The Sustainable Events Course
Starting 25 September
The Sustainable Events Course (formerly The Complete Sustainable Events Course), curated by isla, is a 6-week online course, designed to provide you with an introduction to the core principles of event sustainability.
With a practical focus, the course will empower you to take action and drive change within the meetings and events sector, by putting sustainability at the heart of your planning.
Through a combination of theory, tools and practical knowledge, the course will equip you with the skills to be able to plan, and deliver sustainable events with confidence. You'll learn where to start, how to measure the environmental impact of your events, the opportunities for positive event legacy and much more.
Expect in-depth learning delivered by Anna Abdelnoor from isla, alongside a host of sustainability experts, plus anecdotes and real life examples from Fyre Festival survivor Andy King on his sustainability journey.
Who is it for?
Pre-recorded modules released each Wednesday at 10:00 BST - available to watch on-demand & lasting 45-60 minutes
Accompanying readings & expert case studies
Six month’s complimentary access to TRACE by isla - measure and minimise carbon in real-time at your live, hybrid and digital events
Post-course live Q&A hosted by our presenter, Anna Abdelnoor, CEO of isla
Option to submit a carbon report at the end of the course and receive actionable feedback from Anna
10 weeks access to the course materials
Certificate of completion
What’s included?
Whether you're an event planner or a supplier to the industry, this course is designed to provide you with an introduction to event sustainability.
You’ll delve into core topics and typical event elements such as travel, transport, catering, and event production. At the end of the 6 weeks, your learning will be cemented through the production of a simple impact report (optional), which encourages you to communicate your choices and learnings to support continuous improvement.
How does it work?
What are the modules?
How do you produce sustainable events? How do you get buy in from your team, external suppliers and clients? What sort of food should you be serving at your events? And what even is the circular economy? Get to grips with all of these questions and more with these 6 bite-sized modules:
1: Events for good
Vision, purpose, goals & stakeholder engagement
As event professionals, we create events that look spectacular but carry a large carbon and waste footprint.
You'll learn how to take charge and make a positive change, starting with the brief. Taking an action-focused approach, we'll focus on the goals and KPIs we should strive to achieve from the outset of a project.
2: Supply chains & stakeholders
Venues, sourcing, food, equality & circular economy
Delve into sustainability priorities and how to define these. Encouraging collaboration across your supply chain, the aim is to engage suppliers and clients collectively to support your sustainability ambitions. We’ll also identify the roadblocks within your supply chain and where you may require buy-in from suppliers, venues and clients.
3: Destination known...
Destinations, travel, offsetting & short supply chains
One of the biggest contributors to an event's footprint is travel and transport emissions.
We'll look at defining carbon terminology and demystifying offsetting, so you can focus your energy on measuring your supply chain emissions in order to target and reduce impact.
4: Eating green, eating clean...
Smart menu designs, F&B impact
Agriculture for food accounts for over 26% of global emissions, with almost 1/3 of food produced going straight in the bin! Menus are a great way to create positive impact - from food sourcing to waste, we’ll look at the importance of designing nutritious, conscious menus that champion local ingredients, benefiting your audience and the planet.
5: It’s all about the doughnut...
Circular economy in practice for production & consumables
We'll put people and the planet on the table - introducing the concept of “circularity”, we'll look at economic models that have sustainability at their core and how throughout the designing and planning of our events, we should aim to create as few problems as possible for both people and the planet.
6: It’s a learning curve...
Creating a carbon report & reduction opportunities
Building upon the knowledge you've acquired, we'll give you the tools to assess your event on sustainability merits and identify potential impact areas to set carbon reduction and improvement targets. You'll be able to analyse and audit your emissions post-event and confidently report on your environmental performance to your stakeholders.
ANNA ABDELNOOR: CEO & FOUNDER AT ISLA
Anna is the CEO & Founder of isla, a non-profit organisation focusing on a sustainable future for events. Anna is the driving force behind isla and articulates the sustainability vision with support from members, the board and specialist consultants. Having worked on large-scale events for global clients, Anna knows just how capable the industry is of delivering huge projects under pressure and believes the same collaborative attitude is integral to addressing the climate crisis within the events sector. She is also a member of The Meetings Show's Advisory Board.
Meet the presenters
ANDY KING: CO-FOUNDER AT INWARD POINT
Andy King has built his career as an experienced event producer that has spanned three decades and has helped top brands, foundations, and celebrities execute sustainable large-scale events and experiential campaigns. From catering his first wedding at age 16, he went on to become a sought-after event producer in New York City and was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as America’s first ‘corporate concierge’ for PepsiCo. Andy then co-founded Inward Point, a zero-waste event company, working with celebrity clients such as Leonardo DiCaprio and The Rolling Stones, and corporations including Disney, Goldman Sachs, Taboola, Victoria’s Secret, Vogue, and Vanity Fair.
Meet the guest contributors
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CO-FOUNDER, CACTUS
Most of Helen's career has been spent in corporate travel payments, but in 2019, she began to question the lack of meaningful content on conference agendas and in meeting rooms about the impact of her business sector on the planet and environment. So, she founded CACTUS, a voluntary industry collaborative group that has come together to address that very problem. It was formed in response to the growing Climate Emergency and the need for immediate efforts to cut carbon emissions.
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DIRECTOR OF CULINARY, LEVY UK & IRELAND
Since the start of his career, James has looked at different ways of doing things; to save guests money, make the most out of ingredients and be as efficient in the kitchen as possible.
His outlook is simple: "With the global food system accounting for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, our people always have the environment in mind – even down to everyday details, like using up cauliflower leaves for garnish or carrot peel for our sauces" - so it's easy to see why he's been referred to as the 'Circular Chef'.
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CO-FOUNDER, PURPOSE DISRUPTORS
With 15 years of experience in major London advertising agencies and a Masters degree in Sustainability & Responsibility, Jonathan has seen first-hand just how much the advertising industry needs to step into the responsibility of helping to address our climate and ecological emergency.
As the co-founder of Purpose Disruptors, a growing network of advertising and marketing professionals, his goal is to create a visible, large scale, bottom up movement to ensure his industry is more purposeful and responsible in the climate crisis.
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FOUNDER, HERBLABISM
With over a decade’s experience of working in urban crop production, regenerative agricultural farm design, and circular approaches to resource management – both in the UK and internationally – Vincent now focuses on developing and implementing food systems and products which are both sustainable and commercially viable.
He is the founder of HERBLABISM, a fast growing plant-based food brand which was on the official menu at COP26 in Glasgow (and more recently was served at this year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships).
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CO-FOUNDER, DEPARTMENT 22
In 2015, Thomas won the Ellen MacArthur scholarship, enabling him to explore a new narrative for how designers can bring about positive change. Having recently graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art, he emerged with a renewed interest in design and sustainability and a fresh expertise in circular economy thinking.
His company, Department 22, offers consultancy and training for innovation and the circular economy and aims to create a world with resilient food systems that have no waste, restore the environment and keep people healthy
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MANAGING DIRECTOR, GLOBAL DESTINATION SUSTAINABILITY MOVEMENT
For the last 17 years, Guy has focused on helping cities, governments, corporations and associations step up, scale up and speed up their sustainability programmes and practices.
He is the MD of Global Destination Sustainability Movement, a collaborative platform that serves to accelerate the transformation from destination marketing at whatever cost, towards destination management and stewardship that offers shared value.
Complimentary access to TRACE by isla
From business investors to event attendees, stakeholders are increasingly demanding greater transparency and accountability on the environmental impacts of activities, with mandatory reporting on emissions expected within the next two years. With this in mind, we’re thrilled to be able to offer all course students exclusive complimentary 6-month access to measure one event with TRACE by isla, the definitive carbon measurement platform for events, so that you can start your carbon measurement journey.
Brought to you by isla, the event industry’s response to the climate crisis, TRACE, helps you measure and minimise carbon in real-time at live, hybrid and digital events.
Designed by event professionals for event professionals, TRACE offers clear visualisations of emissions, from catering to materials used, and provides insights to reduce an event's carbon footprint before it starts.
FAQs
Have we missed anything? For more information, check out our FAQs or get in touch.
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The course runs annually each January and during the summer. Our fifth edition starts on 25 September.
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The course runs for 6 weeks. You will have access to the course materials for approximately 10 weeks.
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The course will be hosted on our virtual platform, and you can watch the lectures wherever you are in the world as they're all pre-recorded. Joining instructions will be provided nearer the time.
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Yes, the course is accredited by the Continuous Professional Development Standards Office.
You will receive a certificate of completion after finishing the course, regardless of whether you choose to submit the optional report.
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£695 + VAT per student. If you'd like to discuss group bookings, please contact Ross Barker: rbarker@ntmllc.com.
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There will be a live Q&A at the end of the course. You'll be able to submit any questions you have about the course before and during this session and a recording of the session will be emailed out to all students afterwards. You can also take advantage of the chat function within the virtual platform to ask any questions and discuss the modules with students.
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It is designed for agencies, corporates, and associations, and suppliers including hotels, venues, and destinations.
This is an introductory course that focuses on how event and meeting professionals can produce more sustainable events. If you already have an intermediate level of knowledge, then The Advanced Sustainable Events Course would be better suited to you.
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Yes, there are optional activities that you can participate in if you wish, such as quizzes and questionnaires.
At the end of the 6 weeks, you will have the option of submitting a carbon report, using your learnings from the course and isla's TRACE platform.
As part of both courses, you will receive exclusive complimentary 6-month access to TRACE by isla to measure one event. TRACE helps you measure and minimise carbon at live, hybrid and digital events. Anna will help you create your own event plan and show you how you report on that post-event. Anna and her team will review your report so you'll get helpful feedback and insights for your future events.
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Yes, all sessions are pre-recorded and are available on-demand so that you can consume the course at your own pace. A new module will be released each Wednesday at 10:00 BST, beginning on 25 September. You will have access to all course materials for approximately 10 weeks.
Where do our 300+ alumni come from?
And what do they have to say?
