It’s More Acceptable to Fart in a Lift

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It’s more acceptable to fart in a lift

(Yes, yes for our US-cousins “lift” = “elevator”…)

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth. Many event professionals feel anxious about sustainability. So much so that silence is often preferred to asking questions, in case you deliver a professional faux pas.

“Being seen as ignorant of sustainability in events is worse than farting in a lift”, we said in a client meeting last week – and it resonated.

You worry you’ll get it wrong.
You’re anxious someone will ask a question you can’t answer.
You’re convinced everyone else knows more than you do.
You hope nobody notices… and that you’ll be out of the lift soon.

Sound familiar?

If sustainability in events makes you feel like that, you’re not alone – and more importantly, you’re not failing.

‘Sustainability anxiety’ is real (and totally normal)

We see it all the time.

Event teams want to “do the right thing” but feel paralysed by:

  • Carbon numbers that feel abstract and intimidating

  • ESG acronyms multiplying faster than guest badges

  • Fear of being called out for greenwashing

  • Pressure to have all the answers, right now

It’s a bit like range anxiety when electric cars first hit the mainstream. You know they’re ‘better’. You want one.
But what if the battery dies? What if you don’t know where the charger is? What if everyone else figured this out already, and you missed the memo?

Spoiler: they didn’t.

You don’t need to know everything

Here’s the good news: event sustainability isn’t about perfection or expertise.
It’s about progress, confidence, and having the right support.

You don’t need to:

  • Be a carbon accountant

  • Memorise global reporting frameworks

  • Know instantly how to double the Social Value associated with your event

  • Predict the future of sustainable fuels

  • Or explain Scope 3 emissions at dinner parties (unless you really want to)

What you do need is clarity, structure, and someone who’s been there before.

That’s where event:decision comes in.

event:decision: your calm voice

At event:decision, our job isn’t to judge or overwhelm — it’s to take the anxiety out of responsibility.

We help you:

  • Measure what actually matters

  • Understand your impact without drowning in data

  • Make smart, defensible decisions

  • Communicate sustainability confidently – even when the journey isn’t finished

Our tools and advisory services are designed for real-world events, real deadlines, and real constraints. Not theoretical perfection.

Think of us as:

  • The sat nav that tells you where the next EV charger is 🚗

  • The friend who says “it’s fine, everyone does this”

  • The reason you can breathe normally in the lift again

Progress Beats Panic Every Time

Responsible & sustainable events aren’t built in a single leap – they’re built step by step:

  • Measure first, improve next

  • Learn as you go

  • Be honest about where you are

  • Get better each time

And yes, sometimes that means admitting you don’t have all the answers yet. That’s not weakness – that’s authenticity and credibility.

The most responsible events aren’t the ones claiming to be perfect. They’re the ones willing to start.

Let’s Make This Less Awkward

Talking about responsibility & sustainability shouldn’t feel like holding your breath and staring at the floor.

It should feel:

  • Supported

  • Practical

  • Manageable

  • And maybe even a little bit empowering

So if you’re feeling unsure, anxious, or quietly hoping nobody asks about your carbon intensity per-attendee metrics, or whether you’ve measured the local economic-benefit?

Relax. You don’t need to know everything. You just need to know you’re not doing it alone.

The tools are ready for you at event:decision.

Putting ‘sustainability’ in a silo is costing you money (and clients)

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Putting ‘sustainability’ in a silo is costing you money (and clients)

For too long, sustainability has been treated like a side project. A report. A checklist. A post-event appendix that no one in sales ever reads.

And that’s exactly why it’s failing to deliver real value.

If sustainability lives in a silo, it doesn’t change decisions.
If it doesn’t change decisions, it doesn’t change outcomes.
And if it doesn’t change outcomes, it’s a cost, not a competitive advantage.

If ‘sustainability’ doesn’t change outcomes, frankly, what’s the point?

The uncomfortable truth: sustainability isn’t a “team issue”

The biggest mistake organisations make is assigning sustainability to one function and expecting it to magically influence the rest of the business.

Responsible and sustainable products and services are not owned by:

  • a sustainability lead
  • a post-event report
  • a compliance requirement

They are owned by:

  • Business owners
  • Heads of Events
  • Account Directors
  • New Business & Sales teams

Why? Because these roles shape strategy, design, budgets, supplier choices, and client conversations. That’s where sustainability either creates value – or disappears entirely.A

A global agency recently said, about a specific project, “the client hasn’t decided whether they’ll do sustainability or not“. Err, ok. Just what value is the agency adding here?

Sustainability that doesn’t win work is just overhead

Clients are no longer asking if events are responsible. They’re asking how, how much, and what impact it creates for them.

Yet many agencies and organisers still:

  • collect sustainability data after the event
  • store it in internal folders
  • never use it in pitches, renewals, or growth conversations

That’s wasted insight.

“Consumers now expect proof, not promises with the shift from “say you care” to “show your work.” says Julien Le Bas, SVP, Executive Creative Director & Global Head of Sustainability

If you deliver responsible and sustainable events, you should be using that proof to win more business – not hiding it in a dashboard no one sees.

Data changes the conversation – from cost to commercial value

When sustainability is embedded into commercial roles, something powerful happens:

  • Account teams can prove performance, not just promise intent
  • Sales teams can differentiate in competitive pitches
  • Event leaders can show progress year-on-year, not one-off gestures
  • Businesses can link responsible delivery to brand, risk, and ROI

But that only works if the data is clear, credible, and comparable.

This is where most event organisations get stuck

Even the best-intentioned teams struggle with:

  • inconsistent sustainability metrics
  • reports that aren’t client-ready
  • data that can’t be benchmarked or explained simply
  • insights that don’t translate into commercial stories

The result? Sustainability stays “our top priority”… but disconnected from growth.

Turning responsible delivery into a sales advantage

event:decision’s Impact Review tool is designed to break the silo.

It transforms responsible event performance into structured, ESG-aligned insights that business leaders, account directors and sales teams can actually use.

Not just to report – but to:

  • demonstrate responsible leadership to clients
  • support tenders and new business conversations
  • benchmark events across portfolios
  • show measurable improvement over time

In short: to win more work because you deliver better events.

Sustainability belongs where decisions are made

If sustainability only shows up at the end of the process, it will always be a cost.

When it’s embedded into:

  • how events are designed
  • how accounts are managed
  • how success is measured
  • how stories are told to clients

…it becomes a commercial asset.

Responsible and sustainable events are no longer optional.
But wasting the value of the data behind them absolutely is.

Stop putting sustainability in a silo.
Put it where it belongs: at the centre of your business growth strategy.

(If you’ve not twigged, Impact: Responsible Event Reviews do just that.)

 

How to win the gold rush

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How to win the event gold rush.

 

While thousands rushed to California during the Gold Rush, savvy entrepreneurs made their fortunes supplying the miners instead. They understood a fundamental truth: in every gold rush, the prospectors don’t just need ambition — they need infrastructure.

Today, the events industry is in the middle of its own gold rush. The race? Responsible and sustainable events.

Everywhere you look, sustainability has become a defining expectation. Clients demand it. RFPs require it. Stakeholders scrutinise it. Awards celebrate it. The question is no longer whether sustainability matters, but how it’s delivered & evidenced.

And that’s where many event organisations feel the strain.

The real bottleneck isn’t intent — it’s clarity

Most event teams are not short on ambition. What they lack is practical visibility:

  • What actually drives impact in an event, both negative and positive impact?

  • Where do the biggest levers sit?

  • How do you prove progress without slowing delivery or inflating cost?

As sustainability expectations explode, the demand for useful, decision-ready data is growing exponentially.

Not data for data’s sake, but decision-grade insight that helps teams make better choices, faster.

This is the point where many sustainability initiatives stall. Complexity creeps in. Reporting becomes burdensome. Teams spend more time explaining sustainability than delivering it.

Selling shovels, not hype.

At event:decision, we’ve taken a different approach.

Rather than chasing trends or grand promises, we focus on the infrastructure that makes responsible events workable in the real world. The tools and intelligence that allow planners, agencies, venues, and corporates to understand what’s happening — and act on it.

That’s why our services are designed to be:

  • Easy to integrate into existing workflows

  • Quick to deploy, even under RFP or event timelines

  • Simple to understand and explain to stakeholders

  • Cost-effective, because sustainability shouldn’t be a luxury add-on

(Hint #1: sustainability works best when it fits into how events are already delivered.)

From “are we sustainable?” to “what did we do better?”

The industry is moving beyond vague claims and post-event narratives. Measuring carbon alone is no longer enough. Responsibility now spans environmental, social, and governance outcomes – and increasingly, clients want evidence at an event level, not just corporate policy statements.

This is where practical tools matter.

With Track, teams can understand the full footprint of an event — travel, accommodation, food and beverage, energy, freight, production — without weeks of manual work.

With Impact Reviews, sustainability becomes broader, clearer, and more useful: benchmarking ESG performance, quantifying social value, and making trade-offs visible rather than hidden.

(Hint #2: the easier it is to measure impact, the more confidently teams act on it.)

Making responsibility defensible – not difficult

Perhaps the biggest shift we’re seeing is this: sustainability is no longer just about doing the right thing – it’s about being able to stand confidently behind decisions.

Clients want to know:

  • Why this location?

  • Why this format?

  • Why this supplier?

  • What difference did this event actually make?

Good intentions don’t answer those questions. Clear intelligence does.

And when sustainability is backed by credible, proportionate insight, it stops being a risk or a burden & it becomes a source of confidence.

(Hint #3: quiet confidence is what buyers, stakeholders and regulators respond to.)

The quiet advantage

In every gold rush, the loudest voices aren’t always the ones that last. The real winners are often those who quietly build what everyone else relies on.

As the push for responsible events accelerates, the organisations that thrive won’t be the ones chasing every new idea — they’ll be the ones with the right infrastructure in place.

That’s where event:decision sits. Not in the crowd – but helping you to the very front of the rush.

The State of Sustainability in the Event Sector: A Responsible Perspective

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Exploring the current state of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the event sector.

Delivered live at the Sustainable Event Show Friday, 7th November 2025, London. 

The event sector is a highly diverse & transactional yet creative sector. We include sporting events, cultural, community, conferences, experiential, corporate and brand activity within our remit. We deliver tens of thousands of experiences, every single day. Yet each event is different and individual. This poses both opportunities and challenges in sustainable product and delivery, unlike any other sector.

Despite initial and continued enthusiasm, and whilst the appetite for sustainable solutions is undiminished, financial realism and logistical pragmatism are driving many decisions in event planning.

event:decision’s “State of Sustainability in the Event Sector” offers a snapshot of how the sector is performing across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions — and what must come next.

Confidence and Sentiment

Across the UK, EU, and US, planners’ confidence in sustainable practice varies but shares a cautious optimism. While European professionals express stronger conviction in ESG progress, UK media reports uncertainty and financial pressure on planners. Across 2025 sector media continues to show sustainability as a top priority, over other factors such as Experience and Connection, AI && Tech, Financial concerns and Inclusivity.

Planners in the US show a reduction in appetite for sustainable solutions from 7/10 to 5/10, the only region to do so.

These findings reveal a sector in motion: sustainability is clearly valued, yet implementation lags behind ambition.

What You Want: The Priorities of Event Professionals

Data from the AMEX GBT M&E 2026 Forecast, based on insights from over 600 meeting professionals, identifies where event planners are focusing their attention.

  • Destinations and venues unsurprisingly continue to dominate decision-making
  • However, AMEX data suggests a tension between aspiration and practicality — most professionals want to host greener events but struggle to translate desire into measurable outcomes. Sustainability is not yet the new normal.

Despite planner optimism, sustainability still competes for attention against more traditional pressures. Of course it does. According to the AmexGBT report:

– Only 25% of event professionals currently track emissions. That means 3 in 4 do not.
– Just 28% plan to prioritise improvements to sustainability metrics in 2026. That means 2 in 3 do not.
– And while 38% have sustainability written into policy, 28% still classify it as a “pending initiative,” trailing behind cost reduction and attendee engagement in priority.

This measurement gap is critical. Without reliable data, it’s impossible to quantify progress, justify budget spend, or demonstrate ROI — all of which are essential for making the business case for sustainability.

In ‘The Value of Values”, Daniel Aronson quotes a global CFO as saying “only two department come into my office and ask for money with no numbers – HR and sustainability”.

In other words, we’re all still stuck at the stage of good intentions without consistent proof. The will exists, but the pathway remains fragmented. Eventprofs must keep sustainability in mind across the planning process; there are very few decisions needing to be made, in which sustainable options are not available.

What The Sector Does: Headlines

Agency Performance

Based on the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies campaign in conjunction with micebook 2024-5.

Geography: UK only

  • 94% of agencies have a defined sustainability lead within the business.
  • 50% hold an Ecovadis accreditation, and 50% of these hold at Silver level
  • Almost half (47%) hold ISO14001 accreditation for their own businesses.
  • Half of this number (22%) hold ISO 20121 for their event planning processes
  • Only 1 in 5 of the most sustainable agencies hold a B Corp certification.

You can see this and additional related information in the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies 2024-5 output.

Event Performance

Based on event:decision’s Impact: Responsible Event Review data, which is based on over 5,500 data points from:

Event date range: Jan 2024 – Oct 2025

Geographies: US, EMEA, APAC

Event types: Conferences, sporting tournaments, exhibitions, experiential, incentives, meetings & stand-builds

Sectors: aviation, education, energy, tourism, events & hospitality, finance, banking, insurance, government.

Reviewers are invited to detail their adoption of factors within E, S & G. Here we highlight those factor adopted most and least, by the industry.

Users are able to benchmark their event performance against global, regional, type and sector performance.

Here we evaluate how the event sector performs in three pillars, highlighting the three most and three least actioned factors within each of ESG channels:

Environmental Factors

  • Strengths: Reported growing adoption of event carbon reporting, and increased attention to venue certifications and responsible food and beverage sourcing.
  • Opportunities: Limited action on pushing venues towards energy efficiency and the collection of delegate travel data — two of the most significant contributors to an event’s carbon footprint.

Social Factors

  • Strengths: A reported focus on delegate wellbeing and promoting events for all.
  • Opportunities: Persistent gaps in auditing supplie  living wage policies, event legacy planning, and collaboration with social enterprises to deliver impact.

Governance Factors

  • Strengths: Solid foundations in contractor insurance, sector codes of practice, and risk assessments (RAMS).
  • Opportunities: Rarely is ROI linked to sustainability KPIs, few events appoint an event-ESG lead, and certification of internal (agency)ESG systems remains underdeveloped.

In short, while the frameworks are forming, most organisations are still at an early stage of integrating ESG rigour into everyday decision-making.

What about carbon emissions reporting?

Whilst reporting of Social and Governance factors is somewhat scarce, without doubt, emissions reporting of events is the most commonly actioned reporting tactic. Yet carbon impact remains one of the sector’s most pressing issues.

We believe that even combining the data of all popular event carbon calculation platforms & services, the sector is barely scratching the surface of rigorous, audit-worthy measurement and reporting at any significant scale.

Questions for the industry:

  1. Travel. Whilst Greenhouse Gas Protocol states that if emissions are created due to an event, they should be calculated and reported – there appears a reticence within the event sector to include travel-related emissions within reporting.
  2. As hotel, conference & convention centre product is potentially less variable than the events they deliver, greater progress has been made on certifications and accreditations. Both agency and in-house teams should reward venues which have invested in these standards by actively considering them in their decision making, moreso than is seen in current sector reporting.
  3. Food & Beverage. Whilst public sentiment and (literal) tastes are changing, it is apparent that longer events (1 days+) still encounter some challenge in offering solely plant-based menus.
  4. Materials & Freight: whilst ideally re-used / re-purposed materials and local supply is ideal, rarely is the infrastructure in place to deliver. In a live event scenario, confidence in supply often outweighs sustainability considerations, especially in the technical environment.
  5. There is still demand for swag. Usually mass-produced some distance from the event site and airfreighted. The event sector needs to work harder in convincing clients that there are more viable and valuable alternatives. Should multi-$m corporations needs cheap swag to entice prospects to engage on exhibition stands?

Track Reports from event:decision are the #1 global event-focussed carbon reporting service, providing planners with:Event carbon footprint |  Industry benchmark | Travel Capture tool | Specific mitigations | Offset values.

The School Report: How Events Compare

When benchmarked against other industries, the event sector earns a mixed grade. There are signs of life — strong momentum in awareness and engagement — but progress is uneven. Environmental measurement is advancing, whilst social sustainability trails behind.

Sectors such as aviation, automotive, pharmaceuticals, energy and finance are more highly regulated, financed and deliver greater supply chain integration. As such, it can be argued that progress towards a more sustainable product is more advanced.

The message to #Eventprofs is clear: intent is no longer enough. The next chapter must focus on execution and evidence.

What’s Next: A Call to Action

The closing elements of the report outline seven crucial lessons — each a call to action for planners, agencies, and brands:

  1. Destination & venue choice is critical – sustainability begins with where and how you host. Travel accessibility, especially by public transport / mass transit is the largest factor.
  2. Ownership matters – it’s up to you to drive responsible practice. Step up and take the credit, if you’re delivering sustainable value. event:decision can provide you with simple metrics to demonstrate.
  3. Optics count – it matters what things look like, even if the emissions effect is relatively small, communicate sustainable choices transparently and authentically.
  4. Easy wins exist everywhere – small steps (local sourcing, digital materials) add up fast.
  5. The social benefits of events are under-used; relative to environmental tactics. Integrate local supply, social enterprise supply (there are more of these than you think), align with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (they are hard to argue against) and legacy into your event DNA.
  6. Responsible options are abundant – from certified venues to low-impact catering, digital swag, swag-swap tables, local & sustainable suppliers; more sustainable choices are accessible. Impact: Responsible Event Reviews will point you directly at conscious supply-chain.
  7. Set an objective and take the first step — progress begins with measurement. Every small tactic delivers a more responsible event.

Conclusion

The 2025 landscape for event sustainability is one of potential meeting accountability. The event sector has never been more aware of its responsibilities – yet has never needed clearer leadership to translate intent into impact.

If the sector can embed sustainable thinking and practice into more decisions – from destination selection to delegate travel, supply chain integrity to ROI, the events of tomorrow will not only bring people together, but do so responsibly.

The event:decision State of Sustainability 2025 is being delivered live at the Sustainable Events Show 2025, with accompanying data from event:decision’s Track & Impact tools, Amex Global Business Travel Annual Meetings & Events Trends 2025, Oxford Economics Global Risk Survey and The Business of Events 2025 Annual Planner Sentiment Survey.

Sustainability is not the new normal…

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Sustainability is not the new normal – despite many wishing it so.

It’s easy to believe that sustainability has become the default for present-day events. After all, every RFP mentions “green initiatives,” and many planners can proudly point to sustainably labelled menus or the removal of overt single-use plastics. Yet, as both event:decision data and the Amex GBT 2026 Global Meetings & Events Forecast shows, sustainability is not quite the new normal — not yet.

The data tells a more nuanced story: one of strong intent, rising expectations, but slow implementation and limited evidence.

The positive shift: sustainability as an expectation

There’s no doubt that the mindset has changed. The Amex GBT 2026 Annual Meetings Forecast notes that “sustainability is no longer optional,” especially as younger generations expect events to reflect environmental and social responsibility as standard practice. Nearly one in four meeting professionals say attendees now demand visible sustainability actions — from reducing plastics to sourcing local and plant-based food and drink. That means that 3 in 4 do not.

For 38% of organisations, sustainability is already embedded in their event policies. That’s a major step forward — it signals that sustainability is moving from one-off gestures towards some systemic integration.

Eloísa Urrutia, Head of Sustainability at Amex GBT Meetings & Events, says: “Sustainability is a business and social imperative, but it is also personal. It’s emotive, drives loyalty, and inspires.”

When done well, sustainability initiatives not only reduce environmental impact but can massively increase social value associated with an event; and actually enhance engagement and brand value.

You can see this in action. There’s a 3pt increase in responsible and sustainable event delivery over the last 12-months’ data from event:decision’s Impact: Responsible Performance Review tool (May ’24 – May ’25). But of all global events, the sample is small.

The reality check:

Despite planner optimism, data shows that sustainability still competes for attention against more traditional pressures. Of course it does. According to the AmexGBT report:
– Only 25% of event professionals currently track emissions. That means 3 in 4 do not.
– Just 28% plan to prioritise improvements to sustainability metrics in 2026. That means 2 in 3 do not.
– And while 38% have sustainability written into policy, 28% still classify it as a “pending initiative,” trailing behind cost reduction and attendee engagement in priority.

This measurement gap is critical. Without reliable data, it’s impossible to quantify progress, justify budget spend, or demonstrate ROI — all of which are essential for making the business case for sustainability.

In ‘The Value of Values”, Daniel Aronson quotes a global CFO as saying “only two department come into my office and ask for money with no numbers – HR and sustainability”.

In other words, we’re all still stuck at the stage of good intentions without consistent proof.

What’s Working?

The AmexGBT report does show some encouraging movement toward practical implementation. Event professionals are making tangible changes, such as:

– 38% have introduced sustainable meetings and event policies.
– 34% are minimising disposables and prioritising sustainable materials.
– 33% are offering local, seasonal, and plant-based catering.
– 31% prioritise sustainable venues.
– 30% implement waste avoidance practices, like food donation programs.

This means that roughly two-thirds of us do not. Therein is an opportunity for venues and agencies looking for commercial advantage.

These are meaningful shifts — they demonstrate that sustainability is not purely a buzzword. Our industry is starting to innovate, adapt and learn. The event sector is highly fragmented but the tools available to do this are not. They will cope with events of any size, scope, format and geography. They are consistent, practical and cost-effective.

Bridging the gap: from goodwill to normal practice

If our industry is to make sustainability truly “the new normal,” three things must happen:

1. Measurement must mature. Social value tracking & carbon reporting, need to become as common as budgeting and attendance reporting. Why would people want this? Because events deliver value, and this value can be tracked.
2. Sustainability must drive creativity, not limit it. As budgets tighten, and let’s face it, they are, sustainability should be inspiring smarter, more meaningful experiences rather than adding constraints.
3. Legacy should become a benchmark. The question shouldn’t be “was the event sustainable?” but “what lasting positive value did my event leave?”. Every organisation can choose whether to purely deliver cash to its shareholders or to do so with purpose.

Legacy is often linked to the ‘People’ part of People, Planet, Profit, or the ‘S’ in ESG. Did you know you can benchmark the ‘S’ in your event with event:decision’s Impact Review tool?

What next?

The Amex GBT 2026 Forecast paints a hopeful picture. Sustainability is becoming more expected – but it hasn’t yet become standard. Far from it. Sustainability is still an aspiration rather than an assumption.

The event sector started strong but momentum is in danger of stalling: sustainability is embedded in policy, sometimes visible in practice and now increasingly recognised as a driver of attendee engagement. But until it’s measured, budgeted for, and benchmarked, it won’t quite be the “new normal.”

The events industry needs to mature – to deliver good strategic advice allied with sound tactics to our stakeholders – advice and tactics based, not on menus and plastic bottles, but on real numbers.

Business Travel Growth Forecast

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Business Travel Growth Forecast: what impact for events?

Almost half of corporates to spend more on business travel in FY26, is the forecast by FCM Travel. Excellent news if you’re in the business of travel, and for that matter, probably if you’re in the business of meetings and events.

It indicates more opportunities for face-to-face engagement, collaboration, and the overall growth of the events sector. However, it also raises questions about sustainability, as increased travel is traditionally associated (read, absolutely associated) with higher carbon emissions, hence event carbon footprints.

How does this square with oft-quoted event planning agencies promising reduced environmental impacts?

This is exactly where event:decision Impact: Responsible Event Reviews are crucial. Impact Reviews help ensure that even as volumes of events and travel increase, sustainability is embedded and demonstrable.

How you show your events are responsible:

  1. Measure Beyond Carbon

Impact Reviews assess events across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, not just carbon emissions. This includes venue sustainability, catering choices, accessibility, certifications, waste reduction, supply chain responsibility and event legacy. Balancing travel impacts with positive social and governance measures.

  1. Benchmarking & Improvement

Each event is benchmarked against industry performance and previous events. You can demonstrate year-on-year improvement, even if travel volumes rise, by showing better destination & venue sourcing, reduced waste, increased local supply and stronger community benefits.

You can benchmark by region, by industry sector and/or by event-type also.

  1. Offsetting & Mitigation

event:decision tools highlight opportunities for carbon reduction and offsetting, such as virtual attendance options, low-carbon menu choices, and more sustainable transport alternatives. In fact, only with event:decision’s Track Carbon service do you receive a curated low-carbon door-to-door travel plan, specifically for your event.

 This ensures travel impact is acknowledged but managed in line with best practice.

  1. Transparency & Reporting

An Impact: Responsible Event Review provides a clear, third-party validated framework that you can use in sustainability reporting. This helps counterbalance any criticism that “more travel = less sustainable,” by showing that events are planned responsibly, transparently, and within ESG frameworks.

The big picture

Even as corporate travel spend rises, responsible event design can ensure that events are still responsible & sustainable. The key is to show stakeholders — through Impact: Responsible Event Reviews — that the event is measured, benchmarked, and actively improved, time after time.

Better by design

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How to win and deliver better events

Audiences, stakeholders, and regulators increasingly expect events to deliver positive outcomes for both people and the planet. Meeting these expectations requires more than good intentions; it calls for collaboration, insight, and action. That’s where a strong partnership between event:decision and trusted suppliers makes all the difference.

Last week event:decision and PSP showed how this is done.

How did it go? We’ll let the stats speak for themselves:

  • 100% attendance rate
  • 95% retention rate for the whole event.

Appetite from event agencies is there. A good start all round.

What did they learn?

  1. The event sector is improving. Projects that event:decision report from May-24 to May-25 show an average of 3pts improvement across ESG over this period.
  2. That major regional differences still exist. No surprise really, given geographical, political and economic drivers behind event sustainability. More info here.
  3. Client sectors also vary. More info here. 

The Engines of Improvement

At the heart of this collaboration are Track and Impact, event:decision’s leading tools for responsible event management.

Track is the leading global carbon reporting and advisory service for events. It enables organisers and suppliers to measure the emissions of each event with precision, revealing where improvements can be made. From venue energy use to delegate travel, Track provides the data to identify hotspots and guide meaningful reductions.

Impact, meanwhile, takes a broader ESG approach. It evaluates the environmental, social, and governance aspects of an event, offering a comprehensive Responsible Event Review. Impact benchmarks performance across key areas—such as locality, accessibility, and community / social engagement—helping teams set goals and track progress over time.

Together, these tools turn every event into an opportunity for improvement. By measuring, benchmarking, and reporting on performance, Track and Impact transform responsibility from a one-off exercise into a cycle of continuous learning.

Why Partnership Matters

A joint event:decision and supplier partnership ensures that data and action go hand in hand. Suppliers receive clear, actionable insights, empowering them to adapt their services and reduce impact. Organisers gain confidence that every element of the supply chain is working toward the same goals. The result? Events that not only meet sustainability targets but also inspire audiences and stakeholders with tangible proof of positive change.

Every event—large or small, live or virtual—can be better than the last. By partnering with event:decision and leveraging Track and Impact, suppliers and organisers can demonstrate leadership, deliver responsible events, and build a legacy of continuous improvement.

Introducing ‘Factor-30’ Benchmarking

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Factor-30 Industry Benchmarking

At event:decision, we’re committed to giving you the tools you need to make your events not only successful, but also responsible and sustainable.

An Impact: Responsible Event Review already gives you a comprehensive view of how your events and your organisation performs across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures. Now, we’re taking that insight even deeper.

‘Factor-30’, granularity to drive change

Impact Review’s latest feature enables you to view your performance across 30 individual ESG factors. Rather than seeing sustainability and responsibility as a single overall event score, you can now see precisely where your event excels – and where there’s room to improve.

This means:

  • Clear visibility into performance across all three ESG pillars – from carbon and waste management to supply-locality, well-being and governance practices.
  • The ability to pinpoint priority areas, making your action planning more focused and effective.
  • A more balanced perspective, recognising successes in some areas even if others need further attention.

Industry Benchmarking – see where you stand

We’ve also introduced comparisons against industry performance for each factor. This means you don’t just see how you’re doing internally, you understand how your event measures up against the wider industry landscape.

Key benefits include:

  • Ability to fine-tune your event, your bid or RFP for success.
  • Benchmark confidence: Knowing where your event outperforms the industry builds confidence in your responsible event strategy.
  • Competitive insight: See how you stack up against your peers and where you can create differentiation.
  • Evidence for stakeholders: Concrete, comparative data makes it easier to communicate progress and justify investment in sustainability and responsibility initiatives.

From data to action

The real value of this update lies in the ability to translate insights into tangible improvements. With clarity across 30-factors and a clear view of industry benchmarks, you can:

  • Set targeted improvement goals.
  • Share clear, compelling reporting with sponsors, clients, and internal teams.
  • Demonstrate a genuine commitment to continuous improvement in responsible event delivery.

Why It Matters

Events have the power to connect, inspire, and create change – but they also carry responsibility. By shining a light on performance at the factor level and providing meaningful benchmarks, Impact Reviews now make it easier than ever to make better, more responsible choices.

As an event industry, you have already demonstrated improvement from 2024 through 2025.

Here’s your chance to accelerate this positive change.

(Oh, and it’s already included in your Impact Dashboard Reporting at event:decision, at no extra charge)

At event:decision, we believe that performance, authenticity and responsibility go hand in hand. With Impact Reviews, we’re helping our industry take another step forward, making your events just that little bit better, time after time.

Sustainability in focus

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Who’s leading (and who’s lagging) in events by sector.

At event:decision, we’ve seen sustainable event planning take a leap forward in 2025 -not just in ambition, but in measurable outcomes. With more organisations benchmarking their events across Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, we’re gaining a clearer picture of where the industry is maturing, and where it still needs a nudge.

But the real story lies in the sector-specific differences. Here’s what the data shows about which industries are pushing the boundaries, and which are falling behind.

Top performer: Events & hospitality

This year’s biggest leap came from the Events & Hospitality sector, particularly in environmental impact. From energy use to food sourcing, this group is turning intent into action.

Why they stood out:

  • Greener menus: More plant-based, local, and seasonal sourcing.
  • Sustainable venues: Prioritising those powered by renewables.
  • Waste control: Advanced recycling plans and zero-to-landfill targets.

Environmental scores rose sharply compared to 2024, making Events & Hospitality the standout sector for sustainable progress this year.

Second in line was Finance and Legal…

While Events & Hospitality led the environmental charge, Finance and Legal sector events stood out for their exceptional Governance performance – making them the second-strongest overall.

Why they ranked high:

  • Clear ESG accountability: Governance practices from core business operations are mirrored in event planning.
  • Rigorous supplier due diligence: Preferred partnerships with accredited vendors.
  • Policy-driven decisions: Events aligned tightly with internal compliance and risk protocols.

Governance scores were consistently high across Finance and Legal events, pulling their overall ESG performance into the top tier.

Lowest performer: Retail & Consumer goods

Despite facing the public eye daily, the Retail and Consumer goods sector ranked lowest overall in sustainability performance, especially in governance and social impact.

Key challenges:

  • Short planning cycles, leaving little room for ESG integration.
  • Budget sensitivities, with sustainability still perceived as a cost add-on.
  • Low measurement adoption, meaning missed opportunities for improvement.

Without clear measurement or set goals, many events in this sector failed to meet even baseline expectations.

What the gap tells us

This contrast shows just how vital measurement and mindset are. The Events & Hospitality sector proved that with intention, planning, and the right tools, major progress is possible, even in complex environments. Meanwhile, Retail’s slower shift suggests a need for sector-specific support, clearer ROI messaging, and more accessible sustainability solutions.

Where we go from here

We know that when planners measure, they change. And now, with better reporting platforms, smarter advisory support, and real-time benchmarking tools like Impact and Track, event professionals can act with confidence – not guesswork.

Let’s make 2025 the year every sector finds its stride.

Region watch: US & EMEA

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Who’s leading on event sustainability in 2025?

As more organisations commit to responsible event delivery, 2025 has become a landmark year for measured progress. At event:decision, our data tools – including Track and Impact Reviews, provide a uniquely detailed view of how event sustainability is evolving across industry sectors, event types, and geographies.

This time, we’re zooming in on the regional picture. Specifically: how do events in the US compare to those in EMEA?

The answer isn’t just a matter of who scores higher. It’s about what’s driving performance, what cultural and structural factors are influencing results and what both sides can learn from each other.

EMEA leads the way, for now

In 2025, EMEA emerged as the highest-performing region overall, driven by stronger results in Environmental and Governance pillars.

Why EMEA events stood out:

  • Stronger supply chain transparency, particularly in the UK, Netherlands, and Nordics.
  • More established ESG reporting culture, with sustainability metrics often mandated internally at client-board-level.
  • Higher event planner awareness, especially among agencies serving European or global clients.

EMEA events scored significantly above average in Governance – with consistent use of certified suppliers, carbon goal setting, and more detailed post-event reporting.

US: Strong intent, but gaps in execution

US-based events demonstrated real commitment to sustainability in 2025 but scores were more variable, particularly in the Social and Governance dimensions.

Key challenges for US events:

  • Lower consistency in carbon tracking, especially for travel.
  • Less structured supplier vetting, often driven by speed and budget.
  • Underuse of measurement tools, leading to lower benchmarking confidence.

That said, there are bright spots. Some corporate event teams in the US are piloting portfolio-wide ESG frameworks, a sign that momentum is building.

We see US-corporates pushing their agencies hard for benchmarks and pathways, especially in CDP &/or Ecovadis products.

The biggest hurdle? A lack of enforced standards. Where EMEA planners often face regulatory or procurement-driven requirements, US teams rely more on voluntary adoption, making measurement and improvement patchier.

Regional takeaways: What we’re seeing

Factor EMEA US
Average ESG Score Higher Lower (more varied)
Governance Strong – compliance driven Inconsistent – depends on team maturity
Environmental Strong in travel, waste, sourcing Variable – hybrid models help, but gaps in tracking remain
Social Improving, esp. around wellbeing & access Patchy – DEI efforts exist but aren’t always measured

What EMEA can learn from the US: Greater innovation, especially in hybrid and tech-led formats.

What the US can learn from EMEA: Standardise measurement and make ESG mandatory.

What’s next: Closing the gap

Sustainability isn’t a static factor. What we’re seeing now is a regional maturity curve and with the right tools, both EMEA and US-based planners can keep advancing. The difference? EMEA is starting to treat ESG as a business necessity. The US is still treating it like an opportunity, risking inconsistent delivery.

That’s where event:decision comes in.

  • Track your event performance, not just in carbon but in social value and governance process
  • Benchmark against regional peers, but also in client-sectors and event-types
  • Act with confidence, not guesswork.
  • All for less than the price of a single hotel room.