Boost Your Event Attendance with Sustainability

As businesses and individuals alike continue to focus on their environmental impacts, sustainability remains at the forefront in 2024. A recent Eventbrite report found nearly 70% of event-goers felt ‘happier attending sustainable events’, coupled with a staggering 74% of respondents saying they’d be ‘willing to pay extra for them’. This aligns with the growing consumer focus on sustainable, feel-good purchasing decisions, and an expectation on brands and companies to do their part. 

It’s no secret that attendee expectations have grown- events need to be more than just a means of delivering a message, or as a way to gather your audience. Showcasing your sustainability initiatives is not only a way to align with your attendees, but to encourage attendance through creating a strong, lasting impression. 

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Ensure Your Event Is Sustainable 

Of course, to boost your event attendance through sustainability, you need to ensure your event is actually sustainable. There’s a variety of ways to do this, which we’ve outlined here. 

Take note of each of your sustainability measures; how do they contribute positively to your event footprint, and how will they impact your attendee’s experience? Being close to public transport not only reduces your carbon emissions, but ensures attendees can sustainably travel to your event. Using a QR code to view event information not only reduces single-use materials, but means attendees can access all necessary information at their fingertips. 

Consider not only how sustainability creates a positive event impact, but how each measure will align with your attendee’s values, and enhance their overall experience. 

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Be Loud and Proud 

As attendees continue to prioritise sustainability, make sure to showcase your own sustainability initiatives. This is a great way to not only highlight your company’s environmental footprint, but to show attendees you know and care about their values. 

Weave sustainability into your event marketing. List your sustainability measures on your event invite and registration landing page, so attendees can immediately see your event footprint. Or, you could share a case study to social media on one of your sustainable measures. This can not only be a great way to showcase any suppliers or partners you’re working with, but a great educational tool for potential attendees.

This doesn’t just have to be pre-event. Make a note on your menu that it’s made of recycled material, or, if you’re partnering with an organisation like Trace, use a screen to highlight how your carbon outputs will be offset. 

Showing how sustainability is woven throughout your event will not only help attendees to RSVP ‘Yes’, but to help them feel good about attending. 

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Get Your Audience Involved  

Support your attendee’s own sustainability goals by getting them involved in the process. Our Journeys calculator helps bookers to understand their travel emissions to and from an event; this same idea can be applied to your own audience. Catherine Long, CEO and Co-Founder of Trace, suggests creating a simple survey, or adding an additional question to your RSVP, asking attendees how they plan on getting to your event. Make sure to then share the results post- event. This is a great way for attendees to feel they can actively contribute to your event footprint. 

Even highlighting sustainable transport options like nearby public transit, or perhaps an option to use a provided coach service, can get attendees engaged and excited about their own environmental impacts. 

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Sustainability is not just a core focus for events alone, but for attendees who value their own carbon footprint. By weaving sustainable thinking throughout your event process and marketing, you can ensure not only a positive environmental impact, but a feel-good event experience. 

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