What factors hinder sustainable development efforts in global events?

According to a recent survey, what progress has the event industry made on sustainability? First, the gap between North American planners and their European counterparts in prioritizing sustainability initiatives is larger than in previous studies. Second, four out of five event professionals believe that the cost of implementing these initiatives is too high.

Global DMC Partners (GDP), a global network of independent destination management companies (DMCs) and professional event service providers, has released the results of its third quarter meetings and events survey. The survey was conducted from late June to early August and received 164 responses from meeting and event professionals, the majority of whom were based in the United States and Canada, with 20% in the United Kingdom and Europe. 37% were corporate/direct planners, two-fifths were agency/third-party planners, and 23% were associations and independent meeting planners.

The questionnaire covered a wide range of topic areas: budgets, cost management strategies, lead times, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, adoption of AI tools, and sustainability practices. For the sake of this article, let’s look at responses to the sustainability question – stay tuned for another post with insights on other topic areas.

• Frequency of sustainability initiatives — Only 14% of respondents said they incorporate sustainability elements in all or every project; a quarter said they incorporate sustainability elements in most projects; 17% said they incorporate sustainability elements in half of their projects; 18% said they incorporate sustainability elements in less than half of their projects; and nearly a quarter rarely do so.
• North American and International Planners — Less than half (47%) of U.S./Canadian planners always or most of the time incorporate sustainability elements into their events, compared with more than three-quarters (76%) of international planners. This reflects a widening gap from the last survey (Q2), when 43% of North American planners and 57% of international planners reported the same, “suggesting an increasing focus on sustainability among international planners,” according to GDP.

• It all comes down to cost — Nearly four in five planners find it challenging to incorporate sustainability initiatives into their events due to costs. According to the survey results, more than half (52%) of planners face financial difficulties sometimes; nearly a quarter (23%) face financial difficulties most of the time; while only 3% of planners said they always struggle with sustainability-related costs. One respondent, a third-party event organizer, said of prioritizing sustainability efforts: “It depends on the client’s wishes and budget. We as a company try to encourage it. However, it mainly depends on the budget.” Another respondent was clearly in the minority, saying it was “non-negotiable – sustainability is not ‘optional’ in our agency’s proposal.”
• Green travel options — Respondents said they spend the majority of their time making their events more environmentally friendly, with the most popular steps and strategies including: 47% said they choose program components that are within walking distance; 35% choose locally sourced food; 47% focus on reducing plastic use/waste; 37% look for ways to reuse or recycle event materials and goods; and 27% include sustainable/CSR-focused activities/tours/experiences at their events.

In other industry surveys, we’ve found that event organisers tend to rely on suppliers to make their events more sustainable, but in this survey, only a quarter said that most of the time they would only work with suppliers that already have sustainability measures in place (but are not certified), and only 11% said they would only work with certified sustainable suppliers.

It’s also about reliance on suppliers: only 18% always choose a menu that includes plant-based foods, and most of the time. This seems surprising because it should be, pardon the pun, something that’s readily available.

Find all results for the GDP Meetings & Events Pulse Survey.