Event Trends to Watch Out for in 2019 – Part 2

Kaitlyn McGuirk, MA
Account Coordinator at Redstone Agency Inc.

Last week, technology integration and security measures were highlighted as two event trends to watch out for in 2019. Below we cover two more to keep your eye on as we move into 2019.

Sustainable Events

While creating more sustainable events is usually driven by event planners, more and more attendees are becoming increasingly conscious of the impact that events have on the environment and expect organizations who are hosting these events to be environmentally friendly. Making your event “green” does not to be a huge feat; start with a few of these basics below.

The science of event planning is determining the right amount of food. Having too much, or not enough, is every event planners’ nightmare. A place like Second Harvest is a great service to utilize when you over estimate the amount of food your event needed. It is the largest food rescue organization in Canada and their mission is to rescue and deliver fresh, surplus food to feed people experiencing hunger. It’s quite simple: at no cost to you Second Harvest manages the logistics of transporting and redistributing the surplus food. And in considering risk, every customer is protected by provincial legislation, such as Ontario’s Donation of Food Act, 1994, when food is donated in good faith. Check out their Food Donor Package here to learn more.

Another great way to reduce your event’s carbon footprint is to use compostable cutlery and dinnerware in replace of plastic or paper materials, which will inevitably end up in a landfill. A company that can help with this is Greenmunch whose compostable cutlery is strong, heat tolerant, is made from a plant based plastic, and meets standards for composting. Your event attendees will appreciate the lengths you are willing to go to ensure a healthier planet.

Other small ways to increasingly make your event “greener” can include making a concerted effort to limit the amount of printed materials you provide and utilize during the event. Use digital signage instead of poster boards and really lean into your event app (if you have one) to build out your schedule and program to move away from the redundant printed program. And of course, reuse and recycle by providing recycling bins in numerous locations of the venue and reusing the name badges.  

As event professionals, not only can it be - dare I say “boring” - to plan events at the same old venues year after year, but attendees also want to experience new spaces. Long gone are the days of automatically considering hosting your event at a convention centre or hotel venue. What makes attending events so special is that it is an experience and there is no better canvas to utilize to create this great experience than a unique venue. So, next time you can switch up the venue of your event, consider moving it to a non-conventional event space and allow your creative juices to flow with all the new possibilities it opens for you. From decorating, to unique sponsor activations, to food stations, to room configurations, the list goes on. Of course, there is no shortage of unique venue spaces in Toronto, with new ones popping up frequently, but just to name a few check out the below venues to take your event to the next level:

Ricarda's
Casa Loma
Steam Whistle
Artscape Sandbox
Evergreen Brick Works

No matter what industry you operate in, it is surely greatly impacted by many social, political, and economic events. Each year we must learn to be flexible and adapt to the many challenges and issues that arise. If you are proactive and not reactive in mitigating these changes, you and your event will be just fine. I mean, they don’t call us “planners” for nothing!

Happy holidays and have a great New Year!