Can luxury events really be sustainable? It’s a topic that was discussed at our C-Suite Summit, which brought together agency leaders in London last month. And our guest blogger this week, Top Banana’s director of venues, Louise Goalen, shares what the agency is doing to try and make luxury and sustainability work together…

If you were to picture what a corporate event would look like for a luxury client, I’m sure it would include a stunning 5* venue, an array of the finest food and beverage, luxury transfers, high-end gifting and some seriously impressive content, speakers and entertainment. In short, it would be a true combination of high quality and extravagance. But with many companies now turning their focus to CSR and sustainability, the big question is; how do we successfully balance luxury and CSR?

Whilst many other brands and businesses are happy to implement CSR friendly elements into their events such as reusable water bottles or charity focused team building activities, luxury clients face more of a challenge. Which in turn, of course, presents a new challenge for events agencies who need to not only provide the all-important luxury experience, but also ensure they are ticking the client’s CSR boxes.

Top Banana works with a number of luxury clients from automotive and fashion to FMCG and food and beverage. Over the last 12 months alone, we’ve noticed a considerable increase in the demand for more CSR elements to be considered which means we’ve had to really up our game in learning how to delicately balance CSR and luxury. Here’s just a couple of ideas we wanted to share. 

Putting Sustainability in the spotlight – A conference theme is visible at every touch point and remembered by delegates long after the event is over. Putting sustainability in the spotlight and making it the theme of the conference is a powerful way to make your message land, whether it’s done through the actual naming and branding of the event or executed more subtly through the content or sub messages delivered.

Subtly and stylishly sustainable – Earlier this year we held a luxury conference at ‘thecamp’ in the south of France; a venue built with sustainability at the root of everything they do. From a completely vegetarian restaurant to 100% of electricity use on site from renewable sources, this is a great example of how a venue can subtly but stylishly incorporate CSR into the core of the event.

Serving CSR on a silver platter – Food is a great way to tell a story and what better story to tell than by serving guests some of the finest handcrafted, locally sourced produce! Guests will enjoy the freshest food (often straight from the field), supports the local economy and benefits the environment by reducing food miles. If you want to go one step further, why not try a totally vegetarian or vegan menu?    

The gift of giving back – Adding those special touches, such as leaving a gift in the delegates room for when they arrive is a nice element to add for a luxury client. But how can you offer something that fits in with the sustainable message? Donating money to a local or relevant charity on behalf of each delegate or providing gifts that support a sustainable brand, are both great alternatives that still link back to your message and your business.

Inspire and be inspired – Inspire your delegates with a guest speaker whose passion will help light up your message. From inspirational and motivational speakers who share their stories that create those goose bump moments, to industry relevant guest speakers that can help spark ideas are a great way to reinforce your sustainability focus through the content of the conference.  

Working better together – Venues are really upping their game when it comes to sustainability, so they’ll have plenty of solutions to help achieve those all-important CSR objectives. From event waste solutions and recycling to sourcing local suppliers, venues often have many solutions already in place. So, remember to check out how your venue can support the client too – it could save you hours of unnecessary research and work!

Whilst initially a sustainability friendly luxury event may seem somewhat of a paradox, it is achievable, and as an events agency gives us the opportunity to explore new and exciting ways of bringing a client’s messages to life.