performance of our clients. As venuedirectory.com is
the leading UK online M&E platform provider we certainly believe we can drive and more importantly convert more business.”
Diary & Distribution Eco-System
T
Booker
RFP
Instant Book
Manual Input
Julian Kettleborough, Commercial Director of The Studio which has venues in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds andGlasgowsays; “We receive a significant amount of our enquiries via venuedirectory.com and have always seen integration as key. It removes the need to dual input data into two systems which frees up a large amount of time that can be used more productively on other tasks such as relationship building. Integration gives us the chance to dedicate resources in a much more meaningful way.”
Is the RFP or the Instant Book integration more important?
Both are highly important, however, clients are certainly requesting greater access to Instant Book for their small meetings to enable quicker turnaround which in this day and age is a necessity.” “ ?
Dana Lewis of Accor
“
Instant Book gives access to a venue’s live availability for meeting rooms
Every daymore venue operators contact
us todevelop their digital integration. Soondigitally integrated systemswill be the heart of the industry.”
Michael Begley CEO of venuedirectory.com
Venue Diary Management Systems
Instant Book Aggregator
Tec Hub
Non Integrated Platform
API
*MyEventsChannel is the extranet system for venues and suppliers to access venuedirectory.com
HOT TAKE
Better together isla aims to help the industry progress towards net-zero and zero waste. Its co-founder Ben Quarrell here shares the importance of action and collaboration across the industry to achieve our climate goals. A t isla we believe in bringing the industry together to create a sustainable future, which is why
would become our founding members. Every person at every organisation can make a difference, but the power harnessed collectively by collaborating across the whole supply chain, from corporate event owners
we were so pleased when we heard about M&IT bringing together 10 associations to talk about sustainability. Across the board, we’re seeing a real desire to build back greener across the full events spectrum and make sustainability central to the industry recovery. We are amidst a climate emergency and the way we collectively approach the next 10 years will shape the next 100. This realisation can feel daunting, but I also like to think that it can be empowering. We have a unique opportunity to create a better world for future generations; the key question is how? We set up isla in September 2020 to address that question. After reading the United Nations IPCC 1.5 degrees report, our co-founder Anna was inspired by the call for ‘radical cross-sector collaboration’ to achieve our climate goals and started the conversations with the event agencies that
right through to end suppliers, magnifies this effect tenfold. There are people in every organisation going through the same questions, doing the same research and hitting
The way we collectively approach the next 10 years will shape the next 100.”
the same barriers. Our mission at isla is to connect the dots and dismantle the barriers, making it easier for everyone to deliver sustainable events. As an action-based organisation we assess everything we do by asking ourselves if a particular tool or resource we are designing will help event planners make better choices immediately - and only
16 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
JasonMegson, MD&VP, George P. Johnson
We have a far better chance of moving forward from a mere conversation around sustainability to measurable change when all those who are part of the event industry collaborate behind one organisation. This is not a task that sits exclusively with event agencies but
is all encompassing and includes the far-reaching supplier network and also the brands who commission and sponsor the events activity in the first instance.
Michael Gietzen, MD, Identity Group For event agencies like Identity that deliver international events, our sustainability policies reach around the globe, into the boardrooms of the world’s biggest brands and are quickly noted by the media and audiences. This rapid shift and ambition to deliver sustainability in events is allowing our sector to set the new standard and indeed lead by example.
move forward with it if the answer is yes. The top 15 ideas that came out of the Sustainability Now! workshop are goals that we can all get behind. The difficult thing can sometimes be to keep them top of mind midway through a busy project or measuring your performance so you can improve the next time. To help solve this challenge, isla has spent the last year developing a universal framework that houses all sustainability best practice in one place and provides simple checklists applicable to each area so that the whole supply chain can work across the same system. e framework is called proseed and will be released in June as a free resource to the entire industry and has been through several rounds of testing with sustainability experts and our 60-strong member group. We can’t wait to work with the associations involved in Sustainability Now! and the wider industry to bring everyone together to help achieve the future we all know is possible.
With COP26 around the corner, the sector can use this to reach, influence and lead the conversation with worldwide audiences, suppliers and clients, efficiently and at scale.
Rick Stainton- founder and group executive director of Smyle and founder of One Industry, One Voice The industry has experienced huge disruption and accelerated change in the last year or so – as per the mandate businesses and organisations across the seven core sectors of our wider industry gave One Industry One Voice, they would like to see closer collaboration, more inclusive behaviour and deeper values of respect, engagement and understanding
across our diverse but interlinked communities. The power in a collective voice and focus can only be more effective for delivering actions that make a difference.
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 1 7
WEL COME BACK
in partnership with
Birmingham’s original Grand Hotel, restored to glory and reborn with 10 exceptional meeting and event spaces, including the spectacular Grand Ballroom. To find out more visit thegrandhotelbirmingham.co.uk
THE GRAND HOTEL BIRMINGHAM, COLMORE ROW, BIRMINGHAM B3 2BS TEL: +44 (0)121 827 9600 EVENTS@GRANDBIRMINGHAM.CO.UK
TALKING POINT
Make that change
A s Michael Jackson sang on Man in the Mirror, “I’m gonna make a change… it’s gonna feel real good. Gonna make a di erence, gonna make it right.” I’m a massive MJ fan and I don’t mind you knowing this. It feels pertinent to be humming along to these words as we have recently celebrated #EarthDay2021 and as we are slowly moving out of lockdown and into the world of the next normal, it really is time to make that change as an industry. We have seen countless webinars, LinkedIn live sessions, Clubhouse chats and back in the
Samme Allen, founder of event hosting and meeting design agency Samme Allen & Associates, on how rethinking the event design process can help meet sustainability targets
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 19
TALKING POINT
the day, in-person events talking about sustainability - but how far have we come with designing events that have sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at their heart? Having hosted the launch of the Legacy Marketplace, an online platform set up to help event organisers search, book and buy sustainable events products, it was interesting to hear from a major nancial corporation saying that their event strategy really is a catalyst for change within their organisation. From using local suppliers and no “manels”, to going paper free and charity donation giveaways, the most poignant message was the consideration of which events would continue to be held in-person. e phrase “less is more” came up when discussing meeting business objectives. While we are moving toward the next normal, it really is a good time as businesses to start making actionable strategies to advance UN SDGs and contribute towards slowing down theclimate crisis. As travel and events are inextricably linked, many of us have been scratching our heads to consider ways that we can continue to be this vibrant industry where we meet and change the world, while ensuring
the planet isn’t harmed, and that we are considerate of inclusivity as well as health and wellbeing. Digital transformation During the pandemic we have seen organisations and industries who, in the past (BC – Before Covid) had said that they couldn’t change. Doctors said they could never hold online appointments, independent pubs and restaurants said they couldn’t do delivery or take outs, the list goes on. I’m sure you are championing many of these organisations as they navigate the world of digital transformation. As event professionals, we can in uence change without compromising business and event objectives. It just takes more time and consideration and perhaps the support of otherswho have that experience. We launched our sustainable travel policy last month. As professional emcees and
We can in uence changewithout compromising business and event objectives”
20 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
moderators, this has been causing me a headache for some time as prior to lockdown, my associates and I would be on a plane most weeks during the conference season, heading to wherever our clients were hosting their events. In November 2019, I travelled 40,000 miles for four jobs. While to some, this was a kudos to the frequent yer status, this isn’t a sustainable policy and for many brands building their own policies, this would weigh heavy on their own targets. We are in the same boat/ plane as many ofyou reading this today. But small changes that we action today will a ect our tomorrow. Like any plan, our policy will continue to develop as we grow and understand the changed landscape of business events. In the meantime, here are three of our policy points that may be useful for you to consider with your stakeholders. Travel blending We will consider reducing the frequency of business travel by hosting multiple meetings and events where possible into one trip and managing time
better. An example of this is working together as an industry to understand what events are happening where and working collaboratively to use this as a viable option. I have two client events in the same country happening consecutively, so I am able to travel once to host both. Alternative to travel During the event design process we will work with our clients to consider replacing certain face‐to‐face content and using virtual worlds to support our clients sustainable travel policies. With the growth of the virtual and digital conference world, and the acceptance from participants of this as medium, an example of this is that we are working with clients to consider whether a speaker or indeed host, needs to travel to deliver their content to achieve eventobjectives. Our associates We plan to help advance SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by o ering opportunities to join our associate team, and encourage girls to join our hosting, moderation and meeting design community and discover the rich opportunities this profession can o er. is also is being recognised more and more in terms of banning one gender panels and consideration of audiences and equality in content and participation. ese are just a few examples of making that change. Some will work, some will not. As event professionals, perfection is something we all strive for. But these changes will take time, some will fail and we will learn and become more innovative from these failures. Without action, we do ourselves a great disservice as we really are the conduits for change. So, like Michael Jackson or not, go and make that change today.
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 21
SECRET EVENTPROF
W e’ve had a year of spending all of our time at home – and we’ve all got used to a whole new routine. Butwait!All of that is about to change edusting downof your suitcase andboardingof that early train is drawingnear – and all of a suddenyou areneeded tobe inattendance for anactivity that youhavebeenpresent at virtually for so long. How do you feel? How will your family feel about waving you o ? How can you now squeeze in the gym session that has become part of your routine? Or the early morning walk you have enjoyed to clear your head, prior to a day of meeting a er meeting? We’ve got so used to our new habits, that our old way of life is a great unknown. Some of us have found that we can achieve a great deal at home, and are not ready to make the step back to our old way of working. A way of working, might I add, that we now realise has a ected our personal lives so heavily. Power of touch is doesn’t take away the power of touch. e power of networking, or going for a co ee, or engaging shoulder to shoulder; we know the positive impact this can bring. But it will take time for some of us to get back to that place where we’re feeling this positive impact. Indeed, the return to events could have the opposite e ect in the short term. is we all need to be aware of and ensure that it is pre-empted when encouraging delegates to return to live, or employees to return to the o ce. We need to kickstart the re-opening of the world of heightening learning, knowledge and satisfaction. But we cannot underestimate the inner fear that we will all have the rst time we do walk into the conference room and see familiar and new faces. Your delegates must be coached into taking this step and know that their welfare is a key consideration of the overall planning and execution of your events. How are you educating and encouraging your audience to take the leap of your faith and attend in person to recoup the benets? Because as we know, without delegates and an audience, your planned show won’t go on. Leap of faith Who decides if your delegates will attend your events in person – you or them? Our secret eventprof wants to know.
We’re so used to newhabits that our oldway of life is a great unknown.”
22 MAY 2021 mitmagazine.co.uk
SUPPLIER SOUNDS OFF
L ike the Bribery Act, The Data Protection Act and The Disability Discrimination Act let’s not make sustainability of hotels and venues into another cash cow for consultants promoting their snake oil solutions. Resources for sustainable practices are plentiful and free. What isn’t free though, is a deeper dive into sustainability. Recently in Never forget Our mystery supplier is asking you to think carefully about who you place your business with in the return to live events.
our sector the environmental issue has overtaken all the other important
Think how your calls regarding cancellations went unanswered.”
factors of corporate responsibility
such as fair labour practices, ethical business practices and inclusivity. Which it shouldn’t. When you next plan an event take a look at the business practices of that destination or hotel chain. ink how some hotels furloughed all their sales sta or got shot of their representatives at the rst opportunity. ink how your calls regarding cancellations went unanswered and how some of you are still waiting for commissions from over a year ago. Abandoned ink how some countries and cities quickly dispensed with the services of their in‐market salespeople. ink how some airlines and DMCs abandoned their reps, thinking the UK taxpayer could just bail them out with furlough payments. Ask yourself where certain previously verbose suppliers have been over the last year. Not supporting your industry, for sure.
They didn’t support associations by paying their membership, let alone give sponsorship and help those associations lobby the UK government for your benefit. They didn’t support One Industry One Voice, they didn’t support your industry charities or the brilliant mental health and other support initiatives you have created. Basically, they turned their backs on you. Not exactly a sustainable or ethical business practice. So, please don’t reward them with your business. Choose suppliers that believe in the sustainability of events, not a quick smash and grab.
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HOW TO
Rs for the shaping
Sustainability is all about the four Rs - rethink, reduce, recycle, reuse - according to Rachel Belliere- Wilson , events operations director at BI WORLDWIDE EMEA. S ustainability isn’t a buzzword. Climate change is a problem we should all be tackling. As a global industry, each person involved has a vital part to play, both in-house and with their clients’programmes. It’s about majoring in the minor; thinking about each small change which can have positive impact. Our associates embrace sustainable business ambitions and put forward multiple initiatives. These are generally things we can all do, such as Bin the Bin, an idea that promoted our office recycling hubs and reduced waste by 78 per cent within the first month. By involving our entire company in creating the ideas aligned to our goals, success comes more easily. Our four Rs touch everything we do – for example: rethinking how we get to work (carshare and walking-to-work schemes were initiatives we had in place pre-pandemic); reducing print usage by encouraging a paperless office environment, as well as hosting company incentives and communications online; recycling responsibly, from everyday plastics to event sets; reusing surplus office equipment, keeping it in good condition and donating items to our local schools and charities in need. At Christmas, instead of sending out throwaway
clunk or clutter, we pick charities and donate the savings to them. Add further value When it comes to a client’s event, understanding their sustainability policies is
vital. This helps to create opportunities to add further value, blending the client’s sustainability objectives into their desired commercial outcomes. Reviewing the programme piece by piece can create many quick wins that 1) help the planet and 2) enhance the overall experience: a win-win. Instead of heavy, meat-filled menus, feature quality over quantity through a multitude of delicious options; place value on presentation and service, instead of over-ordering and wasting both money and food. Supply chains play a vital part. We’re not alone in building sustainability measurement into criteria for suppliers
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our clients love to pay it forward with CSR activities forming the most anticipated and memorable experiences oftheir events, respecting and giving back to the area they’re visiting. For example, during a client’s annual incentive trip to Mexico (pictured), guests hosted a children’s party and raised funds to provide a local school in Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera with breakfast for three months. Event gifts are another area we rethink with clients, often regifting this expenditure to an in-destination cause, as well as creating post-event photo galleries, igniting conversations that continue long after a gift has been lost or thrown away. Tracking and measuring are essential ingredients, keeping sight not just of how much more there is to do, but importantly, seeing how far we’ve come and, together withour clients and our supply chain, celebrating the successes to date. If we can all commit to major in the minor, the combined efforts of agencies, clients and suppliers will continue to deliver highly impactful events while reducing the impact on the planet.
as standard. The requirement for more visibility has and will continue to be a driver for change. Everyone should want to know how their supply chain supports the local community; manages and measures waste; makes use of renewable energy; chooses
reusable commodities over single-use. We constantly look for ways to innovate and enhance the guest experience while keeping sustainability at the heart of the conversation. Technology plays an increasingly important part, giving us the keys to unlock new ways of communicating with a client’s audience faster, more personally and creatively, without the impact that print materials previously had on the budget and theplanet. Pay it forward Significant budget can be diverted into more creative choices by being smarter with sustainable practices. A number of
It’s about majoring in the minor; thinking about each small change which can have positive impact.”
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Looking to hold a meeting that combines the lively atmosphere of the old days but complies with today’s guidelines? Then our live stream and hybrid facilities are your answer. We’ve collaborated with Showcase, an event production company with 20 years experience, to create a dedicated live studio to complement our suite of meeting spaces. End-of-year meetings, conferences, events & seminars can be held as a hybrid event - limited numbers attend in person and then it’s live streamed to a wider audience. For a fully virtual event use our dedicated green screen live studio for content creation and then allow Showcase to live stream the event, giving you a physical and virtual audience. HYBRID & VIRTUAL EVENTS Your complete meeting solution
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sterminshotel
MARKETING MIX
Shifting the dial
S aving planet Earth seems like an impossible task for your average individual. How can recycling your plastic bottles or wearing reusable face masks make an indent in the mammoth challenge ahead to save our planet from a climate and pollution disaster? Yet somehow when faced with a global pandemic crisis such as Covid‐19, the issue of addressing sustainability through global collaboration and determination is seeming all the more possible. According to the World Economic Forum the pandemic has helped increase awareness that companies must focus on long‐ term sustainability over short‐term profits. But how does this descend through businesses down to a departmental level, and specifically UK marketing teams?
Marketing departments have been notoriously bad at considering sustainability. Clare Bingham , engagement director at FMI, asks if Covid-19 has changed this – for good
mitmagazine.co.uk MAY 2021 27
MARKETING MIX
There is an I in team A McKinsey & Company survey found that consumers became more engaged in sustainability topics during Covid‐19, with 88 per cent of respondents believing that more attention should be paid to reducing pollution. Consumers were found to start changing their behaviours during lockdown, with 60 per cent going out of their way to recycle and purchase products in environmentally friendly packaging. As marketeers, we’re wired to develop campaigns that result in some form of behaviour change - and what better example of this than the pandemic? So, what’s stopping us tackling more worldwide issues? Will changes filter through? It’s no secret that marketing departments have been notoriously bad at considering sustainability. From printing endless marketing collateral that ends up in the bin to manufacturing pull-up banners and pop‐up stands with a one‐time use at live events, I think it’s now time we moved sustainability higher up the priority list for marketing teams. If as consumers we care so much about recycling, sourcing sustainably and reducing plastic use, then there is hope that these people will be driving it up the agenda in their professional roles too. Amarketing director at an asset finance client of mine recently said: “We have seen an increase in sustainability awareness over the last couple of years and we have had to take it into consideration in our marketing too. We do look to source more sustainable, environmentally friendly products (giveaways) for the number of events we plan. mainly due to our own developing awareness on the topic but also due to customer demand.” It seems change is filtering through, but could this mean the end of printed collateral and production of comms materials?
Digital marketing cannot be the only way Digital marketing has come into its own during the pandemic, but is moving to digital-only the answer to sustainability for event marketers? In essence, no. We are human beings, and we crave physical interaction and face‐to‐face
contact. We simply cannot create the same levels of customer and employee engagement with just digital communications. There is a need for tangible marketing that you can interact with, be it during a meeting, on an exhibition stand or at a conference. The role of a UKmarketer has to consider both, digital and physical marketing communications, but in a ‘sustainable first’ way. It’s time to be creative and think sustainably, consider the use of recyclable materials in
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packaging and keep designs simple – think Primark with their wrapping‐paper bags! Plan collateral and marcomms tactically to ensure it has multipurpose and longevity, and only sendphysical comms if absolutely necessary, and make it fully recyclable or reusable. With events set toreturn towards the latter half of 2021, why not use locally sourced, sustainable food and drink atyour
well‐considered approach to yourphysical marketing tactics post‐Covid is one to consider reputationally too. That being said, businesses transporting large heavy machinery across Europe for manufacturing andagricultural shows have made sustainable gains by not having to transport goods internationally thepast year. This has impacted environmental sustainability and productivity with staff reducing traveland demos and machinery tours taking place virtually using VR technology. Digital certainly has its role to play and I’ve no doubt we will see the continuation of virtual eventsand comms to ensure it’s as accessible as possible to all. Marketers are getting younger Gen Z, today’s teenagers and those in their early 20s, are starting to enter the workforce and for businesses, this is key. As they join your marketing teams and are trained on the job, they will establish buying power. They are the next generation of UK marketers who can choose to think“sustainability first”. If we’ve learnt one thing from the events of the last year it’s the significant, positive impact our planet can have on us as humans. Gen Z are the future, they are passionate about our planet and they are well positioned to definitively move sustainability higher up the marketing agenda. A brand’s approach to sustainability is quicklymoving up the ranks when it comes to purchasing decisions
next corporate gala dinner or explore how your exhibition waste can be recycled when your exhibition stands is derigged? You could even offset your carbon footprint during your next salesincentive by planting trees for every sale made etc. And it’s a win, win too. From a consumer point ofview, a brand’s approach to sustainability is quickly moving up the ranks when it comes topurchasing decisions and brand loyalty, and so a pragmatic and
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STRICTLY CORPORATE
Booking agent Paul Harvey speaks to Ain Bensenouci , partnerships and events manager at Penguin Connect, about her events world.
T here can be few event professionals with access to such a wide range of inspiring speakers and thinkers as Ain Bensenouci. As partnerships and events manager at Penguin Connect, it’s Bensenouci’s job to connect businesses with the publishing house’s vast array of authors – and their inspiring ideas. “We work with clients to create programmes that feed into di erent areas, connecting our authors with di erent audiences,” she says. “It’s quite varied.” Whether it’s through standalone workshops, keynote speeches, or curated programmes such as its Read, ink and Do Masterclasses in partnership with Philosophy at Work, Penguin Connect events aim to stimulate ideas, generate growth and spark creative thinking at the heart of business.
“What I do is closed door, it’s not open to the public – we have a separate events arm catering to our readers,” she says. “It’s quite a new thing;
I’m the only corporate event organiser at a UK publishing house that I know of. It’s de nitely working for us.”
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