Our pledge to go the extra mile with sustainability was one of the reasons the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) decided to hold their prestigious annual conference at University of Birmingham.
We’re proud to share a behind-the-scenes look at how our Conferences and Events team delivered our greenest-ever event. Watch the video below to hear directly from the client and see the impact of our sustainability-first approach.
‘The conference was the most sustainable event that we’ve ever held, with a particular emphasis on reducing waste to the absolute minimum. Colleagues’ work here was supported by a special 125th Anniversary Fund, which is helping this year’s major conferences offer attendees the very best view of our University. With around 2,200 delegates from 72 countries, I was, as on so many other occasions, proud to be at Birmingham.’
- Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor
‘Sustainability is at the heart of everything that we do. As geographers, we recognise the massive implications of things like the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis… so, we know that it’s really important to make everything we do as sustainable as possible.’
- Dr Sarah Evans, Event Organiser, Royal Geographical Society
Our Event Project Manager Annaliese Stanton and team went above and beyond to make this our greenest event ever. This is how we did it:
- Vowed to make it our first single-use plastic-free conference – quite a challenge on a conference of this size!
- Provided edible Stroodles cups and seaweed-coated Notpla containers for delegates who didn’t bring their own reusables
- A carbon A-rated bespoke vegan menu with gluten- and nut-free options
- Recyclable biscuit packaging
- Rigorous checks on waste streams
- Free delegate bus travel via Transport for West Midlands
- Centralised catering marquee to reduce transport emissions
- Sustainable signage and decorations using FSC-certified materials
This is how we’re redefining what sustainable conferences look like.
Interested in holding a greener conference? Speak to our team
