But is it possible that the events in the presence pollute so much?

POLLUTING EVENTS - But is it possible that the events in the presence pollute so much? For years I have been dealing with virtual events and I have always been sensitive to the theme of sustainability so as to be among the creators of Eco Futuro, the virtual fair of ecology presented during the Eco Festival held in Padua from 13 to 17 July, 2021. During the presentation I attended, I got to know data and statistics about the pollution caused by the present events and I was amazed.

Virtual events for business and sustainability

Forerunner of the times, always endowed with a futuristic intuition, I have long perceived the importance of virtual reality alongside participation in presence in the trade fair world. But the reasons why I have always believed this are very different from what I learned during the presentation of the eighth edition of EXCO and its novelties.

Through the experience of Eco Futura, in fact, I have consolidated the awareness that in addition to opportunities related to business and business, the virtualization of events is a real ecological breakthrough, which must be implemented.

Data show how polluting occurrences are

Data at hand, the energy expenditure and pollutant emissions associated with a large-scale event are impressive.

The data become even more impressive if you compare those relating to the CO2 emission of a three-day event that took place completely in the presence, with those of one held online In the first case, in fact, the CO2 emission given by the travel sum (plane and land), accommodation and energy consumed is equal to 1.153.291 Kg per person. The emission for a virtual event is instead of 16.798 Kg per person. Multiply the figures by the number of people who usually participate in an event and understand how the option in presence with large-scale participation weighs in terms of sustainability.

But the pollution caused by an event in the presence does not stop there. In fact, the above estimates do not calculate the excessive consumption of paper, plastic packaging, a separate collection not possible given the large numbers of people present etc...

This cannot leave you indifferent.

The virtual events in presence pollute but not for this they must be abandoned

I leave these days of meetings even more convinced that raising awareness in the business world towards an eco-sustainable breakthrough is now an essential need. We will be at the forefront in this regard, strengthened by our experience and an even stronger awareness that a new ecological approach to work and daily life is a common goal to be achieved as soon as possible.

I’ll start with my work. In fact, without wanting to diminish the importance of real events, the possibility to use virtual platforms like those that we are able to realize, transferring a part of the users on the web, could be an ideal solution to significantly lower the impact on the environment. This is because in the first place it would reduce more the number of people who go to the event in presence. This will lead to a reduction in emissions and the possibility of being able to pay more attention to the choices in terms of suppliers and supplies for the events in the presence, so that they are more sustainable and attentive to the environment.

To learn more about hybrid events, click here.