Although there’s still a way to go, it’s encouraging to see many more venues and hotels putting sustainability at the forefront of its event departments. Some of the ways in which properties are making their event spaces more sustainable are by increasing energy efficiency, using eco-credited suppliers, limiting water supply and most importantly limiting the environmental impact of the venue. If you're looking at planning an eco-conscious event in 2024 or want to keep some in mind for future reference, here are 10 new and existing venues across Europe for your next sustainable event.
1. City Hall London
City Hall London, formerly known as The Crystal, is known for being one of the most sustainable venues in the world. It's received accreditation for its environmentally friendly initiatives and also boasts a space of 75,000 square feet making it a great venue for an event of any size. The venue has an exhibition zone, auditorium, conference facilities, meeting rooms and office spaces.
So why is this first place on the list? The building is all-electric and uses solar panels and a ground source heat pump to generate its own energy. Secondly, their windows are made from solar glass which provide 70% of visible light but only uses around 30% of solar energy. Lastly they use a rainwater harvesting system that collects and filters the water so it can be used as drinking water.
2. Six Senses at the Whiteley London - NEW
Hotel & Spa brand Six Senses is coming to London this year and is perfect for incentive trips or small meetings. The venue will offer a 'wellness social club', featuring a spa and relaxation rooms, as well as private dining rooms, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and several elegant restaurants and bars.
The Six Senses will be located in Bayswater, making it accessible for your guests to get to!
3. Treehouse Manchester - NEW
The Treehouse Manchester is not only a beautiful hotel, it also has built on its sustainability practices over the last few years. The hotel has filtered water stations on all the guest floors, discourage single-use items and print all of their menus on recycled paper. They are also in the process of adding roof gardens, green walls and even beehives to produce fresh honey. All this adds to their efforts of decreasing their carbon footprint.
If you're looking to have a small to medium sized event, the Treehouse Manchester can hold events for up to 400 people.
4. Hotel Arts Barcelona
If you're looking at hosting your event in a much warmer setting, then Barcelona is home to quite a few sustainable event venues. Notably the Hotel Arts, by Ritz-Carlton.
The hotel has a number of environmental and social initiatives including using LED bulbs in areas of high use and light sensors, replacement of paper towels with cloth towels in the hotel's public restrooms, replacing printed newspapers with a mobile news app and using local suppliers for organic food.
The Hotel Arts has a number of different sustainable event spaces on their property, including meeting rooms that hold up to 1400 people. Here are 5 more sustainable events in Barcelona, if you’re keen on hosting an event there.
5. The Bella Center Copenhagen
The Bella Center is just one of the many Danish venues making a conscious effort to prioritise their sustainability. They focus on using solar power, environmental commitments and science-based targets. They are aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050 and a 50% reduction by 2030.
This sustainable venue is highly flexible for an event and offers 5 different halls that can be used for exhibitions, plenaries or other functions. The biggest hall can hold 7,000 guests and in total, it can host a whopping 30,000 people at the same time. The location is also great as it is only a 25 minute train journey from the airport and city center.
6. voco Zeal Exeter Science Park, UK - NEW
If you’re looking for a zero carbon hotel opening in 2024, Zeal Hotels and IHG Hotels & Resorts are opening just the thing in the Exeter Science Park. The first lifecycle net zero carbon hotel for both businesses, their aim is create a sustainable hotel concept that will encourage other hotels to follow suit and help the industry reduce carbon emissions and reach net zero carbon targets together.
7. NOVA Spektrum, Oslo
This sustainable event venue is located in down town Oslo and is just two minutes from Oslo Central Station. The venue is for smaller events as their largest room has a current maximum of 200 people. They are however working on a conference room that will fit 3,000 people by 2027.
They also have their own sustainability initiatives using digital systems to improve their environmental performance in relation to waste management, energy use, purchasing and transport.
8. City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia
Not only is this another sunny city to organise your event in, but the City of Arts and Sciences calculate the impact of the events they host so that you can plan your event in line with them to reduce emissions and increase sustainability. The event space caters for 1500 people and has several break out rooms available.
There are also a number of sustainability activities you can organise in Valencia such as a bike ride through the Turia Garden or an excursion to the Albufera Natural Park.
9. 1 Hotel Mayfair - NEW
1 Hotels are notably known for their conscious sustainable practices. The 1 Hotel Mayfair opened its doors last summer. They pride themselves on having the best food with a ‘farm to table’ approach by using local produce and tons of greenery! They support charitable events and host events to help raise awareness on climate issues and such.
Their restaurant space would be the perfect spot for corporate events and event receptions. There are quite a few London venues opening up and in the pipeline with a focus on decreasing their carbon footprint and lowering their environmental impact.
10. P&J Live, Aberdeen
Formerly known as the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre, the P&J Live offers a space of 48,000 square meters and has several conference suites, exhibition halls and even an arena that can hold up to 15,000 guests. Really making it a sustainable venue for all types of sustainable events!
The venue uses local renewable resources and has advances technologies to product enough power to sustain its events, as well as reusing almost all of the materials used and reducing food waste. They also have almost 30,000 trees planted in the property to contribute to the local ecosystem.
As you can see from this post, the list of sustainable venues in the UK just keeps growing and growing. If you're based in the United Kingdom, cities such as London and Manchester have more and more eco-conscious hotels and event venues popping up. Meaning that whether you’re looking to plan a corporate party, conference or event reception, there’s an abundance of places to do so. If you’d like to find out more about any of these venues or need help planning your next sustainable event, drop a message to the team here.
About Zentive Agency
Zentive is a sustainable events agency in London focused on doing good. By integrating technology and following sustainable event practices, we create eco-friendly events that help you connect, reward and motivate your audience whilst leaving a lasting positive impact on the world. We believe in constantly pushing the boundaries of event planning and execution, embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative concepts, and immersive experiences. Our goal is to ensure that each event we organise leaves a lasting impact on attendees, participants, all stakeholders along the value chain, and the planet.