Making your business event more sustainable - Business Events Wellington

The Mākara Wind Farm located near Mākara Beach during golden hour.

Arranging an event that meets sustainability goals might seem overwhelming. But small and manageable actions go a long way towards reducing our impact on the environment.

Sarah Healy from Venues Wellington shares how you can work with your venue to create and put in place sustainability strategies. These outcomes enable and empower delegates, partners, and the community alike to also contribute to sustainability.

Venues Wellington is part of EarthCheck, a leading global benchmarking and certification programme for sustainable travel and tourism. Venues Wellington has a bronze certification. The programme provides a framework to achieve decided outcomes for sustainable tourism and events.

Sustainability at Venues Wellington

Ways to create sustainable business events

Reducing carbon footprint

The events industry creates a significant number of emissions, both to and from events and between venues. Transport is one of the easiest ways to make your event more sustainable. It encourages your event attendees or delegates to play a role in this mission.

Holding an event in a city like Wellington which is walkable is a great way to start reducing your carbon footprint. Consider giving attendees alternative ways to get around while helping to offset the impact of travel. Make it easy for them to:

use public transport or travel by bike
use hybrid or electric vehicles and ride-share apps
offset the carbon emissions from flying.

Three stacks of compostable takeaway coffee cups.

Inside a large foyer space with hardwood floors, cases of audio and lighting equipment everywhere and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Person in green Kaibosh shirt talking to 2 others with blurred out food in foreground.

Finding a new home for waste

Talk to your venue provider to come up with a waste management plan that is clear and easy to follow. This is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of waste your event creates.

We’ve installed water fountains and don’t provide cups anymore. In 2019 more than 11 tonnes of single-use cups went to landfill from our venues. Now we encourage delegates to bring reusable bottles.

Reducing event waste and ensuring good recycling practices happen across all our venues. Venues Wellington is diverting 70% of event waste from landfill, we work with the Sustainability Trust to do this.

Throughout our venues, we separate the following waste streams:

recycling – paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, plastic grades 1, 2 and 5 only
organics – food scraps and certified food packaging.

Selecting sustainable event partners

Having sustainable partnerships is a key part of achieving a more sustainable event.

Venues Wellington works with local suppliers committed to reducing their environmental impacts of waste, water and energy. One local organisation is Kaibosh, a food rescue organisation that redistributes food to people in need.

Partnering with organisations that focus on sustainability:

helps you and your delegates to make a lasting difference
ensures supply chains have responsible social and environmental practices where possible
ensures they are as committed to giving back to the community.

A speaker addressing an audience at Harcourts Conference at the TSB Arena in Wellington.

Creating an engaging conference programme

Conference Innovators director Rachel Cook shares her advice on building an engaging programme for hybrid and virtual events.

Person on stage speaking into a podium microphone out to many people in the background seated at tables. Dim mood lighting surrounds the area with spotlight on the speaker.

Engaging Māori culture in business events

The integration of Māori practices into events is no longer just a symbolic gesture. It is a meaningful reflection of an organisation’s cultural capability. Sandra Julian from Arinex and Founder of Auaha talks about creating genuine engagement.

Delegates talk at the New Zealand International Education Conference in 2024.

Sustainability initiatives part of NZIEC KI TUA success

Sustainability was top of mind at the New Zealand International Education Conference KI TUA held at Tākina Wellington Conference and Exhibition Centre in August.

Jehan Casinader, keynote speaker at a business conference gives a presentation on wellbeing in the workplace.

Giving delegates a new perspective on wellbeing

In a time where wellness rhetoric is at its peak, should it have a place on the conference agenda? Keynote speaker, Jehan Casinader, a survivor of depression and suicidality, talks about putting wellbeing at the heart of your conference experience.

Prof. Helen Danesh-Meyer speaking on stage at the New Zealand Women in Medicine Conference 2024.

Women in medicine build networks

Women medical professionals came together in Wellington to build networks and address challenges.

Three delegates in semi-formal wear stand together and smile for a picture being a large painting on a easle at the ICMS Australasia dinner.

Attracting delegates from the Asia Pacific region

When it comes to luring delegates from the Asia Pacific region, you need to go above and beyond.

Four people sit at a table at the Life Sciences Summer 2024 at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Life Sciences Summit achieves breakthrough

Now in its second year, New Zealand’s Life Science Summit aims to create a better government understanding of the biotech sector.

Inside Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre at the opening event. There is food catering and many people are mingling in formal wear.

Ways to maximise your return on investment

Sponsors and exhibitors play a huge part in the success and feasibility of any conference. Avenues Event Management general manager Chris Evans shares some strategies to help maximise return on investment for these partners.