Event Greening Forum

EGF Master Class: How to host safe and sustainable events

Save the date for the Event Greening Forum’s annual Master Class on Wednesday, 18 November 2020 from 10:00-12:30.

The Event Greening Forum’s purpose is to help the South African business events industry become increasingly sustainable. In line with that, this year’s Master Class will unpack sustainable event practices that can complement and coexist with the industry’s Re-Opening Guidelines for limiting the exposure of Covid-19.

The pandemic has changed how we do business. Unfortunately, in many cases this has led to ‘solutions’ that are known to be environmentally destructive, such as a surge in single-use products and packaging. This, in turn, is creating more problems for society to deal with in the near future, from pollution to the negative health consequences that micro-plastics are believed to cause in humans. And yet it doesn’t need to be this way. Good corporate practice and stringent health and safety standards can be compatible.

“The Event Greening Forum has been working with the Event Safety Council, who authored the Re-Opening Guidelines, on incorporating Covid-safe sustainable practices into version 2 of the document,” explained Greg McManus, EGF chairman. “We will examine these updated guidelines in our Master Class to help steer all businesses in the event supply chain – from venues and organisers, to suppliers and service providers – towards hosting events that meet both socially and environmentally responsible best practice standards.”

Mr McManus, who has been instrumental in developing version 2 of the Re-Opening Guidelines, will run the workshop. He brings over forty years of experience of working in the hospitality industry, both operationally and then in the standards and audit aspects of quality and sustainability. He is the owner of Heritage, South Africa’s only independent sustainability certification company, and is actively involved in environmental certification and the development of standards and quality management systems in tourism – including the development of the EGF’s Minimum Standards for Sustainable Events.

Other speakers will be announced soon. The Master Class will be held online. Live participation is encouraged, so that questions can be answered and feedback shared. However, an on-demand recording will also be made available to all registered attendees afterwards. Participation is free to all EGF members. Tickets for nonmembers are R300 each. To find out more and book your spot, please go to: www.eventgreening.co.za