Sustainability in the spotlight for the Longines EEF Series
Following the development of the EEF’s overall sustainability strategy, event sustainability sits as one of our core areas of activation. The Longines EEF Series, as our flagship event, is our central focus for the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices.
The EEF has already developed a Green Policy and Green Code of Conduct to help our organisers in forming their event sustainability plans, but since 2023 the EEF have been carrying out additional monitoring to better support the organisers too. An event sustainability survey was carried out across the shows to inform on the current levels of sustainable practice and identify the areas for improvement and additional assistance.
Following a full review of these findings, EEF Event Sustainability Officer Katerina Liberi presented to the 2024 organisers this week. The key take-home message was that every initiative makes a difference, and starting small is the key to making progress. From fundamentals such as recycling and reusable water fill points to leveraging far larger energy efficiency techniques, the Longines EEF Series events are already displaying a range of environmental practices.
Paul Hofmann from Maimarkt Mannheim presented the impressive work that is in place at their event. Starting from the strategy development, Paul explained the many benefits that running an environmentally conscious show has across their economic and social aims. The show has identified 10 key areas of action that include points such as accommodation, catering, water use and mobility. Within each area, they have set targets and are tracking their progress, from increasing the use of public transport to utilising renewable energy sources.
The message to other events is clear, start small and build your progress. By splitting the event into core areas of activity, it is easier to see where changes can be made, and how larger projects can be tackled stage by stage.
Going into the 2024 season, the event sustainability survey will be repeated to track progress and monitor the reduction methods, with shared learnings between organisers a key support to managing environmental matters on site.
The full webinar is available to rewatch here: https://youtu.be/i_wf4YjDCv8?si=FO5WVpOu_PSwbwaS
