Our corporate social responsibility work

No. of delegates: 550

Event type: Awards Dinner

Industry: Construction

Event objectives:

With over 550 attendees, the awards dinner itinerary consists of a pre-dinner drinks reception, 4 course evening dinner followed by an after party. As well as limiting the carbon emissions created by this event, this client was also keen to promote social sustainability, and reflect the ‘giving back’ ethos that is so central to their company identity. Across our decision making process, our team was responsible for ensuring that this was embodied throughout the event experience.

Venue selection:

After our meticulous vetting process, we selected the venues for this awards dinner based on their ability to demonstrate their ethical commitment to giving back to the local community, as well as having environmentally friendly practices in place. Following this criteria, we selected 4 venues to host the event. Not only were these venues a vital tool for our client to pay it forward to the local economy, these locations were also selected for their exemplary accessibility, with facilities that accommodated for the needs of each and every guest.

Social sustainability:

This awards dinner raises money for the charity ‘Rainy Day Trust’, an organisation which supports those who are injured in the construction industry. Before the gala dinner there is also a charity football match between suppliers and customers, the highlights of which are shown during the gala dinner. For every event we organise for 200 people or more, First Event chooses a local charity within the community and to make a charitable donation of £500. The chosen charity was selected by the First Event Account Manager who delivered the event.

Digital signage and tools:

To further combat unnecessary wastage created by this event, we opted for digital signage and seating plans to display key event information throughout the venue. We also used an online registration platform before the event to capture attendee dining preferences, allowing guests to select the starter, main course and desert of their choice. Not only did this streamline the collection of vital information, and avoid the creation of printed forms, this also allowed us to provide exact food quantities for the event, resulting in very low food wastage.

Results:

As a result of our consistent and effective approach to creating sustainable events, we were successful in achieving our client’s goals for the sustainability of their event. Only 5% of food was wasted, and we were able to reduce the energy and water needed to create the attendee meals.