The events industry has proven to be ever-changing, with constant changes, regulations, and new technologies. Inevitably this necessitates event professionals to be adaptable, constantly looking for ways to keep pace with their event strategies in order to remain relevant. Particularly in the face of increased attendee demand for immersive and personalised event experiences. Further, with the rising threat of climate change, there are calls for the industry to reduce its carbon footprint. Gevme, Singapore’s leading event technology platform is empowering event organisers and marketers with the tools to deliver engaging event experiences (online and offline) while helping save the planet.
The critical need for sustainable events
Globally, the events sector is one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions, accounting for 10% with multiple contributors tallying up to a rather hefty carbon footprint. An in-person event with an average of 1000 attendees produces approximately 530 metric tons of CO2. That’s equivalent to 5670kg of discards or the combined weight of 4 compact cars, according to a study by MeetGreen.
CEO and Founder of Gevme, Veemal Gungadin, shared, “There doesn’t need to be a case made on why climate change is a pressing issue. We know that we all need to do our part to protect the planet. But when the goal is to have every person emitting only 2.1 tons of carbon equivalent on average per year by 2030 and a single event attendee can have a carbon footprint of up to 2.5 tons for one event, it’s no longer optional for us as an industry to ‘green’ our events. Instead, it’s imperative that we do.”
How Gevme is greening the event experience
Greening the event experience through technology is a key focus for Gevme. As Singapore’s leading event technology platform, Gevme believes in empowering event organisers to create and deliver engaging event experiences, both online and offline. To that end, it offers a comprehensive suite of features, products and services, such as a robust omnichannel event website builder, a companion event app and even the provision of eco-friendly booths for on-site registrations. Collectively, these offerings by Gevme allow event organisers to take a more purposeful and strategic approach to deliver the dynamic experience attendees are looking for while helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Eco-friendly registration booths and exhibitor stands
Registration and exhibitor booths have always been a mainstay in the physical event experience. From attendees locating the registration booth when they first arrive, receiving their own badge as well as an event goodie bag filled with event merchandise to exhibitor booths of varying designs and sizes to capture and attract attendee interest, all these booths are often single-use due to their customised nature and will inevitably contribute to the already large carbon footprint of events.
A simple method of making events more environmentally friendly is to avoid building customised structures and instead use reusable and out-of-the-box options, like the Gevme kiosk for their registration booths. The Gevme kiosk is specifically designed and built with sustainability in mind through the maximum use of sustainable and reusable materials:
- Made out of re-board which is an environmentally-friendly & recyclable material, that helps decrease the use of raw materials by up to 80%.
- Fully-customisable kiosk through the use of reusable magnetic skins which can be easily applied and removed, ensuring branding remains strong and prevalent.
- Printers support Teslin paper which is water and tear-resistant and which helps eliminate the use of plastic pouches and makes badge-printing more sustainable.
Gevme’s companion app: Elevating events & reducing material waste
Gevme’s mobile companion app is another tool the company offers to help reduce paper waste. It offers an end-to-end solution for event organisers to manage all aspects of their events digitally. It covers everything from registration and ticketing, agenda management, a digital help centre, push notifications and messaging capabilities, and real-time Q&A for panel discussions and chats during sessions.
Through the use of mini experiences within the app, event organisers are able to provide an enhanced event experience while allowing them to easily track and gather data on attendee engagement and attendee engagement. An example of this is the use of the “Spin the Wheel” mini experience available at exhibitor booths to allow attendees to win prizes. Natively on the mobile app, brands can fully configure the number of segments on the wheel, the prizes, the number of tries and most importantly, keep track of who is spinning the wheel which is a great way of engaging their audience while capturing leads at the same time.
Beyond the app’s digital capabilities, it is also designed with sustainability in mind. Particularly through the use of their metacard, a free virtual business card allowing attendees and exhibitors to easily share and connect with one another. Thus, enhancing their networking efforts while completely eliminating the need to hand out physical name cards. The app also allows exhibitors to seamlessly share their information with attendees, through the use of a smart QR scanner as well as the available in-built exhibitor tab. Thereby, eliminating the need for printing and distributing paper marketing collaterals which will ultimately end up taking up room in a landfill.
The virtual venue – A hybrid approach to greener more sustainable events
As mentioned earlier, the two biggest contributors to an event’s carbon footprint lie in the travelling and accommodation arrangements for attendees, speakers and exhibitors. To drastically reduce this, event organisers can explore the use of a virtual venue for attendees to have the event experience without needing to travel. Thereby, significantly cutting down carbon emissions made from travelling.
Beyond the reduction of carbon emissions from travel, a virtual venue also allows organisers and brands to gain a wider audience as people from other countries are able to attend. This could also translate into lesser carbon emissions from other factors such as food waste and energy use.
The Gevme platform has pre-built virtual venues already in place for organisers to use for their events. Especially in the case of hybrid events where there is a virtual venue replicating the environment of the physical event. So attendees are able to have a similar experience across both channels, while still being able to cross-network with other attendees, no matter if they’re present in person or joining the event from the comfort of their own homes and offices.
Navigating a new era of events sustainably with Genve
Veemal observes that over the 15 years, he’s been in the industry, it has evolved and so too have the reasons why people attend events as key stakeholders have identified how events impact business growth and scalability. “Now, events have become about learning, networking, entertainment, and conducting serious business,” he said.
With each passing day, technology is unlocking a limitless potential for the sector. “This has also impacted the demands- nobody wants to attend events that feel the same. Everyone is always looking for unique experiences,” he added. “Rising concerns over the environmental impact of events are unlikely to cease and marketers and brands need to step up and meet the demand. Ultimately, it’ll be best for everyone to collectively aim and work towards going carbon-negative but even for us, we’re focusing on providing our clients with the key tools they need to move towards net zero.”