by Shane Henson — January 30, 2012—Event organizers can now report on sustainability issues like impacts on communities, natural environments, and local and global economies, thanks to the publication of Event Organizers Sector Supplement by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a nonprofit organization that promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability.
GRI notes that the events sector is diverse: its activities range from business meetings, conferences, and exhibitions to sports and cultural festivals, all of which have impacts on the economy, environment and society. These impacts need to be considered, measured and shared in order to improve the sustainability performance of the events industry.
Event Organizers Sector Supplement will enable event organizers to report their sustainability performance in a comparable way. The sustainability reporting guidance, tailored for the events sector, aims to make reporting more relevant for event organizers by defining how to provide qualitative and quantitative information on sustainability issues. In addition to more widely applicable issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and waste, the guidance helps event organizers report on more specific issues including attendee travel, legacy of the event, and initiatives taken at the event to promote sustainability and transparency.
The guidance covers the complete project life cycle of an event, from bid to planning, execution and, finally, post-event—including the issue of event legacy. The supplement can be used to report before or after an event has taken place.
