The Event Greening Forum (EGF) is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable practices throughout the value chain of the business events industry – from venues to organisers, suppliers and service providers.

EGF Chair, Greg McManus, says, “We are concerned that, as industries gradually return to business, the new health and safety standards to stop the spread of COVID-19 could push sustainability further down the agenda. This is especially true for the business events space, where the new requirements are – rightly so – incredibly thorough and will require a great amount of re-design in terms of how events are held.”

To address this concern and explore how sustainability can be practically and realistically balanced with the new requirements, the EGF is hosting a free webinar on Thursday, 27 August 2020 from 10:00 to 11:00. You can sign up for it here.

Questions that will be asked include:

• Is event greening still a priority? Why should greening and sustainability still matter
• Does Greening conflict with any pandemic regulations? Can the two co-exist?
• Will greening events not increase costs that are already high due to the pandemic?
• How can the regulations be complied with whilst maintaining sustainability at events?

The session will be moderated by EGF Vice Chair, Morwesi Ramonyai, an impact entrepreneur with nine years’ experience in the green economy. Joining her on the panel will be:

• Mike Lord, the co-founder of Alliance Venues & Facilities Management, who played an instrumental role in putting together the Event Safety Council’s Re-Opening Guidelines. He will talk on the guidelines and what is required to ensure an event is held safely.
• Rudi van der Vyver is the MD of EPH Events and has put together several hybrid and virtual events since the pandemic broke. He brings insights into novel ways that events can be held in our “new normal”, as well as the safety and sustainability benefits they offer.
• EGF Chair Greg McManus has been in the hospitality industry for almost forty years – both operationally and then in the standards and audit aspects of quality and sustainability with his company Heritage. He brings an understanding of event greening practices and what are the low hanging fruits to make events more sustainable going forwards.
• Justin Hawes, MD of Scan Display and EGF Treasurer, is the final panellist. He will share his thoughts as a service provider for the events industry, running a company that strives for improved sustainability. He will also share an international perspective on the topic, from his position as the Chair of IFES (the International Federation of Exhibition & Event Services).

To find out more about the webinar, and to secure your spot, visit the EGF website here.

For more information, please contact:

PIPPA NAUDE, Event Greening Forum: 074 369 6369, pippa@eventgreening.co.za

About EGF

The Event Greening Forum (EGF) is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability within the business events sector, through hosting educational sessions for industry and lobbying government in an effort to implement sustainability principles into the daily operations of the events industry.

The EGF was established through dedication and support of eight industry associations who are recognised as founding members. The founding members are key industry associations working together to promote South Africa as a destination for various types of events.

http://www.eventgreening.co.za/