SUSTAINABLE EVENT MANAGEMENT

SUSTAINABLE EVENT MANAGEMENT: The creation of a format dedicated to raising awareness among young people about the importance of the environment and sustainable events INTRODUCTION In recent years, the concept of sustainability has emerged as a crucial aspect in various industries, due to the increasing attention placed on the environmental and social impacts of business activities. Nowadays, the events sector has been a growing recognition of the need for sustainability in the events industry, from large-scale conferences to community festivals, due to its significant environmental and social impacts in terms of resource consumption, waste generation, and carbon emissions. Events, whether open to the public or private, have increasingly taken hold in everyday life and are used as a meeting point and entertainment, often with the aim of raising awareness among customers on the topics covered. There is a tendency to underestimate the importance of events on a social and economic level, but these have a significant impact that leads many different businesses to take an interest in the world of events to raise awareness and loyalty among customers of their products or services. Whether they are corporate events, festivals, conferences or local celebrations, these strengthen interpersonal relationships and the social fabric that ferments the development of new activities and trust in the system. Recognizing the urgency of addressing these challenges, many firms are increasingly seeking to integrate sustainability principles into their event management practices, trying to minimize their environmental footprint, enhance social responsibility, and contribute to the broader goal of sustainable development. In order to develop eco-sustainable events a fundamental starting point is the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) more precisely ISO 20121 that is a voluntary international standard for sustainable event management, this standard aims to help organizations improve sustainability throughout the entire event management cycle. It helps monitor resource consumption, waste management and pollution. There are many reasons for businesses to engage in sustainable event management, including cost savings, risk mitigation, brand enhancement, and stakeholder satisfaction. Firms that prioritize sustainability in their events, in fact, can benefit from improved reputation, increased customer loyalty, and competitive advantage. However, despite the growing awareness of sustainability issues and the advantages that this engagement can contribute to, many firms encounter barriers that limit their ability to implement sustainable event management effectively. This research aims at providing a comprehensive framework to understand these barriers and proposing strategies and practical recommendations to overcome them and enhance firms’ sustainability performance in the context of event management. Specifically, the research will at first identify the key barriers that firms encounter in implementing sustainable event management practices and examine the underlying reasons behind these barriers, including financial constraints, lack of awareness and education, resistance to change, regulatory and policy issues, and stakeholder engagement challenges. Then it will investigate real-world successful case studies of firms that have overcome these barriers and implemented sustainable event management practices effectively. Finally, taking inspiration from my working experience and my little Start-up, I will provide the creation of a format dedicated to promoting and sensitizing young people to the urgent need to safeguard nature