The Environmental Impact of the Global Event Industry: A Call for Sustainable Change
Introduction:
The live events sector, while vibrant and dynamic, is increasingly being recognized as a significant contributor to pollution and waste. The urgent need for sustainability in the industry has gained attention, although the COVID-19 pandemic has momentarily diverted the conversation and action plans. Nonetheless, as we emerge from lockdown, it is crucial to acknowledge the environmental crisis we face. During the lockdown period, our environmental impact was reduced by an astounding 99%, with only 1% attributed to the operation of mega servers supporting online events, and a mere 0.2% arising from packaging waste associated with webcams and microphones transforming homes into broadcast studios. As we return to normalcy, let us reflect on the pre-COVID scenario. In this article, I present findings from a comprehensive report I produced for The Green Energy Fund as part of their Event Greening Program.
An Introduction to the Global Event Industry in Numbers:
The most extensive research into the event industry was conducted for the UK market by Eventbrite, a leading ticketing company. The study incorporated data from various sources, including the 2016 Global Meetings and Events Forecast by American Express, the State of the Industry Report 2016 by C&IT, the 2015/2016 Market Report UK Festival Awards & Conference, Events Great Britain, and The Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) report from 2014. This detailed report served as a foundation for understanding the event industry.
Scaling Findings to a Global Level:
To extrapolate the findings globally, the world was divided into three economic blocs: the Developed Economic Bloc (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia & NZ, Japan), the Centrally Planned Economic Bloc (China, Russia, Middle East, Vietnam), and the Developing Economic Bloc (India & Pakistan, Africa, Latin America & Caribbean). The global population estimate of 7.7 billion excluded 700 million individuals deemed to have no direct impact on the events industry. Economic figures from the UK were applied proportionally to the three blocs.
Event Industry Facts & Stats Globally:
The events sector contributes an estimated $7.3 trillion to the global economy in terms of direct spend by event delegates, attendees, and organizers. It experiences an average annual growth rate of 8%. Additionally, those accompanying attendees at business events contribute an additional $990 billion in spending. The events sector can be categorized into various segments based on the breakdown of direct spend:
Conferences and meetings: 26%
Exhibitions and trade fairs: 12%
Incentive travel and performance improvement: 5%
Corporate hospitality and corporate events: 7%
Outdoor events: 8%
Festivals and cultural events: 7%
Music events: 8%
Sporting events: 19%
Other: 8% (including religious events, fashion shows, skydiving, etc.)
The sector comprises over 2.6 million businesses, including event organizers, venues, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), destination management companies (DMCs), exhibition contractors, event production companies, and numerous suppliers. These businesses collectively sustain over 105 million full-time jobs worldwide.
Environmental Impact of Outdoor Festivals:
Outdoor festivals present measurable data in terms of environmental impact compared to other event types. Available data reveals the following impacts of outdoor festivals:
43.5 million tonnes of waste sent to landfills or burnt
9 billion liters of fuel consumed
36 million tonnes of CO2 emissions
20 million liters of water used
1.35 million liters of sewage produced
Extrapolating Outdoor Festival Measurements to the Entire Event Industry:
If the measurements from outdoor festivals are extrapolated to the entire events industry, the estimated impacts become:
Over 550 million tonnes of waste sent to landfills or burnt
Over 120 billion liters of fuel consumed
Over 500 million tonnes of CO2 emissions
Over 350 million liters of water used
Over 24 million liters of raw sewage produced
These figures are subjective and can vary based on the size and location of events. Several key points of interest should be considered when calculating the pollution associated with the global events industry:
The findings exclude the environmental impact of infrastructure and buildings, such as event venues, stadiums, and retail units.
The Centrally Planned Economic Bloc and Developing Economic Bloc rely on fossil fuels to a greater extent (70% or more) compared to the Developed Economic Bloc (50% or less).
The figures do not incorporate aviation emissions.
The number of events remains stable across economic blocs, with ticket pricing and event spending serving as the primary variable factors.
Conclusion:
While the recovery of the live event sector is eagerly anticipated, it is crucial for the industry to embrace greener, cleaner, and sustainable practices. The time for change is now. We have a collective responsibility to redirect the trajectory of the events sector towards a more sustainable future. By prioritizing environmental considerations, we can minimize the industry's ecological footprint and contribute to a more sustainable world.