Eco-friendly event venues

The choice of venue is crucial for an eco-friendly event. The diversity of green credentials of Parisian venues is a great advantage.

Simple guidelines to follow

Outdoors or indoors, whether it be a dedicated venue (conference centre, exhibition centre, conference rooms ...) or not (hotel, museum, unusual place ...), the environmental and social quality of each space is mainly linked to the following factors:

Geographical location: good access to public transport, shops, paths for pedestrians and cyclists, infrastructure for freight, landscape and view, etc.
Energy performance of buildings: heating/air conditioning, thermal insulation, adapted size of room, natural lighting, renewable energy, rain water, efficient equipment, etc.
Every day comfort and facilities: low noise pollution, controlled lighting, air renewal, waste sorting, presence of plants, biodiversity, compliance with safety regulations (Establishments receiving the public (ERP), and fire), etc.
Accessibility for all: facilities and equipment adapted to people with visual, hearing, mental and motor disabilities, etc.
Involvement of the local area: the ‘appropriation’ of the place by Parisians, relations with local businesses and companies, highlighting of the products and know-how of the surrounding area, etc.
Training of teams and structuring of the venue’s approach: presence of an internal ‘green’ committee, environmentally-committed venue with a label or certification, etc.

Charters, standards, labels		Subject	Evaluation
ISO 20121	International standard for event management. It requires the putting in place of an event sustainability management system in the company.	Environment Social Economic	In-depth audit
Green Globe	International certification. The structure must fulfil more than 50% of the 380 concrete and sector-specific criteria.	Environment Social Economic	In-depth audit
Charter ‘Qualité & Développement durable’	25 criteria set out by France Congrès et Evénements, for the attention of its members.	Environment Economic	Audit
Other measures	Not specific to the events sector, so applicable to all: ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 9001 (quality), OHSAS 18001 (Health and Security), Diversity Label (non-discrimination), Global Compact (Social and Market), Label LUCIE (RSE (Corporate social responsibility) initiative), Tourisme Green Impulse (reporting RSE), Tourisme & Handicap (accessibility of buildings, sites and facilities), Imprim’vert (printers), HQE / LEED / BREEAM (efficient buildings)…

Take inspiration from good, simple and virtuous practices

Here are some examples of initiatives taken by venues hosting eco-friendly events:

Choice of products from the Ile-de-France region, if possible from organic farming, from listed food suppliers in order to offer locavore meals.
Installation of sorting bins for visitors, then installation of a waste collection unit behind the scenes to sort the bags again, in partnership with a local ESAT establishment. The quality of sorting is optimal.
Installation of an additional terminal for electric cars in the car park and partnership with a private-hire taxi company offering hybrid vehicle transport.
Automatic control of heating and air-conditioning in meeting rooms, according to room temperature and weather forecasts. Programmed shutdown at the end of the event with the Centralized Technical Management of the building
Loaning of rooms to local associations (charities and nature conservation associations) to hold public meetings and/or their general assemblies.

Find other eco-friendly suppliers in Paris:

CONVENTION.PARISINFO.com / Eco-friendly PCOs and DMCs
CONVENTION.PARISINFO.com / Eco-friendly accommodation
CONVENTION.PARISINFO.com / Eco-friendly caterers
CONVENTION.PARISINFO.com / Eco-friendly transport
CONVENTION.PARISINFO.com/ Eco-friendly activities and entertainment