What is a sustainability-conscious event? Future event production centered around guidelines (Part 2)

• What is a Sustainability-Conscious Event? Future Event Production Centered on the Guidelines (Part 1)

The " Sustainability-Conscious Event Guidelines (Environmental Edition)", created and published by Dentsu Japan's "Sustainability Promotion Office", Dentsu Inc.'s "Dentsu Team SDGs", and Dentsu Live Inc., is a tool designed to support the promotion of sustainability throughout event planning, production, and operation. Rather than a strict manual, its defining feature is that it outlines a policy for relevant companies to consider sustainable events. The checklist summarizing actions to be taken also categorizes items by difficulty level, allowing companies to start by clearing lower hurdles.

In the second part of our interview with Dentsu Live Inc.'s Yuki Nagakawa, Kohei Ishibashi, and Serina Suzuki, who contributed to creating the guidelines, we delve deeper into how to utilize the guidelines and the nature of sustainable events.

With an eye toward consulting services for sustainable event production

Q. For those who created the "Guidelines for Sustainable Events (Environmental Edition)," how do you envision stakeholders utilizing these guidelines moving forward, or how does Dentsu Live Inc. plan to develop them further?

Nagakawa: Two points. First, we want to use this guideline as a catalyst to encourage the event industry to advance sustainability. For example, we plan to approach various partners, such as display companies, with concrete proposals like "Let's actively adopt environmentally friendly materials." Second, we aim to become capable of consulting on sustainability-conscious event production. We also want to incorporate the guideline's content into our proposals to clients.

Q. To further enhance the guidelines, wouldn't it be necessary to clearly demonstrate evidence like "We reduced CO2 emissions by this much" or for Dentsu Live Inc. to provide environmentally conscious materials?

Nagakawa: Moving forward, we will collaborate with partner companies to establish methods for calculating impact and provide concrete solutions for reducing environmental burden. Additionally, we recognize the need to develop checklists incorporating DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) perspectives. It's not about "creating guidelines and calling it done"; we must regularly review and update them to ensure broad applicability.

Real or Metaverse? The Future of Event Planning

Q. Considering environmental impact, one idea is to distribute attendee perks digitally. However, many people likely prefer receiving physical items. In other words, when balancing "sustainability" and "event experience value," some friction might arise. What are your thoughts on this?

Nagakawa: To put it bluntly, the best way to reduce environmental impact is to not hold events at all. However, there are situations where events are necessary for corporate activities. These guidelines were created with the intention of considering sustainability to maximize the value of events. I believe this will broaden the scope of proposals we can offer clients from a new perspective, such as suggesting, "If you're implementing this kind of initiative, perhaps we could be more creative here?"

Suzuki: I don't want sustainable initiatives to come at the cost of diminishing the event experience. For example, with attendee perks, we can digitize items whose value isn't diminished by data, while for physical goods that people genuinely enjoy receiving, we can use environmentally conscious materials. That's precisely where creativity comes in. There are many things we can do without lowering the event experience. We want to make those kinds of proposals.

Q. Does considering sustainability change the event planning process itself?

Nagakawa: First, we must maximize the value of traditional events while firmly incorporating environmental considerations. For instance, planning that minimizes negative impacts—like switching booth materials to eco-friendly options—is essential.

At the same time, planning that fully leverages digital—such as holding events in metaverse spaces—will become increasingly important. We need to deepen our digital expertise, collaborate across the entire group, and fundamentally discuss with clients what kind of events we should create.

Ishibashi: Personally, I believe real-world events will never disappear as a communication tool. Within that context, I want to work towards creating a trend where "going to sustainable events is cooler than attending traditional ones." To achieve this, I think we also need to simultaneously consider how to spread the value of sustainable events and how to effectively promote them.

Events have this aspect of being like setting off a big fireworks display, but rather than constantly scrapping and rebuilding each time, I hope we can offer various options—like maintaining a continuous perspective or digitizing parts of the experience.

Suzuki: Personally, I don't think sustainability should equate to "approaching event production defensively." By re-examining environmental impact, I believe there are many areas we can improve while maintaining the core experiential value of the event itself. We want to preserve the enjoyment of events while implementing sustainable practices wherever possible.

Q. I imagine event and promotion managers at client companies sometimes struggle with how much sustainability they should prioritize and what criteria to use for decision-making. What advice would you give them?

Nagakawa: Regarding sustainability and reducing environmental impact, rather than approaching it as "something we have to do reluctantly," I want us to think together from the perspective of "how can we maximize enjoyment for as many people as possible within the constraints?" I hope we can embrace this challenge together, not viewing it negatively.

Ishibashi: The key is to start with even one small initiative. We also want to create an environment where you can consult with us on small steps, using our guidelines as a foundation.

Suzuki: While some say adding sustainability initiatives costs more money and effort than before, it's not purely negative—there are often significant positives too. Compared to repeatedly creating, destroying, and discarding items for every event, using renewable or environmentally conscious materials can actually reduce costs in the long run. Furthermore, looking ahead at future trends, events lacking a sustainable perspective could potentially damage their reputation. Please don't view this as a high hurdle; we encourage you to start with small steps.

Whether to maximize sustainability for physical events or shift to metaverse spaces to reduce environmental impact—methods vary. Regardless, organizers and production companies will need to explore the ideal event format for each occasion based on purpose, content, and audience. The "Sustainability-Conscious Event Guidelines (Environmental Edition)" aim to assist in this process. Why not consider the three pillars of sustainable events—alongside the upcoming "Diversity" and "Safety and Health" guidelines—to shape your approach?