Industry Conference Sustainable Event Planning
Delivering a high-impact event with a sustainable focus
This case study explores how our event agency partnered with BMF to deliver their most sustainable overseas event to date, the 2023 BMF All Industry Conference in Istanbul. Through transparent reporting, smart decision-making, and a focus on behaviour-led impact, we reduced the event’s carbon footprint by more than a third.
The event goals
The BMF All Industry Conference is a major moment in the sector’s calendar; a chance to unite leaders, strengthen relationships, and set the direction for the year ahead. But for 2023, BMF wanted to push beyond delivering a great overseas conference. They wanted to use the event as a platform for measurable sustainability progress.
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Make the 2023 conference their most sustainable international event ever.
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Demonstrate clear, transparent carbon reporting from planning to delivery.
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Reduce or mitigate CO₂ emissions across travel, accommodation, materials and waste.
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Empower delegates to make lower-impact choices throughout their conference journey.
How did we measure the success of the event?
To understand the true environmental impact, we benchmarked the entire conference from day one. Working with event:decisions, we created a full carbon report predicting the footprint of 450 delegates travelling to Istanbul for a 3-day programme, covering flights, accommodation, catering, materials, and waste. Then, we set out to bring that number down. The results:
- 34.1% reduction in carbon footprint compared to the baseline.
- 176.37 tonnes of CO₂ saved through smart decision-making and sustainable swaps.
- Delegates actively embraced greener behaviour, supporting group travel and reduced-impact catering.
How did we implement sustainable event planning?
To minimise the event’s footprint from the outset, we selected Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul, a venue already progressing on its own sustainability journey:
- 100% renewable energy usage
- Grey water recycling systems
- No single-use plastic amenities
- Biodegradable waste bags and coffee capsules
We reviewed all conference materials and production items to ensure every element supported the sustainability goals:
- Pull-up banners reduced by 50%, with more digital signage used
- Lanyards made from recycled PET
- Year removed from lanyards to allow reuse at future conferences
What feedback did the client give?
“Thanks for helping put on a truly memorable event and definitely one of our best ever!”
How did we help reduce the event’s environmental impact?
Attendees played a crucial role by embracing more sustainable choices throughout the event:
- Group airport transfers reduced individual transport emissions
- Vegetarian dining offered as standard at the gala dinner, encouraging lower-impact food choices
Small decisions, multiplied across 450 delegates, delivered meaningful and measurable environmental gains.
Why was working with a full-service event agency crucial?
Delivering a sustainability-focused overseas event required complete alignment across:
- Delegate management
- Conference production
- Venue sourcing
- ESG reporting
- Materials and print decisions
- Travel and logistics planning
- AV, staging and onsite delivery
With every discipline under one roof, we ensured sustainability was integrated, not added on.
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