T owards the end of 2020 we were faced with the question of whether to cancel our annual gala event or continue to hope there would be some way we could go ahead in a scaled back capacity. Neither option was attractive, so we were intrigued when the concept of holding our award ceremony digitally was suggested. While a live ceremony has to date been our preference, the advantages of a digital solution were immediately apparent: the quantity of data generated from the event could be used by our sponsors to informmore e cient business development, plus we would be able to open our event out to a far wider audience than ever before as we would not be constrained by a physical venue. We also realised how sustainable a digital event would be and we are conscious of the growing awareness around this issue. Increasingly, the travel industry is being scrutinised for demonstrating its commitment to sustainability. Recognising this challenge is important for our planet and makes good business sense – and our audiences are holding us to account. According to research byMcKinsey, sustainability is the number one issue concerning Generation Z, and this group is in uencing both the travel hungry millennials and Generation X. AUnilever report showed that out of a sample of 20,000 people from ve countries, one third of consumers prefer sustainable brands, while a Nielsen report states that 73 per cent of millennials are willing to pay more for sustainable products. As these attitudes increase in pervasiveness, event organisers, no matter what their industry,
sector, or subject matter, will have no choice but to ensure their next event demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, for example through ensuring a signi cant reduction in carbon emissions. Guests and employees travelling to and from an event can create an enormous carbon footprint, as can the food consumed and wasted, the printed marketing collateral generated, as well as the energy required to run the event, from heating to AV. Di erentiation Digital events o er organisers a huge opportunity to play a role in mitigating the e ects of climate change. Event organisers who are willing to take stronger stances on the environmental impact of running a physical event could achieve a unique point of di erentiation, gaining an advantage over less forward‐thinking competitors. is is one reason why we don’t believe our digital event was a one‐o , not merely a stop‐gap until the world returns to its pre‐pandemic normal. Live events will return, but when they do, the opportunities that hybrid and digital inclusion o ers to event hosts will ensure organisers and their commercial sponsors are able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk when it comes to sustainability.
mitmagazine.co.uk FEBRUARY 2021 45
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