How to Get Your Boss on Board with Sustainable Events

June 17, 2019

Julia Spangler

Julia Spangler is the owner of Ecosystem Events, a sustainable events consultancy company. Julia helps organizations and event professionals reduce the environmental impact of their events in order to preserve our planet and deliver powerful sustainability stories. 

When I was in my previous career in marketing and communications, I worked on a team that planned corporate events. My role was graphic design, so I didn’t usually offer input about much other than fonts and colors.

At the same time, being green was super-important to me in my personal life. And I saw lots of opportunities for my team’s events to be more sustainable.

I wondered for a long time how to propose the idea of greener events to the team. Would my boss and the team leaders think I was being presumptuous? Would they be willing to change the way we had always done things?

Presenting new ideas to leaders can be intimidating, especially if you’re suggesting changes to deeply-ingrained processes. If you’ve been wanting to start a conversation about sustainability with your supervisor—or if you’ve tried before with no success—here are my suggestions for how to get buy-in from leaders to go green at your events.

If your boss doesn’t care...

Some people feel emotionally motivated by the idea of helping the environment—and some people don’t. If your boss is one of the latter, skip the pictures of sea turtles and instead make a strong business case for why sustainable events will benefit your company. Focus on green suggestions that will generate cost savings. Calculate the net savings of implementing your ideas so you can show how much sustainability will add to the bottom line.

If your boss cares but hasn’t taken action...

If your boss says things like “I hate seeing all this wasted food” or “I wish we didn’t have so much stuff to throw away,” they may care about sustainability but not have the time to learn about solutions. Start by proposing one concrete solution to a sustainability issue at your events. Do the research and map out the steps your team would need to take, the people and budget required, and what the results would be. Be sure to highlight any cost savings or other benefits like improved image or increased value for your clients.

Share compelling examples.

Find examples of your company’s competitors who are going green. Alternately, think of companies or business leaders that your boss admires, and find out what they’re doing in the area of sustainability. The general concept of “industry best practices” may not be enough to convince your boss that sustainability is worthwhile, but a specific example from a company they care about may help ignite their motivation.

Be willing to take on the work yourself.

Offer to do the research and legwork to make the change happen. Your boss may be willing to allow you to take on a passion project as long as it doesn’t take time and focus away from your primary job responsibilities.

Do what you can without buy-in.

Make all of the cost-neutral or cost-saving sustainable changes you can within the scope of your job responsibilities. Take advantage of green options offered by vendors you work with, and focus on preventing waste in the decisions you make in the course of your job.

Measure the results of your changes.

Keep complete records of the cost savings realized by your changes, along with statistics like the amount of waste diverted or the tax value of donations. Save any positive comments you hear about the changes from your guests, customers or other audience. Organize your data with dates so you can show trends over time as the programs continue. The purpose of the results data is to prove why the green changes were worthwhile and to build a case for doing even more.

 

Don’t miss any event-related news: Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter HERE and engage with us on TwitterFacebookLinkedIn and Instagram!

Add new comment

Partner Voices
Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact