On average, a single conference attendee produces 1.89 kgs of waste every day, of which 1.16 kgs go into landfills. This waste generates 176 kgs of CO2 emissions which spikes dramatically with the increasing number of attendees. Hence, sustainable event planning is the need of the hour, more so as in-person events increase. One of the best ways of becoming environmentally responsible as an event planner is to incorporate smart eco-technologies.
The good news is you can weave them throughout event organization and planning stages and reduce the overall carbon footprint.
For instance, web-based event registration software has been shown to do away with complex paper-based, labor-intensive processes. Event beacon technology helps wayfinding wherein mobile phone users can receive information as they come close to various beacons in the network.
Event technology can indeed be used innovatively to build eco-friendly experiences. This blog will provide in-depth insights on implementing feature-rich tools to enhance event experience without impacting the environment significantly.
Replace Paper with Digital Platforms
From attendee lists to schedules to brochures, events produce exorbitant paper waste. A great solution to eliminate this massive wastage is using event tech, like a mobile event app. Attendees can download it on their phones and access a variety of important details. For instance, Eventcombo’s mobile event apps lets attendees view the entire event agenda, speakers, sponsors, and venue maps. They can participate in polls and surveys and download important documents on their phones with zero paperwork.
Reduce Food Waste with an Event Website
Sustainable event planning that minimizes food wastage is easy with an event website. Here’s how. A custom event website builder lets you design beautiful website for attendees. You can add custom fields for attendees to fill out their food and dietary preferences, as well as the number of eatables they may consume. This will give you a precise view of the quantity of food you’ll need. As a result, you can avoid pre-plating meals and pre-ordering and work with caterers in an informed manner.
Bring Sustainability with Registration & Ticketing Tech
Event technology for registration and ticketing makes it hassle-free for attendees to register online and access their tickets via email or mobile apps. In large-scale conferences and expos, which generate nearly 170 trees worth of paper waste, paperless event registration enables contactless check-ins using QR codes or digital badges, facilitating a smooth entry process without printing tickets.
Sustainable Event Marketing with All-In-one Event Management Platform
You can create robust marketing strategies and promote your event without impacting the environment. The best way to do this is through an event management platform. A strong event management tool allows you to craft messages that resonate with your attendees and schedule their delivery. It also integrates with the mobile event app that attendees can download to access promotional materials. In addition, social media integrations for quick registration and ticketing enables people to encourage participation on their networks. All this helps you expand your reach in an eco-friendly way.
Create ROI-Boosting Virtual Events with Event Tech
Transitioning from in-person to online meetings and conferences reduces the carbon footprint by 94% and energy use by 90%. Virtual event platforms are powerful tools in your arsenal to create successful webinars and deepen relationships with your prospects. The best ones allow you to host a virtual conference or hybrid event from anywhere while providing analytics and engagement tools to measure success.
Generate exclusive attendee experiences, have them participate in matchmaking and networking, and keep themselves connected with your content in real time with pre-curated scheduling.
Excited to give it a try? Request a demo of our webinar platform today.
Keep Attendees Informed with Kiosks and Signage
Wayfinding technologies are invaluable to make the event experience intuitive and convenient. For eco-friendly events, interactive kiosks are a significant step for sponsors and exhibitors. Such digital solutions boost brand visibility and help you communicate about your services and marketing messages.
Besides, they streamline check-ins and ticketing processes and reduce staffing needs for the same. Planners can collect attendee feedback and demographic information through kiosks and tailor future events more sustainably while aligned with their customers’ needs.
Digital event marketing tools are in abundance today. Earlier, we talked about Eventcombo’s all-in-one event management, which facilitates sharing marketing messages at the right time with the right person. Another great tech idea is using digital signage. It cuts down the logistics of physical print advertising while increasing overall audience engagement. Digital signage uses energy-efficient LED technology, equipped with sensors that adjust brightness or turn off the display when the need arises. This leads to reduced greenhouse emissions, operational costs, and your event’s environmental footprint.
Reduce the Need for Travel with Augmented Reality (AR)
AR has become synonymous with immersive experiences. AR technology has become invaluable for SaaS marketing events like product launches, the aim of which is to provide a deep knowledge of new product features. By using AR, you can prevent unnecessary transportation and excessive printed materials. Virtual and hybrid events can be made much more exciting and engaging with AR.
Connected Packaging is a decisive manifestation of AR. It is a kind of consumer empowerment that gives people options to engage with a product or brand. For instance, upon scanning a QR code on the product packaging, customers gain a 360-degree view of the product. Not only that, but Connected Packaging also lets you allow people to discover the behind-the-scenes of your product, brand value, and your story.
A great example is that of Chiquita Brands International, the American producer and distributor of bananas. It used Connected Packaging so people could scan the stickers on their bananas and gain access to how the brand works to support local farming communities and the major aspects of its sustainability approach.
Data Analytics Tools to Keep Delivering Eco-Friendly Events
The impact of event data analytics tools’ on sustainable event planning is immense. They provide information based on key performance indicators (KPIs) about how resources like venues, equipment, and materials are managed. When you know how resources are managed, you can optimize their allocation, reducing wastage and unnecessary consumption in your future events, thereby contributing to sustainability.
Further, event tech tools like event management platforms and mobile apps show you the engagement levels, attendee behavior and movements during the event and afterward. On this basis, you can determine the outcomes of the activities in your event and curate better experiences while being aligned with sustainability goals.
Ready for Tech-Driven and Sustainable Event Planning?
The future of events lies in innovation, determination, and unified action, all of which competent planners are capable of. Embracing event tech within in-person and hybrid events not only modernizes the event but also makes it better for the environment. Event tech like mobile apps, registration platform, ticketing management systems, and event management platforms all can be used to simplify various processes, reduce wastage, spark engagement, and plan more eco-friendly experiences. At Eventcombo, you’ll find a selection of these tools with features designed to make you deliver powerful experiences. Interested? Request a demo today.



