The event industry has a massive CO2 footprint. It is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, comparable to that of an industrial nation; some publications even say it’s comparable to the footprint of the United States. Every year, hundreds of millions of visitors generate a massive volume of travel. Flying in particular generates immense CO2 emissions and accounts for up to 90% of the total event’s footprint. But also operating a venue consumes resources, serving meals, printing materials and building booths are other sources of greenhouse gases that contribute to this tremendous climate impact. Conferences and events that promote sustainability practices have a competitive advantage in the market. They attract higher participants who are more likely to return.
In this article we present a new way of sustainability reporting for events and why this is a win-win situation for all conference stakeholders.
Event’s sustainability reporting is still complex but will be a necessity in the coming years
For most of today’s events it is impossible to get any form of sustainability information. This has several reasons: Firstly, many event manager still don’t have it on their agenda or have a misconception that disclosing CO2 emission data deters visitors. Another reason is, that sustainability reporting is a complex task: Knowing which information to collect from where, engaging with suppliers and deriving CO2 emission data requires expert knowledge and is linked to high costs for consultants and experts. This is extremely time consuming and hard to reconcile with the busy and stressful life of event managers and tight budgets.
However, sustainability reporting and emission reduction measures will be required for all events in the coming years. The event industry needs to become active now because exhibitors and visitors will include the event’s CO2 footprint in their decision of attending an event. Companies are forced to reduce their emissions and deciding against visiting a conference is easier compared to reducing the emission of their core business. In order to justify visiting events, visitors but especially exhibitors will ask for sustainability solutions and concepts. Without transparency on the environmental impact and measures to reduce CO2 emissions for participants, conferences will have a hard time in justifying their existence. Especially when virtual events offer already today ways to drastically minimize those emissions.
NRverse helps in sustainability reporting and offers solutions to engage with event participants
NRverse enables event managers to easily assess the event’s carbon footprint. We develop a platform and a digital process that guides event managers through the process of CO2 assessment. Event manager can just select their suppliers, partners or venue location and onboard them onto the platform to start collaborating and providing data. It allows an easy way to exchange carbon information between all stakeholders in a structured way. Moreover, the platform provides access to the CO2 footprint of thousands of items ranging from meals & drinks to merchandise articles. It’s a plug and play application that covers all areas from energy, water and waste management to catering, transportation, communication and many more activities. Stop spending money for expensive workshops, seminars and training to prepare for certifications and labels that nobody knows.
The tool is applicable for virtual event platforms as well as for physical events and tracks the carbon reduction measures and its impact over time. Based on the assessment, reduction measures are suggested to increase the sustainability rating of the event. Emissions that can’t be reduced can be offsetted directly in the platform. We offer a portfolio of carbon credits, renewable energy certificates or sustainable aviation fuels and use blockchain technology to track every offsetting activity for the highest level of trust and transparency. This allows everyone to verify offsetting claims. And if you don’t trust carbon credits, we also allow you to easily support NGOs or organizations that fight climate change or contribute to the social well-being of our society.
The results are displayed in an interactive dashboard that can be published on the event’s website or the even’t phone application. Event managers have full control and can selectively disclose information and allow visitors and exhibitors to inform themselves about the carbon footprint and the mitigation measures in place.
Let your visitors offset emission from travelling and reward them with an NFT
As stated above, travelling is the largest source of emissions and the highest lever to reduce them. This is why we will offer an end-user application that rewards offsetting the individual travel and accommodation footprint. This web application can be shared with visitors and exhibitors prior or during the event to assess and offset their emissions with carbon credits or sustainable aviation fuel initiatives. As a reward, participants that offset or already travel carbon neutral receive an NFT as proof of their support. Such NFTs not only symbolize the event’s theme and identity or serve as collectibles. They can also be linked to exclusive content, benefits and perks boosting the digital attractiveness of events.
Take Action and Make Your Conference Carbon Neutral today
As a startup, we value your feedback and are excited to work with you to make your conference carbon-neutral. We invite you to contact us and learn more about our products and services.