Developed by The Brussels-Europe Liaison Office (BELO) and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), ‘How to organise sustainable meetings & events in Brussels’ is a practical guide to provide organisers and hosts of meetings and events from 10 to 100 participants with practical information and recommendations on how to manage their events more sustainably (BELO & ICLEI, 2011).
Brussels has around 66,000 registered meetings per year; when the consumption of drinks, food, travel, paper, water and waste per person is included, this represents a significant impact on the environment. The sustainable meetings and event guide was developed to highlight best practice in the organisation of sustainable meetings & events across the city.
The guide covers the main areas of environmental impact including: Venue; Promotion; Food; Waste; Accommodation; and Transport. It features best practice case studies, recommended suppliers, and key points to consider in order to reduce environmental impact across the six areas of activity while preparing and implementing the meeting. The guide also contains a number of general tips on planning and hosting sustainable meetings and events, including ‘five top tips’:
- Do you really need a meeting? Is a virtual event an option (e.g. Teleconference)? (No meeting = most sustainable meeting)
- Try to use this guide for your next meeting in Brussels
- Choose one topic/recommendation at a time (step-by-step strategy starting e.g. with ‘food’ first)
- Time is key! The earlier you start, the more you save.
- Lead by example
The guide contains a checklist of practical tips on implementing a sustainable meeting or event (Figure 1). The checklist also assists event organisers in understanding and monitoring what aspects are missing and what aspects can be improved for future events.
Figure 1: Brussels Sustainable Meeting Checklist (BELO & ICLEI, 2011)