EVT61704 Sustainable Event Management Chapter 3 Engagement + Communication PDF

EVT61704 Sustainable Event Management 1.Stakeholders and Attendee Engagement 2.Performance Reporting 2 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Stakeholders Identification Definition according to ISO 20121 (Clause 3.16) “Person or organisation that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves t...

EVT61704 Sustainable Event Management 1.Stakeholders and Attendee Engagement 2.Performance Reporting 2 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Stakeholders Identification Definition according to ISO 20121 (Clause 3.16) “Person or organisation that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision or activity”       Internal Stakeholders Staff (fulltime & part-time) Superiors Volunteers Contractors & Vendors Venue Owners Performers & Speakers       External Stakeholders Sponsors & Funding Bodies Local authorities & Government depts. Community groups, NGOs Local businesses General Public Media Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 3 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Stakeholders Identification Difference between Stakeholders and Key Players Who has a “stake” versus Who is necessary for the success? House Buyer Contractors Government - Other occupants (wife, kids) 4 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Stakeholders Identification Process Description Who 1. 2. Individuals or organisations who:  have an interest in the event’s activities  Have needs or expectations from the activities  are affected positively or negatively by the activities People to engage, inform, consult or educate Where Stakeholders are likely to be identified through team meetings and discussions Previous events and activities Why without stakeholder engagement, the event may not achieve sustainability success Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 5 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Stakeholders Identification Process Description How Once identified, formulate how to approach using communications such as contracts, info sheets, induction booklets, signages, online campaigns Include communications with both internal and external stakeholders into the event schedule/plan Feedback or outcomes needs to be conveyed to relevant event departments What Information or actions that needs to be addressed during event planning to influence stakeholders on  Support of sustainability goals  Participation at event sustainability initiatives  Potentially make lasting changes to event operations Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 6 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Stakeholders Identification Stakeholder conflicts include:  Competing interests – requiring involvement of a 3rd party to broker mutually agreeable outcomes  Needs or interests may not be at the same level (Yuan, 2013)  Difficulty in voicing their opinions or being actively engaged due to lack of organisation or are from vulnerable communities  Ignorant or do not realise they are stakeholders and may require efforts to reach out to them  May not exist yet (i.e. future generations) Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 7 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Sustainability Communications Communicating through events can be:  An excellent opportunity for experiences that can be life-changing  An experiential participation to initiate reflections on personal beliefs, values and habits  An immersive experience that allow participants to develop a deep connection with many sustainability principles  A stage (platform) to play a part in activating a person’s transformative learning Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 8 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Attendee Engagement Attendees can play a major role in the event’s impact due to their travel decisions, purchasing decisions and waste creation (Singleton, 2010). Pre-Event Start seeding sustainability ideas from first point of communications Create specific campaigns or theme around sustainability initiatives Don’t overstretch the truth and be prepared to be scrutinised At Event Face-to-face communication is a very effective approach Have mingling or networking sessions to discuss various sustainability initiatives Recruit influencers who walk the talk as well as artists & performers to allow creativeness flow Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) Post Event Get feedback and ideas from attendees on what worked and what they would like to see happen at future events Host focus groups or conduct online discussion forums to extend conversations on event initiatives 9 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication about Sustainability Communicating about sustainability can be either or both of the following methods: a) Process-oriented Communication – conveying information in the processes of the event b) Promotional Communication – to earn reputational benefits by publicizing sustainabilityrelated initiatives, achievements and commitments. Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 10 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication about Sustainability a) Process-oriented Communication – conveying information in the processes of the events Every role within the events management team has a touch-point with sustainability. There are 3 levels of communication and education about sustainability: 1. Task Focused - Sustainability information to allow participation in sustainability practices 2. Educational Approach - Sustainability information to enable the planning and implementation of sustainability programs 3. Training by “Managing Up” - Sustainability information to enable the development of sustainable policies and strategic visions Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 11 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication about Sustainability a) Process-oriented Communication – conveying information in the processes of the event Managing Up Training management staff to be equipped with knowledge to make, approve or direct policies Educational for the organisation’s sustainability vision approach stakeholders are empowered to make informed decisions and take the best actions for sustainability performance Tasks focused enhancement. This approach can be supported by: processes  facts and figures Assign staff to roles  concepts and technicalities which involve  toolkits sustainable practices Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 12 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication about Sustainability b) Promotional Communication – to earn reputational benefits by publicizing sustainability-related initiatives, achievements and commitments. Promoting sustainability credentials of an event publicly is attractive and potentially rewarding because it:  Enhances reputation of the event and stakeholders  Demonstrates social responsibility  Shows respect to attendees, the destination and its community  Helps differentiate the event to build the brand (Tinnish & Mangal, 2012) Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) UN SDG Awards 2019 13 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication about Sustainability b) Promotional Communication – require expertise and has to be handled with care as inaccuracy or miscommunication has risks. Communication failure examples include:  Green Copy - over-zealous or underinformed marketing content resulting in reputational risk (disrepute) to the event and related organisations  Greenwashing - extensive claims without any substance or evidence to support  Technical copywriting – reduces the content to less colourful or uninteresting material. https://www.advertgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/q-net-healthwellness-lifestyle-products-ad-times-of-india-mumbai-10-07-2018.png Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 14 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication for Sustainability Objectives and Goals of Communication for sustainability Should :  Inspire people to actively seek out sustainable solutions for work or their personal lives  Get people to be bothered and concerned enough to take action  Motivate or inspire people to change or re-affirm values of good stewardship  Reduce the ‘values-action’ gap by using conversations to enable environmental participatory activities (Robinson, 2012) Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 15 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication for Sustainability Design Communication for Sustainability to be effective Do’s Don’t’s Create a positive buzz around various programs Don’t smother with “eco-geekery” by throwing facts & figures Get word-of-mouth and good vibes going on social media Don’t be pushy with green agenda Use humour to help people remember Don’t guilt-trip (force) or upset people with insurmountable problems Don’t be boring with clichés Create campaigns or “calls to action” that will elicit emotional response Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 16 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication for Sustainability Design Communication for Sustainability to be effective Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 17 1. Stakeholders & Attendee Engagement - Communication for Sustainability Using Events as Change-Agent  By advocating for certain issues and offer the event as a vehicle for exposure  Align campaigns with issues to demonstrate the event’s social conscience  Setup “eco-zones” or areas where social justice topics or other pressing issues can be discussed  Create activities to allow hands-on participation or involvement  Collaborate with NGOs, community groups, activists to promote their cause or publicise their agenda Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 18 1.Stakeholders and Attendee Engagement 2.Performance Reporting 19 2. Performance Reporting Make sure to communicate your results! Celebrate your successes but do not hide failures - the goals you have not achieved this time will become new targets for the next event. Sustainable event management is a continuous learning process. Establishing an appropriate and transparent monitoring and reporting procedure will:  enable you to assess achievements, learn lessons and improve for the future (benchmarking and data comparison)  help you to communicate and motivate suppliers and staff  gain the trust of your stakeholders and improve the image of your organization  save money thanks to the increased monitoring and evaluation of the use of resources, with potential consequent economic benefits Source: UNEP (2012) :http://www.ajsosteniblebcn.cat/sustainable-events-guide_63369.pdf 20 2. Performance Reporting Outcomes of communication and engagement efforts are reported, such as:  Participation in initiatives  Demonstrated behavior change  Enduring and lasting changes (legacies) The Global Reporting Initiative Event Organisers Sector Supplement (GRI EOSS) created 2 performance disclosures to cover enduring behavior changes EO11 – Number, type and impact of sustainability initiatives designed to raise awareness, share knowledge and impact on behavior change and results achieved EO12 – Nature and extent of knowledge transfer of best practice and lessons learned Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 21 2. Performance Reporting - Reporting Options According to familiarity with reporting and current expertise in event sustainability, there are two recommended reporting options 1. Basic reporting This option is for event organisers still at the early stages of the sustainability process as it is an easier way to monitor how well the event has progressed. NOTE: The use of a checklist is recommended where the number of items ticked off in each checklist will help benchmark the event, while the unticked items will become goals for the next event, in a process of gradual improvement. 2. Advanced Reporting This is for event organisers who already have some experience with sustainable events and reporting Refer to UNEP Guide: Annex 2 – Reporting Template Source: UNEP (2012) :http://www.ajsosteniblebcn.cat/sustainable-events-guide_63369.pdf 22 2. Performance Reporting Example: Snapshot of The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) Annual event (March 2011, Brussels) Number of participants: 9,000; Leading exhibitors: 445; Presentations: 500 Total score of 62% against industry average of 44% 89% of event waste recycled 100% of the exhibition hall carpet (31,340 m²) collected and recycled 60% of all food served sourced locally 3,000 public transport tickets distributed to participants Approx. $12,000 donated to Renewable World for wind-powered water pumps for farmers in Mozambique Source: UNEP (2012) :http://www.ajsosteniblebcn.cat/sustainable-events-guide_63369.pdf 23 2. Performance Reporting Report on successes, would include number or proportion of: Vendors signing and adhering to the vendor charter Artists and performers purchasing carbon offsets for their eventrelated flights Attendees opting for bundled ticket and offset offer Food vendors offering organic meals Bags of recyclables returned to recycling rewards stations Venues installing LED (light-emitting diode) lighting permanently on stages Other reporting include enduring changes in operations and behaviour of stakeholders, such as: Food vendors discontinue use of Styrofoam or polystyrene Artists switching merchandise t-shirts to organic or recycled materials Venues will start and continue record event energy consumption Caterers will only sell products from local sustainable sources Venues will continue reporting eventspecific waste to event organisers New ways of managing and treatment of waste at venues and sites New ways of planning and managing event workforce and supply chain Source: Event Sustainability Management (Jones, 2018) 24 Discussion #1 List examples of Stakeholders with the following issues 1. Competing interests – requiring involvement of a 3rd party to broker mutually agreeable outcomes 2. Needs or interests may not be at the same level (Yuan, 2013) 3. Difficulty in voicing their opinions or being actively engaged due to lack of organisation or are from vulnerable communities 4. Ignorant or do not realise they are stakeholders and may require efforts to reach out to them 25 Discussion #2 Glastonbury Festival aligned and collaborated with several significant charities. Discuss how Glastonbury Festival was used as a vehicle to promote these charities 1. Greenpeace 2. Oxfam 3. WaterAid (check out www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/worthy-causes ) 26 Discussion #3 List recipients of event sustainability performance report and justify the reasons for their distribution 27