10 Achievable ideas to help make your conference more sustainable in 2026

Are you ready to champion sustainability at your next event but feel overwhelmed by endless considerations? Here at Cavendish Venues, London conference venues, we have been on the sustainability journey for 25 years. We can help, + we see thousands of conferences and events every year we know what works.

Starting Your Green Transition

Shifting your events strategy towards sustainability means rethinking culture, allocating resources, and fostering new mindsets. The first step, however, is simply taking action.

What Is a Sustainable Event?

A sustainable—or green—event prioritises environmental and social responsibility across planning and delivery. It aims to:

• Minimise waste and maximise recycling

• Conserve energy and water resources

• Opt for low-carbon transport and local, plant-based menus

• Promote social equity and community involvement

• Measure and offset carbon emissions

By putting these principles into practice, your event will not only shrink its environmental footprint but also enhance your brand reputation and inspire others.

1. Select a Sustainable Destination – London is No. 5 on the list of sustainable cities. Much of the work is being driven and coordinated by the London Sustainable Development Commission. One recent initiative was to install free drinking water fountains across the capital. By April 2023, more than 730,000 litres of water were dispensed – equivalent to 1.4 million single-use plastic bottles.

2. Choose a Sustainable Event Venue – Cavendish Venues are the most sustainable venues in London. Innovations this year include:

• London's first Biophilic Venue

• Innovative approach using otherwise hard-to-sell fruit and veg

• Growing our herbs

• Shrinking our transport miles – UK-sourced wine

Other ideas include: Check for green certifications - When choosing a conference venue committed to sustainability. Cavendish Venues, for example, is currently undergoing B Corp Certification. The Green Tourism scheme is another option.

Enquire about ESG policies - Enquire about the venue's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies to understand their approach to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance, ensuring alignment with your sustainability goals.

3. Promote Sustainable Travel Arrangements – All of Cavendish Venues are by design located within 5 minutes walk of a major public transport interchange.  

• Replacing car journeys with public transport can help reduce CO2 emissions by 42% if using the bus and 73% if travelling by train. See netzeronation

4. Consider Eco-Friendly Event Formats. See our sustainability checklist for organisers.

• On your initial venue visit, check for LED lighting and sensor lighting

• Ask if the venue uses Green Electricity

• Ask how energy efficient the building is? What measures are being taken to increase efficiency, etc?

5. Use Energy-Efficient Event Production. The single largest component of this is reducing event waste, especially hard-to-recycle heavily laminated products, ie many exhibitors produce this type of product.  Cavendish Venues offers a discount to organisers if they take all of their waste home with them.  

6. Hire Sustainable Event Catering –

• Avoid catering with disposable plates and cups where possible

• Have a razor-like focus on food waste  

• Use seasonal menus

• Consider plant-based options. Cavendish Venues offers a discount if organisers take a 100% vegetarian menu

• Consider local food options

7. Incorporate Reusable Materials & the Circular Economy

• We have donated all of our old chairs to a local church

• We have eliminated all single-use items from our menus

• Use water stations

• Opt for reusable name badges

8. Offer Sustainable Event Merchandise – For example, at Cavendish Venues, we offer all organisers a bottle of English wine and or homemade chutney on their departure.  

9. Plan a Waste Management Strategy

• Cavendish Venues works with First Mile to offer a recycling or upcycling scheme for all the products of our operations

10. Reduce Paper Usage & Think Digital

• Think paperless office, minimising signage, recycled toilet paper, etc.  

Cavendish Venues believe they are one of, if not the most, sustainable venues in London. We want to go further. If you have any suggestions for further improvements we could make, please get in touch.

If you are looking for a sustainable conference or exhibition venue in the City of London or Central London, please get in touch on 0207 706 7700 or enquires@cavendishvenues.com  

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