Sustainability is now a key pillar for any organisation bringing people together. Here at Stride, however, we know that sustainability isn't one-size-fits-all. Every business has a unique environmental ethos and specific corporate ESG goals.
Our role is to ensure that our production strategy doesn’t just “match” those goals, but actively amplifies them. To achieve this, we believe that a sustainable experience must be embedded across the entire lifecycle—from AV and creative production to venue, hospitality, travel, and more.
AV and Creative Production
- Stage design: Construct custom scenic elements and modular stage features using Re-board (100% recyclable paperboard) or modular aluminum frames with reusable tension-fabric graphics. ‘Miniminse waste’ needs to be a mantra while designing your sets and stages. With creative design, this is possible without having to make any compromises.
- LED-first strategy: Prioritize LED walls to significantly reduce power consumption and heat waste (reducing HVAC load).
- Green power solutions: Use HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) for any required temporary generators or high-capacity battery storage cubes charged via renewable mains.
- Remote speaker integration: Utilize “Local-to-Local” streaming for international guest speakers to eliminate high-impact long-haul flights. (Note: This is NOT “just hook up a Zoom call” and patch it through to the LED wall! We can do so much more to integrate virtual speakers than this, while still maintaining high quality production values).
- Asset Lifecycle: Adopting a “No-Landfill” approach for all custom fabrication ensures that materials are repurposed, donated, or recycled post-experience.
Venue and Hospitality
- Plant-forward catering: Implement “Plant-by-Default” menus (where meat is an opt-in) to reduce food-related carbon emissions by up to 60%.
- Zero-waste mandate: Contractually require venues to provide food waste data and facilitate donations to local charities or composting facilities (Don’t sign a venue contract without reviewing/asking for guarantees here!)
- Elimination of single-use plastics: Replace all plastic water bottles with high-visibility branded hydration stations and provide reusable bottles in attendee arrival kits.
- Smart energy management: Coordinate with venue facilities to dim lighting and reduce HVAC use in zones not in active use during breakouts or overnight.
Attendee Travel and Offsetting
- Rail incentives: Offer registration discounts or “Green VIP” perks for attendees who provide proof of travel via train instead of air. This can become a really fun badge of honour, and an opportunity for leaderboards/distance travelled by rail stats etc)
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): Partner with airlines to offer “Book-and-Claim” SAF credits during the registration checkout process.
- High-Impact Carbon Removal: Move beyond traditional “tree planting” to fund Direct Air Capture (DAC) or Gold Standard community projects (e.g., clean water/cookstoves).
Making a Positive Impact
As organizations implement more sustainable practices, it’s also important to build in a process of tracking that impact over time. Utilizing industry-standard carbon intelligence tools allows us to estimate emissions during planning and, more importantly, compare them to actual outcomes.
Many organizations are also sharing post-event impact reports with attendees that cover energy use, production, and travel. Over time, that data becomes a baseline for setting clearer targets and improving with each experience.
We hope these ideas are helpful, wherever you may be on your own sustainability journey. In-person experiences are designed to leave a lasting, positive impact on attendees. With a more intentional approach to sustainability, that same positive impact can be extended to our planet as well.
Sustainability is now a key pillar for any organisation bringing people together. Here at Stride, however, we know that sustainability isn't one-size-fits-all. Every business has a unique environmental ethos and specific corporate ESG goals.
Our role is to ensure that our production strategy doesn’t just “match” those goals, but actively amplifies them. To achieve this, we believe that a sustainable experience must be embedded across the entire lifecycle—from AV and creative production to venue, hospitality, travel, and more.
AV and Creative Production
- Stage design: Construct custom scenic elements and modular stage features using Re-board (100% recyclable paperboard) or modular aluminum frames with reusable tension-fabric graphics. ‘Miniminse waste’ needs to be a mantra while designing your sets and stages. With creative design, this is possible without having to make any compromises.
- LED-first strategy: Prioritize LED walls to significantly reduce power consumption and heat waste (reducing HVAC load).
- Green power solutions: Use HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) for any required temporary generators or high-capacity battery storage cubes charged via renewable mains.
- Remote speaker integration: Utilize “Local-to-Local” streaming for international guest speakers to eliminate high-impact long-haul flights. (Note: This is NOT “just hook up a Zoom call” and patch it through to the LED wall! We can do so much more to integrate virtual speakers than this, while still maintaining high quality production values).
- Asset Lifecycle: Adopting a “No-Landfill” approach for all custom fabrication ensures that materials are repurposed, donated, or recycled post-experience.
Venue and Hospitality
- Plant-forward catering: Implement “Plant-by-Default” menus (where meat is an opt-in) to reduce food-related carbon emissions by up to 60%.
- Zero-waste mandate: Contractually require venues to provide food waste data and facilitate donations to local charities or composting facilities (Don’t sign a venue contract without reviewing/asking for guarantees here!)
- Elimination of single-use plastics: Replace all plastic water bottles with high-visibility branded hydration stations and provide reusable bottles in attendee arrival kits.
- Smart energy management: Coordinate with venue facilities to dim lighting and reduce HVAC use in zones not in active use during breakouts or overnight.
Attendee Travel and Offsetting
- Rail incentives: Offer registration discounts or “Green VIP” perks for attendees who provide proof of travel via train instead of air. This can become a really fun badge of honour, and an opportunity for leaderboards/distance travelled by rail stats etc)
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): Partner with airlines to offer “Book-and-Claim” SAF credits during the registration checkout process.
- High-Impact Carbon Removal: Move beyond traditional “tree planting” to fund Direct Air Capture (DAC) or Gold Standard community projects (e.g., clean water/cookstoves).
Making a Positive Impact
As organizations implement more sustainable practices, it’s also important to build in a process of tracking that impact over time. Utilizing industry-standard carbon intelligence tools allows us to estimate emissions during planning and, more importantly, compare them to actual outcomes.
Many organizations are also sharing post-event impact reports with attendees that cover energy use, production, and travel. Over time, that data becomes a baseline for setting clearer targets and improving with each experience.
We hope these ideas are helpful, wherever you may be on your own sustainability journey. In-person experiences are designed to leave a lasting, positive impact on attendees. With a more intentional approach to sustainability, that same positive impact can be extended to our planet as well.
.jpg)
.jpg)