15Hatfields welcomes event professionals for the CN Sustainability Summit

On 19 October, we welcomed leaders in sustainability across the events industry to our venue for the CN Sustainability Summit organised by Conference News.

This was an opportunity for event professionals to assess where we’re at as an industry in terms of our carbon impact and consider next steps for creating a sustainable future for events.

The summit was structured around four panel discussions. The first panel kicked off with the topic of legacy and explored the long-term impacts of an event – from its carbon footprint to its potential for positive social change. Another key panel discussion delved into carbon calculating, with an emphasis on not simply measuring but mitigating negative environmental impacts.

Our Deputy General Manager, Joe Harris was invited to join a panel on organiser expectations, alongside Co-Founder of Reset Connect, Duncan Reid; CEO of DRPG, Dale Parmenter; and Senior Marketing Manager at Cvent, Felicia Asiedu. The panel gathered to discuss teamwork across the full supply chain and how we can support each other in making sustainable choices.

Joe discussed the benefits of flexibility, including our food waste reduction policy which allows planners to provide updated delegate numbers the day before their event. In light of the pandemic and recent rail strikes, venue flexibility has proven to be invaluable for event planners. Where national rail strikes have affected the ability of attendees to travel, we have offered clients a one-off opportunity to move their event to another date free-of-charge. This decision forms part of not only our commitment to supporting our clients, but also our dedication, as a sustainable venue, to ensuring that every event hosted at 15Hatfields is necessary and able to fulfil its intended purpose.

Continue reading for reflections on the summit and insights into what running a sustainable event means in practice.

Jack Newey, Portfolio Director, Conference News, on sourcing a sustainable venue:

“For the CN Sustainability Summit, we needed a venue that could support us in producing a low footprint event for our sponsors and delegates. The location was ideal for attendees to get there by public transport and the team at 15Hatfields were extremely helpful and always on hand to assist us where needed.”

Joe Harris, Deputy General Manager, 15Hatfields, on driving sustainable practices:

“In order to run a truly sustainable event, everyone involved needs to be on board. Communication and education are key factors. For 15Hatfields, this means ensuring that suppliers, event planners and delegates are well-informed of sustainability best practices at our venue and understand how they can assist us in implementing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

Amy Perrett, Venue Assistant, 15Hatfields, on maintaining a sustainable supply chain:

“I take care of recycling at 15Hatfields and I’m passionate about tackling plastic pollution, having worked as part of the team during the #OneLess bottle movement and our Make Plastic History campaign. While I’m a champion of repurposing and recycling (when managed carefully!), venues and suppliers share a collective responsibility to transition to plastic free alternatives wherever they exist. Maintaining a strong culture of communication and transparency with our suppliers was crucial to achieving our goal of eliminating all single-use plastic from our supply chain in 2019. Although, it’s not just about communicating a vision! A venue that takes sustainability seriously should be keen and ready to propose solutions. At 15Hatfields, we have a selection of refillable recycled glass containers to assist our local suppliers in going packaging-free.”

Mark Perrett, Event Supervisor, 15Hatfields, on running a smooth sustainable event:

“I’ve been on the 15Hatfields team for four years and you can’t beat the atmosphere on the day of a conference or summit. Conference News’ agenda of panel discussions, roundtable sessions and meetings, allowed us to showcase the versatility of our venue and AV facilities. 15Hatfields lends itself perfectly to this style of event. Our Elements Suite is a popular choice for talks and panels and we have plenty of breakout spaces for meetings, workshops and training and delicious event catering!”

At 15Hatfields, there are two floors and 14 contemporary rooms to choose from, varying in size and flexible in set-up. Take a virtual tour of our award-winning venue today and contact us to discuss how our modern event spaces can be tailored to suit your next event.