How We Gather Matters: Sustainable Event Planning for Purpose and Impact

Grow your audience, shrink your footprint, change the world Straight-talk on what makes a purposeful, sustainable event, including honest, practical insights into case studies of hits, misses, and lessons learned. —SHAWNA MCKINLEY, Principal, Clear Current Sustainability Consulting Events can help educate, inspire, and connect us to our community, but all too often they escalate into resource-intensive glorifications of excess and exclusivity. How We Gather Matters is an invitation to reimagine the modern events industry as a powerful vehicle for change. This practical guide will enable and inspire festival, conference, trade show, wedding, concert, and sporting event planners to: Develop the financial and human resources required to implement green, sustainable gatherings Collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders Design events with impact and purpose, while supporting marketing and strategic goals Engage participants authentically while aligning with positive and progressive values Lead the shift towards net-zero emissions and zero waste by leveraging best practices and accepted international standards. Packed with personal insights, behind-the-scenes stories, and case studies, How We Gather Matters is required reading for event professionals who want to decrease risk, increase profitability, and meaningfully contribute to a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Start with Purpose Chapter 2. Grow Your Audience through Inclusion Chapter 3. Produce Zero Waste Chapter 4. Ban Bottled Water without Causing a Meltdown Chapter 5. Go Net Zero Chapter 6. Be Proactive to Avoid Greenwashing Chapter 7. Change the Venue without Changing the Venue Chapter 8. Make Mobility More Sustainable Chapter 9. Leverage Procurement to Build a Circular Economy Chapter 10. Embrace Hybrid Events Conclusion Tools and Resources Notes Index About the Author A Note About the Publishers

About the Author :
Leor Rotchild is a nationally-recognized speaker, author, podcaster, and consultant with 20 years of sustainable business experience. He currently serves as the Senior Director at Upswing Solutions, a B Corp certified, boutique sustainability consulting firm. Leor founded an environmental events company called Do It Green, which supported hundreds of events in Canada. He also served as Executive Director of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, a national hub for sustainability leaders across all sectors. Leor's writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail and CBC. His podcast - Pipelines and Turbines can be found on most major platforms and he delivered keynote presentations at events including The Sustainable Events Forum, The Walrus Talks, and the World Forum for a Responsible Economy. He lives in Calgary, Alberta with his partner and two children.

Review :
Having spoken at over 2,000 events, I know full well that how we gather matters. But Leor Rotchild's book takes things several steps further, explaining how we can create events that boost the "small but mighty" global movement seeking to ensure that every event and its content is truly future-friendly. — John Elkington, author, Green Swans and Tickling Sharks, and co-founder, Environmental Data Services (ENDS), SustainAbility, and Volans. Leor has beautifully crafted a page-turner in sustainable event management! Centred on the big issues of circularity, climate change impact and purchasing, his easy-to-read storytelling approach is thought-provoking and inspiring. — Meegan Jones, author, Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide, and Director, Institute for Sustainable Events How We Gather Matters is a groundbreaking how-to field guide for the events industry in the 21st century. It skillfully navigates the nexus between impact and sustainable sourcing, offering an insightful and practical blueprint for long-overdue transformative change in a high-profile sector. This should be a mandatory text for any hospitality management course, and bedside reading for corporate event planners. — Bob Willard, Founder and Chief Sustainability Champion, Sustainability Advantage Leor Rotchild's book How We Gather Matters is a must-read for sustainability professionals and event managers around the world. Thank goodness for Leor's event playbook which shows us all how. — Coro Strandberg, President, Strandberg Consulting and Chair, Canadian Purpose Economy Project