Justine Meek, Agency Relationship Manager at Warwick Conferences, talks about generating buy-in on your sustainability journey.
“Unprecedented circumstances” have been the norm in the hospitality sector in recent years. During my varied career in hospitality and conferences – from my first role as a hotel receptionist to now entering my 16th year at Warwick Conferences – I have seen firsthand how innovative this industry can be. Climate change represents one of the next biggest threats, and as a sector, we undoubtedly have a duty to minimise our environmental impact.
Setting goals effectively
Having clear targets – with set deadlines – is critical in any collective endeavour. We created our Sustainability Roadmap, an essential blueprint to meet our overarching goals; net zero carbon emissions from direct emissions and the energy we buy by 2030, and net zero carbon for both direct and indirect emissions by 2050. Building a robust plan allows everyone – colleagues and customers – to understand why change is needed, what will be different and how they can play their part.
Part of goal-setting should be regular progress checks; these will provide the opportunity to celebrate successes and correct course if progress is not being made in particular areas. We are developing our own Carbon Calculator to help our team and our customers to track and understand their carbon footprint when they use their venues. Demonstrating impact to customers is vital; particularly as procurement decisions are increasingly driven by alignment with sustainability values.
Balancing leading and listening
It can be tricky to get this balance right, but it’s critical to be able to both lead from the front and take a step back to listen to others’ feedback.
Creating working groups or sub- committees internally will spread the workload and allow you to tap into
a broader variety of viewpoints and experiences, ultimately helping chart the right course along the sustainability journey.
Tapping into wider sector organisations and professional networks can provide invaluable support and advice. Connecting with like-minded organisations streamlines problem-solving through sharing insights and best practices, acting as a sounding board for ideas.
Getting everyone involved
At Warwick Conferences, we’re part of a broad community – encompassing our Conferences and Catering teams, but also colleagues and students connected with the University of Warwick. The wider community network has been crucial in our sustainability journey, giving everyone a sense of involvement.
For us, a particularly memorable example is last autumn’s tree planting event. Our team members, students and university staff came together to plant nearly 200 tree saplings to support biodiversity on-site. Events like these have been pivotal in generating collective commitment within our community.
Though the specifics of each organisation’s journey will vary, as a sector we must continue to place environmental concerns at the heart of what we do. Prioritising involvement from all corners of your organisation and its operations will be key; from colleagues to customers, everyone has a part to play.