Meetings and events industry body Eventia has unveiled a new section on its website dedicated to supporting members in the arena of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). This follows the successful launch of the association’s One Future initiative – a toolkit to help deliver lower carbon events.

Developed by the Eventia CSR working party – a group of industry professionals, from small to large agencies, hoteliers, venues, NTOs, professional service consultants and transportation providers – the web pages are designed to be used as an accessible reference tool and aim to give guidance to all those involved in planning meetings and events on how they can be a little more environmentally responsible. The website is packed with hints and tips on how to reduce the use of energy and non-renewable resources in our businesses while still delivering engaging and creative events.

Aileen Reuter, eventia board member and Maritz Marketing director, commented: “Whether you are a small company thinking about your annual management team get together or a large one considering a conference for over 1,000, Eventia’s new online section on CSR is a valuable resource. We have worked with experts to pull together practical information to strengthen understanding of all aspects of CSR and to help businesses make informed choices not only about how they can reduce their carbon usage when planning events but also in every day businesses.

“Eventia aims to help the events industry organise responsible, value-led live events that have a positive social impact on people and a minimal impact on the environment. This online resource is the second phase of our focus on CSR that started with the launch of the One Future initiative. The information is designed to help people make informed decisions about events and how little details can make a big difference. For example there is a list of national and international green credentials to highlight the different accreditations, associations, etc. across countries or regions. In addition, areas such as questions to ask suppliers we hope will help generate a change within the whole industry through the age-old process of supply and demand."

To help continue to populate the site and inspire involvement, Eventia is calling for ‘Leading Lights’ stories in the industry – people who have gone that extra mile in their business by personally driving an aspect of CSR, be that economic, social or environmental. It is also searching for case studies of organisations which have put measures in place to do the same – this could be a venue, hotel, transportation supplier, caterer, agency, etc. Templates for each of these can be found on the website, www.eventia.org.uk/csr.