Those who want to organize sustainable events often have many question marks in their minds. Even more so, presumably, when it comes to sustainable events abroad. That's why I've compiled the answers to questions that often reach me in connection with sustainable events abroad. Try them out and feel free to let me know what other tip you would give to other event planners.

1) Am I allowed to organize events abroad at all if all participants come from Germany?

Instead, those who want to plan and execute sustainable events abroad should ask themselves the following questions:

• Can you really sustain your event at the destination?
• Is it possible to make the journey sustainable for the participants?
  In other words: Can the participants also travel by train or is it really only possible to take a climate-damaging flight?

Therefore, before planning the event, check why you are choosing which destination. Always keep sustainability and the resulting CO₂ emissions in mind and weigh up whether the benefits justify this destination.

Here's a decision-making guide for your consideration:

Assign a value to the CO₂ emissions. This could be, for example, the costs or damage caused by CO₂. These are roughly between 200 and 300 euros per ton.

Example:

If you fly 100 participants from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca for your event, 60 tons of CO₂ are produced. This means that this event causes around 12,000 to 18,000 euros in damage - just for the journey to and from the event.

There are certainly also good reasons for events abroad. In this case, you are welcome to use the Sustainability Rider and the Sustainability Checklist to check which sustainable measures you can implement. For example, by selecting the right service providers such as location, caterer, technology and more.

Important: You can save the most CO₂ by making your travel, shuttles, logistics, waste and energy sustainable. Travel to and from the event alone usually accounts for more than 80% of CO₂ emissions. These tasks are therefore manageable and can be planned in terms of time.

For charter flights, you can try to fly from locations that offer Sustainable Aviation Fuels. However, these days, if you travel by plane, your only option is to offset as a step on the way to sustainable events abroad. However, depending on the project, this compensation can also include social aspects. This in turn creates a positive impact, which is quite important and welcome. For example, you can promote biodiversity through your compensation project.

If we still want to achieve the climate goals, it is precisely such positive impacts that are crucial. These opportunities are fun, and the 17 SDGs provide inspiration and a good framework for them. Making events less bad for the environment is simply not enough today.

If you want to make massive CO₂ savings, it's much easier and faster to do so these days than many people think. So you can create a positive impact with every event.

2) How do I make the journey to Las Vegas green?

By taking or booking charter flights from locations that offer Sustainable Aviation Fuels. By doing so, you save up to 90 percent of CO₂ emissions and have thus eliminated most of the total emissions. A welcome side effect: You thus increase the demand for such flights - a positive impact!

3) How long can the journey be that I "expect" participants to take on the train?

Very far 😉

In the specific case, it depends on your target group. By the way: chartered train cars and trains can be part of your event.

Do you already know "Luxon", the train for rent?

4) How do I make the shuttle driver turn off the engine when waiting for guests?

Ideally, you use e-shuttles for your sustainable events abroad - and domestically, of course. Moreover, you can politely ask the driver to do so. Nowadays, everyone has probably understood the reason. And please don't despair if it doesn't work (right away). Because while every step counts, we can't achieve climate goals if we set out to implement perfectly sustainable events.

It is much more a matter of implementing as many events as possible in a sustainable manner in the first place and not of organizing perfectly sustainable lighthouse events.

Decarbonizing travel is the main task here, and we should be aware of our responsibility. However, we as the event industry should already make it loud and clear that we also demand appropriate solutions from others.

• Why have flights not yet been decarbonized? This is where the oil industry, airlines and aircraft manufacturers are most needed.
• Why are there hardly any e-tour buses, e-trucks, etc.?

The task of you as event organizer is to make all events as sustainable as possible. In doing so, you should always

• Look for climate-friendly (re)solutions and sustainable service providers
• Increase the positive impact through events; e.g. by promoting biodiversity.

5) How do I get the participants to walk a bit abroad instead of taking a rental car?

There are always three aspects that matter:

• the target group
• the weather
• the incentives

IBM has, so that people walk with each other a bit, for example, matched groups and people who should talk to each other. That went down great - even in the rain with an umbrella. PS: There was also no alternative.

6) How do I manage to avoid plastic dishes on every corner in America?

Either you have the opportunity to influence this through the selection of the service providers or you issue an instruction for action. Experience shows that people who are not at all interested in sustainability will not heed such a directive. In other words, it depends on which service providers you select.

7) How do I find sustainable locations, shuttles and more in Asia or America?

This can only be done by asking. Databases do not exist - as far as I know - and the database is not yet developed worldwide. However, the good thing is that asking triggers changes. In this respect, this is another positive impact.

And when big companies demand green power and sustainability, things move because service providers want to work with those companies.

Fortunately, we are already a bit further ahead in the case of hotels, because large hotel chains such as Accor are globally attuned to sustainability.

8) Do I prefer to run my event digitally?

Those who want to implement sustainable events abroad quickly ask themselves this question as well. Understandable.

But here, too, it depends on the event and the target group. Important: Digital is not automatically sustainable, but virtual events must also be implemented sustainably, among other things with green electricity.

9) What should I communicate with which stakeholders and how at sustainable events abroad?

This is almost the most important task for CO₂ reduction and is not even cost-intensive! This means that you should involve all stakeholders in your communication.

Guests: Engage them in promotion, marketing, registration, ticket sales and more. Here you should make it understandable that your event is sustainable. Tell guests why and how they will be part of the solution as a guest. For example, by arriving CO₂-free.

Similarly, you should also talk to and inform your service providers, employees, management, sponsors and any other stakeholders in the event.

Depending on the target group and the area of responsibility, you should also make it clear that they should not bring any waste or plastic into the location if possible. Or that this should be reused.

If everyone is in the know and feels valued as part of the solution, then many tasks and ideas will mesh and your event will be sustainable(er) - even abroad.

Do you want to hold climate-neutral events? But don't know where and how to start? Then get the practical guide: