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Objective CSR: the BtoB events sector takes up the challenge
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by Jade Caillot
- August 28, 2024
- Events
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CSR: Voluntary integration by companies of social and environmental concerns into their commercial activities and their relations with stakeholders (source: EU).
This technocratic definition by the European Commission conceals a sea of complex standards that are sometimes difficult to apply. A certain vagueness reigns, and it is necessary to combine realistic management of events with compliance of practices.
However, according to a survey by Event Manager Blog, over 89% of event industry players consider CSR to be important, or even very important for their company.
In recent years, professionals in the BtoB market have responded brilliantly to the to the new environmental and social orderand sometimes even with enthusiasm.
What were the the challenges of integrating CSR into the world of prestige event organization?? How can we meet the challenges of this ongoing transition? What are the results and future prospects for increasingly virtuous business privatization? Objective CSR? It's the winning bet for the BtoB events sector!
CSR and prestige event organization: the challenges
Over the past few years, CSR has become an integral part of civil society: companies, institutions, industries, associations... all have integrated CSR criteria into their operations, more or less voluntarily. Experts in the field of prestige event organization also had to move with the times. The challenge: to meet the demands of professional customers who are transposing their CSR agenda right down to the selection of their event suppliers.
⏩ Read also: The events sector in 2024: what's at stake?
Strict rules for demanding specifications
0% of clients include CSR requirements when looking for a venue for their BtoB meeting (source: Green Événements). Large corporations have set the pace, imposing stringent specifications on event organizers, sometimes with more than sixty points to be met:
- carbon impact ;
- life cycle of materials created and used ;
- waste management, energy consumption ;
- pollution, preservation of biodiversity, working conditions ;
- team diversity ;
- insertion and inclusiveness ;
- deontology and ethics ;
- responsible purchasing ;
- etc.
An employee-driven wave
It's true that contractors are responding to increasingly stringent regulations imposed by government bodies. But they also have internal environmental and social strategies that are widely supported by their own employees, who are increasingly aware of the issues at stake.
With the acceleration of CSR programs within companies, communications and events departments, the standard-bearers of brand image, find themselves in the front line.
As a result, if event organizers want to hold their own in a competitive environment, they have to accept the constraints of increasingly demanding invitations to tender.
Between idealism and realism: responses to the challenges of transition
Faced with a fast-changing, competitive market, companies, suppliers and platforms in the events sector are faced with a choice: adapt or disappear.
The choice of realism
Just a few years ago, this might have sounded a little melodramatic. Today, if companies fail to commit to a pragmatic CSR strategy, they run a major risk: losing, in the long term, a professional clientele that is itself dependent on increasingly stringent European legislation - we're thinking of the CSRD directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), which comes into force on January 1, 2024.
A sincere commitment to society
But beyond the contingencies imposed by the reality of new standards, the same impetus running through society as a whole is affecting the prestige BtoB events sector. The wind of renewal, a desire for greener, more human-friendly practices, is blowing through the various trades of a multi-branch industry.
venues heritage and culture on the front line
The venues heritage and cultural sites that can be privatized are not to be outdone. Is this due to their historical roots and their own struggle for preservation? Institutional and private managers of remarkable sites are also getting involved in the CSR movement.
Châteaux and museums adopt best practices: they work with local players, respecting the soil and local populations, and are keen to host exclusive events that protect habitats and have a low carbon impact. In the same spirit, they call on restaurateurs and caterers who are committed to sustainable, local agriculture. Following the example of Royaumont Abbey or, in the heart of Lyon la Sucrièrein the heart of Lyon, a marvel of rehabilitation of an industrial complex, more and more prestigious venues are proudly displaying their precious CSR certification.
⏩ A new approach to privatization: explore the venues Loc'Hall CSR collection
Objectif RSE: a winning bet for the BtoB events sector
For a platform specializing in prestige BtoB privatization, winning the CSR challenge means making the transition today.
BtoB event expertise 2.0
Pure, indispensable expertise is no longer enough. Or rather, four imperatives have been added to the specifications of a high-end event company. Proven, measurable and demanding, they can be summed up simply:
- Promote events that minimize waste, track down wastage and limit greenhouse gas emissions.
- Organize carbon-neutral events, giving priority to clean transport, venues close to client companies and local catering.
- Focus on events with a positive and inclusive social impact.
- Responsible communication that favors the human experience over goodies and other promotional items.
Choosing the future
The constraints are real, but the arrival of CSR in the field of prestige BtoB events also represents an opportunity and a chance to test innovative and responsible approaches. Whatever the case, a change in practices seems inevitable, in a market where the role of CSR events is growing inexorably.
A greener, more sustainable, more cost-effective and, dare we say it, more ecological event is possible. It means resolutely choosing the future. Privatization professionals have fully grasped this fact. Like the rest of society, they are ready to mobilize and make their contribution to the delicate edifice of a world in rapid transition.
⏩ On the blog : Organizing my business event outside Paris
Experts in BtoB event organization who succeed in fully integrating CSR into their strategy will open the door, for their customers and guests, to exceptional experiences. This will position these pioneering companies as leaders in a changing market. We are entering the era of responsible events. For better or worse!
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