At Evolution Dome, we are always looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact for both ourselves as a business and our clients. However, 2023 brought something new to the table when our director, Ash Austin, was a speaker at Reset Connect, where he joined Matt Coyne, Macey Mitchell, and James Simpkins to discuss sustainable solutions in the events industry.

In our latest blog, we asked Ash to reflect on his experience and share his answers to some of the thought-provoking questions from the event.

How do you feel the day went?

 

It was great! The goal of Reset Connect has strongly resonated with me, so to have the opportunity to talk to industry peers about a cause I feel passionate about was a privilege, even if it was a little daunting. 

Speaking at a panel was definitely a huge step out of my comfort zone, but sharing the stage with Matt, Macey, and James made a big difference. Being able to bounce thoughts off of each other allowed us to explore the challenges facing our industry and the role of suppliers in greater detail.

The most valuable part of the day was the opportunity to learn from others. Being on a stage with my peers gave me a chance to hear more about how other suppliers are tackling the wide subject of sustainability and ways to help clients in their goal to pursue Net Zero. However, I feel the most impactful discussions came after the panel, where I was able to discuss with attendees their challenges and reflect on our own practices through the insightful questions they asked.

What kind of questions were attendees asking?

 

One of the most recurring themes in the questions I received was about how inflatable structures can fit in the grand scheme of sustainability. Whether it was about the nature of power supplies or how they can be applied to specific event types, the people I spoke to were eager to learn more about what solutions were available to them. 

I found most of my answers fit into two categories, 

1. How to choose environmentally conscious suppliers.

Everyone attending, speaking and exhibiting at Reset Connect all shared one key goal; to build a better future. The people I spoke to agreed that real impact is a team effort and choosing suppliers that share your goal is a step in the right direction.

But when presented with questions about finding suppliers for specific event types, I found there was always overlap in the answers. When choosing suppliers, it is important for businesses to look internally first and identify what their event needs and what challenges may prevent them from hitting sustainability targets. Keeping those questions in mind allows you to find suppliers that are compatible with your event and goals. 

2. How Evolution Dome works to reduce its own environmental footprint.

In a similar vein to the question of how organisers can choose sustainable suppliers, when selecting who we work with, we ask ourselves 3 questions,

1. What does our service need to offer our clients?
2. What challenges may affect our ability to be sustainable?
3. What can we change to overcome those challenges?

It has been a long journey for us, and we certainly have a long way to go, but asking those questions has allowed us to reflect and make positive changes through investments and research. We’ve made progress in a few key ways, 

Power:

We’ve always been open about our use of power and if required, generators – and in recent years – we have been constantly searching for alternative methods to power our structures and reduce our environmental impact. In 2022 we announced the move to the SPB-6500 battery, which could be charged either via solar power or a traditional generator, which allowed our structures to work off the grid for up to 14 hours. 

In 2023 we refined the battery even further, now able to power our structures for 21 hours with a solar input and no generator!

Fans:

Our most recent development is the introduction of our new fan system, which has already shown a huge 45% reduction in the power consumption of our structures! By keeping the client experience in mind, we were able to choose a supplier that not only offered a fantastic power-saving solution but also helped with significant noise reductions. 

These are just some of the ways we have been working to lower our carbon emissions, and by regularly revisiting our developments, we aim to continue to reduce our carbon footprint and provide solutions that can help clients in their own journeys.

What are your key takeaways from the event? 

 

Reset Connect was not just an opportunity for attendees to learn about how to improve their own sustainability practices but also a place for speakers and exhibitors to gain insight into how they need to evolve to best serve the industry. Personally, I have been inspired by the great individuals I was able to meet at the event.

If you’d like to learn more about how Evolution Dome can fit into your event sustainability planning, contact the team at  Info@evolutiondome.com or call 01487 640640.