10th June 2013

Exhibition and conference venues get sustainability warning from business

Event organisers in the south-east are almost unanimous (98%) that conference and exhibition venues which do not meet sustainability criteria will be disadvantaged in the future. New research from Brighton based events company AVT Connect shows that companies seeking venues at which to hold meetings, conferences or exhibitions will now choose those with sustainable event management certification over those without.

Event organisers in the south-east are almost unanimous (98%) that conference and exhibition venues which do not meet sustainability criteria will be disadvantaged in the future. New research from Brighton based events company AVT Connect shows that companies seeking venues at which to hold meetings, conferences or exhibitions will now choose those with sustainable event management certification over those without.

Sustainability includes the use of less energy and water, improvements to the local environment, programmes to reduce overheads and events that are good for people’s health and happiness, the research shows. The company polled over 50 leading business organisations in Brighton and the south-east at a conference held at the Brighton Centre on 5th June, aiming to take the temperature of the sustainability agenda and shed light on prevailing attitudes and perceptions.

Event organisers are increasingly confident that they understand how to put an environmentally friendly event together and say they will be incorporating sustainability initiatives into their future events, the research reveals.

These findings show that the writing is on the wall for venues which cannot move forward and demonstrate real progress in adopting sustainable practices in their business model. They are now clearly going to be at a commercial disadvantage,” said AVT Connect CEO Jon Fox.

AVT Connect is a pioneer in the development of hybrid events, a new and more technology-enabled version of the accepted meeting format. The company’s Event360® hybrid event product, showcased in the south-east at the Brighton Centre, uses iPad tablet technology to capture and analyse all delegate inputs and outputs at a meeting.

“The Event360® meetings engagement app uses technology to unlock hidden layers of value from meetings and conferences, creating real-time interaction between organisers and delegates and generating value added data, whilst at the same time moving forward the idea of the paperless environment,” said Fox.

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