In early March, Birmingham based business Kambe Events are collaborating with a range of industry bodies and professionals to deliver workshops in sustainable food (10th March) and waste management (11th March), to assist event and catering professionals plan their 2016 events.
With the public increasingly interested in the narrative of food; sustainably sourced fish, locally sourced veg and Fairtrade are becoming the expected minimum standards at most events and the West Midlands needs to be on board.
Sustainable food practices extend to many other aspects including health, serveware, energy and waste. But rather than being viewed as an increased financial burden, there are many benefits and cost-savings linked with embracing sustainability. These include: creating a differential to competitors, improving food quality and diversity, a feel-good factor for the audience, and demonstrating brand and event ethics.
Of course, getting to grips with the many certifications, studies and practices can seem overwhelming especially for those working at a different event each week. So on 10th March, Kambe and NCASS (also Birmingham based)will deliver a comprehensive workshop to explore all food sustainability-related topics, demonstrating how sustainability can help improve cost management, brand and audience experience. The speakers will include traders, caterers, waste and power experts from across the country. Practical case-studies will demonstrate the benefits, how to carve a niche and how they have improved their own businesses and events.
Waste management is another key issues for the event industry that affects the audience’s perception of an event. The waste management workshop on the 11th March will be focused on the challenges of city-centre, multi-venue and greenfield events where recycling is minimal and litter is high.
Often at event sites, especially city-centres, the recycling facilities can be limited and due to the sheer quantity of litter, mass clear-ups become the fall-back approach. Often this means, values are compromised and recycling opportunities are super-ceded by the need to clear-up quickly with minimal disruption.
But what if it could be different? What if audiences actively threw rubbish in bins and even recycled; whilst the event waste contractors managed materials responsibly. And event professionals delivering on these sites could confidently suggest a waste strategy or have one in place for their operation.
On 11th March, Kambe Events and Resource Futures will provide practical solutions by exploring key topics, including the latest legislation, the psychology of audiences, communication strategies and practical options to manage waste better on the ground. They will provide case-studies from behaviour change campaigns and multi-venue events that have taken in their own waste reduction and management systems; discussing the successes and challenges.
As well as running the highly regarded Shambala Festival and other events nationwide, Kambe Events also produces both the vintage inspired music and dance festival, Swingamajig, and Reggae City in Birmingham. With over 15 years of event sector experience Kambe understands first hand the challenges and opportunities faced by local event organisers in Birmingham. They will share their experiences around managing waste at a multi-venue event and implementing reusable cup schemes.
The two full-day workshops will be hosted in Birmingham on 10th and 11th March 2016. Spaces are limited to 30 for each workshop, so sign up quickly to benefit from the 25% discount before 1st February. To find out more head online to Kambe Events and view the workshop website pages. http://kambe-events.co.uk/services/
Mazzy Snape - Creative PR, Journalism & Events 
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