The Millennium Stadium – the UK’s first certifiably sustainable stadium to achieve BS8901, the standard for Sustainability Management Systems for Events – is partnering with Carbon Trust Wales and Quadrant Media & Communications to host a free half day workshop for the hospitality industry at the Cardiff venue tomorrow.

Open to event industry professionals across Wales, this interactive workshop has been designed to provide insight into how sustainable events are delivered in practice. There will be case study examples from event organisers, venues sharing best practice and an update on changing legislation. Delegates will also have the opportunity to become more familiar with the application process for BS 8901 by taking part in an interactive workshop designed to help you through the initial steps.

Darren Crossman, Millennium Stadium Facilities Manager, said: “The Millennium Stadium is leading the way in sustainability throughout the UK events industry as the first stadium to achieve BS8901. Working towards the standard, we have demonstrated that relatively small changes, such as increasing the amount of event materials recycled, introducing a sustainable travel policy and reducing the amount of printed marketing materials produced, can make a big difference to the carbon footprint and the bottom line.

“In addition to cutting emissions and hence energy costs, we have also been able to demonstrate a linkage with risk and have subsequently been able to deliver further cost savings in other areas such as insurances. Sustainability is not just about being environmentally friendly; it is the understanding that the way that we operate also has social and economic implications.”

Rachel Howells, Events Manager for Carbon Trust Wales said: “It’s no secret that the creation of BS 8901 was prompted by the Olympic Games coming to London in 2012.  Being the first host city to embed sustainability throughout the entire organisation of the games, they are taking the lead and it’s an issue of increasing importance for the events industry.

“We are delighted to be working alongside our partners Quadrant and the Millennium Stadium, to invite event organisers, venues and suppliers to this well-timed event to learn more about the benefits of organising sustainable events.  The hospitality sector is responsible for over 3.5m tonnes of carbon emissions every year. By adopting more sustainable practices Welsh organisations can help reduce this whilst reaping the rewards of cost savings and gaining a competitive edge.”

Bill Jenkins, Chief Executive at Quadrant Media & Communications added: “As a corporate communications company that organises numerous events, we have been implementing BS 8901 principles to ensure that all our activities remain as sustainable as possible.  We use web streaming at many events to provide the option of remote access and upload all event materials online to minimise event paper usage. We also encourage all suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices and have seen considerable savings in energy, food and paper usage since adopting this practice in 2009.”

To register attendance at this free workshop, visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/events or call 029 20 69 4916