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UK Sustainability News: LIVE Introduces Green Contract Clauses; 9th Sustainable Event Summit Shaping Up
LIVE Introduces Green Contract Clauses
UK trade organization LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) announced a sustainability initiative led by its expert working group, LIVE Green.
It will introduce a contractual clause template for artists booking contracts, “designed to galvanize industry-wide action and transform the environmental impact of live events,” according to the press release from LIVE, which continues:
“The introduction of these clauses follows in the footsteps of the successful implementation of contractual health and safety policies and practices. The aim is to foster widespread, lasting cultural change within the industry by accelerating the conversation around sustainability between every party involved in artist performance booking. By integrating sustainability into contracts between artist agents, promoters, and venues, LIVE Green is poised to drive the adoption of greener working practices across the board.”
The new clauses focus on key action areas including waste, energy, water, food, merchandise, and audience travel.
LIVE Green is led by Carol Scott, the principal sustainability advocate at event solution specialists TAIT, and Ross Patel, LIVE Green’s impact consultant.
LIVE Green, by its own admission, “is a cross-sector group that coordinates sustainability activity drawing on representatives from venues, festivals, touring, artists, agents, managers, promoters, production and more. It aims to facilitate cooperation across the organization’s membership, accessing best in class sustainability guidance, while ensuring knowledge sharing and support can be provided to help sector-wide efforts in this area.”
According to LIVE, “the world’s largest talent agencies have indicated they will propose to their clients the adoption of green clauses (using the template to draft their own), as an opt-in alongside independent agencies such as ATC Live and Pure Represents Ltd, signaling a huge commitment and a demonstration of the desire for a more eco-conscious industry.”
Alongside the clause template, LIVE Green has also created a LIVE Green Resource Hub, designed to respond to the content of the clauses, which highlights considerations for addressing each aspect of the clauses, as well as further resource and guidance from sustainability experts in the industry to help all stakeholders in the live sector progress their sustainability efforts.
Check out the contractual clause template here.
9th Sustainable Event Summit UK
The Sustainable Event Summit, hosted by UK sustainability group Vision 2025, is gearing up for it’s 9th edition next week, Oct. 23.
It’s a pivotal year for Vision 2025, “as work begins on establishing benchmarks and shaping sector strategy and Climate Transition Plan to 2030,” according to a press release.
The summit bringing together outdoor event organizers, suppliers, local authorities, and experts, is free to attend. The goal is “to drive collaborative resource development, industry standards, best practice and innovation to shape the UK Events Industry’s response to the climate emergency.”
On of this year’s speakers, Hannah Cox, founder of Better Not Stop, commented, “What I found about this event that really stands out from others, is it’s for the people wanting to help each other collaborate and actually share, so that we can create action within the industry.”
This year’s keynote will be delivered by Levy CEO, and 2021 Pollstar and VenueNow Impact International honoree Jon Davies, who’ll offer a supplier perspective on driving change. Davies will draw on Levy’s experience of developing sustainability strategy and working across clients and supply chain to achieve change, bringing examples such as food policy for Billie Eilish @ The O2, and working with Peppermint Bars.
As he told VenuesNow, when speaking for his 2021 honors, “We must use the current climate as an opportunity to challenge value perceptions around the styles and service of the food that we deliver. Guests need to be offered proper, well-sourced, unprocessed food with natural ingredients that demands less from the environment. We have drawn plans for a total ban of air freight in the transport of our produce. Hospitality providers should also look to deliver smaller menus built around more seasonal produce, facilitated by more local suppliers, and utilizing more of the animal or vegetable to reduce waste.”
Jon Collins, CEO of Live Music UK, will host a session dubbed “Shaping the future: A Climate Transition Plan for 2030”, exploring how the industry can thrive while reducing environmental impacts and working with the Government to accelerate change.
There will be quick fire session on current hot topics at live events, including innovations in battery technology; developments in food sustainability; how to include disabled people in live event sustainability; vape capture and disposal at events; and tools to tackle event travel impacts.
Chris Johnson, CEO, onboard:earth, will host “In the Headlights: Collecting Travel emissions data,” to shine a light on how events can collect event travel data for footprinting. John Rostron, CEO, Association Independent Festivals, will present “Best of the Summer” with guests sharing their green festival success stories from the 2024 season.
The Summit opens with a member’s only roundtable bringing together experts in key sustainability topics and Vision: 2025 festival members, the session forms a stepping stone in the Climate Transition Plan journey.
The Showman’s Show Green Supplier and Innovation Award will be handed out as well, which sees three shortlisted suppliers present innovations to help events reduce environmental impacts from the supply chain, with SES 24 delegates casting their votes live to decide the winner.
More infos and registration for this year’s SES available here.