Blog

How could you help decrease the food waste at an event? Are you looking for help planning your event, or do you want to know what to look for when attending an event to reduce waste? We are here to help!

World Environmental Education Day is celebrated annually on January 26th. The goal is to identify environmental issues both globally and locally and to raise awareness about the need for participation to conserve and protect the environment, mitigating the various levels of impact caused by climate change.

Last month, we talked about dreams for the future - and challenged you to dream big for your next event. Did you do it? Did you come up with a list of things to try at your next event? How did the process feel? Were there some moments of negativity? If so, that's OK! You should be proud that you put that aside and came up with ideas you are passionate about! We would love to hear about those ideas, so drop us a note to tell us what is on your list.

What’s your dream? That can be challenging for event planners because we don’t think like that, right? We are so worried about achieving the goals set by leadership, such as event attendance, lead generation, or coming under budget. What if we had a vision for every event we did? Would that make a difference when you planned events?

What began in 2008 as a moral epiphany to stop the seemingly endless waste associated with events and conferences has led to 15 years of innovation and an increased understanding of sustainability throughout the event planning industry. When Meeting Revolution founder Amanda Gourgue began her quest to make business events more sustainable and earth-friendly, she was driven by a desire to make events that weren’t just better for the planet but were more profitable for the planners working so hard to pull them together. 

With changes to government guidelines, virus variants impacting potential attendees willingness to travel to in-person events and continued supply chain strains, the challenges for event planners are bigger than ever. That said, there are some silver linings and new event planning practices that are good for the industry and the environment that we are hopeful will become part of the norm in a post COVID world.

It has been nearly two years since the world was changed irrevocably by a global pandemic and while many industries are rebounding, the events industry is one that has been irrevocably changed. 

As we approach the festive holiday season, social distancing, increased teleworking and other safety measures are changing the way we gather and celebrate. How we celebrate may be different but virtual holiday parties and open houses provide fun and innovative ways to make memories during the season.

What happens to the materials that we recycle? And are we even recycling them properly? The short answer is no - improper recycling and inefficient processes costs our national recycling system more than $300 million each year. David Muller, Meeting Revolution’s Sustainability Director, recently participated in a national collaboration project aimed at improvements to the overall PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic recycling process and shared a few key lessons with our team.

As the weather warms and vaccinations increase, event organizers are eyeing scaled-down outdoor events as a feasible option for in-person gatherings. Here are some tips to ensure your outdoor event is safe, successful, and sustainable!