The Association of Event Venues (AEV) is the only body representing venues of all size and type in both the UK and internationally. It allows unrivalled peer to peer learning and knowledge sharing, provides a unified voice to engage and lobby with government and develops and retains talent within the industry.
The AEV forms part of the Events Industry Alliance (EIA), a group of trade associations created by the three event industry bodies, also including the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) and the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA) to provide a group secretariat service in the events industry.
Members of the BDC team sit together on a cross-association Sustainability Working Group, which brings together leaders and champions from all areas of events to discuss sustainability issues, working together to help reduce the industry’s impact on the environment.
We have proudly joined isla‘s membership, with the belief that this challenge cannot be tackled by individuals alone. In 2022 we contributed to their ‘Sustainability in Practice: A Pathway for Venues‘ which is a great resource for venues to accelerate their journey in reaching Net Zero.
isla work with agencies and brands, organisers and suppliers to provide guidance and support on environmental issues. They draw on expertise from across the sector to create a powerful network with the knowledge and confidence to facilitate change.
As an industry body founded by events professionals and industry leaders, isla is an action-driven network that brings together expertise from across the entire events sector, empowering their teams with the confidence, knowledge and resources needed to measurably and meaningfully deliver sustainable events. They focus on three core areas: zero waste, 100% renewable, and carbon emission reductions, setting short and long term targets in these areas to then track, measure, and report, supporting continuous improvement. Through facilitation, education and reporting, isla shares knowledge, upskills the industry and tracks progress in order to rapidly and meaningfully affect change across the industry.
In 2021 we began working with ecollective to independently measure our carbon footprint and to plan how we would be able to reach Net-Zero.
The team at ecollective measure a business’s carbon footprint as a necessary step towards reducing carbon emissions and reaching Net-Zero. Their carbon consulting makes the process as painless as possible so companies can take meaningful action – and we can attest to this. Working with ecollective was an educational and supportive process, and within weeks we were able to understand where we were and where we wanted to go.
ecollective were able to present the information we needed to understand and communicate in an uncomplicated way that made taking the next steps easier. They work across a number of industries and bring a wealth of knowledge in both measuring and strategising as well as training the team at the BDC with no-nonsense words.
We will continue to work with ecollective annually to measure, plan and move along our journey, publishing our results as we go.
Since 2010 we have been a certified CarbonNeutral® Venue, which we share more about in our carbon neutral section. The CarbonNeutral Protocol, under which we are certified, was created and is managed by Climate Impact Partners.
Climate Impact Partners were the first to provide a clear set of guidelines for businesses to achieve carbon neutrality back in 2002, and every year since then have continued their commitment to providing a robust framework for credible carbon neutral action.
They have more than 22 years’ experience helping organisations deliver environmental programmes that have value for their business, working with over 300 clients in 33 countries and are responsible for supporting us in finding high quality carbon offsetting projects that also deliver on many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Climate Impact Partners is a Certified B Corp and in 2022 were named a Best For The World B Corp in recognition of its exceptional positive impact on its customers.
A Good Thing CIC runs an online platform that allows businesses (of any size and of any type) to quickly and easily give things away to local charities – meaning less waste and more support for good causes. The idea is simple: businesses have reusable or new items they no longer need, while many charities are in need of more resources. A Good Thing connects the two.
It’s really easy for businesses to get involved: it takes 30 seconds to register for an account and then you can immediately begin listing for any surplus items your company no longer needs, donating them to local charities and preventing them from going to waste.
Businesses can – and do – give away literally anything they no longer need. Laptops, bags, candles, stationery, gardening equipment, end-of-line clothing, packaging, crafting materials and half-used tins of paint have all been successfully donated to local charities via the platform… alongside the more traditional items like furniture and IT equipment.
The team at A Good Thing love to see things being saved from the bin and companies can make such a difference to their communities through supporting the wonderful work of local charities. We are delighted to be able to work with A Good Thing to divert reusable items at the venue and on events to go on to a better life, and you can find out more at: www.agoodthing.org.uk
Want to work with us or would like to find out more about some of the organisations that we already work with?
Please get in touch by emailing us at environmentalimpact@bdc.london
In collaboration with our carbon consultants at ecollective, we've been working to improve our impact on the environment. Since 2018 we have reduced our emissions by 75% and in 2024 our footprint per square metre was 19.5kg a year. More
For fifteen years, the BDC has been a certified CarbonNeutral® venue. More
We have long held sustainability at the heart of our operations. There's more to it than our footprint though. More
As well as having a team that are passionate about working to improve our impact on the environment, we are also supported by some aligned experts and organisations. More
At the BDC we are on a journey of continual improvement, that's why becoming a B Corp Certified organisation means so much to us. More
We are proud to support a number of great charity partners and collaborate with some incredible community initiatives. Our support in the community also extends to other groups and projects, both through volunteering our time or venue space and through charitable funding. More
With the festive season underway, you may be wondering how to embrace your desire for sustainability without compromising on the magic of Christmas. So here are our top sustainable Christmas tips to help you out!
November 2024 is World Vegan Month, have a look at some Vegan recipes for you to try from our in-house catering team, The Good Eating Company.
Recycle Week is back for 2024 with the theme Rescue Me, focusing on sending less to Waste.
