In Vision: 2025's newsletter for May we launch an industry call to support and fund the third edition of the Show Must Go On report in 2025 through an industry crowdfunder. The new edition will shape a new climate strategy and bring the UK live events industry together around a clear and bold 2030 climate vision for the sector. Read on for more details or get in touch at bethan@vision2025.org.uk. 

“...Climate change changes everything. For a very brief time, the nature of that change is still up to us.” Naomi Klein (2015)

Fund the update of the pivotal state of industry Show Must Go On Report, to shape festival and outdoor events sustainability. Support #SMGO3 https://bit.ly/SMGO-3

Vision: 2025 is once again galvanising the live festival and outdoor events industry to bring knowledge, data and information together to establish benchmarks and best practice, understand challenges and solutions, shape a vision for 2030 and develop strong and evidenced policy requests to the government.

The Show Must Go On state of the industry reports (editions 1 & 2) provided indicative benchmarks and a roadmap for a cohesive industry narrative and action on climate. Edition 3 will bring a clear, bold 2030 climate vision for the sector, to inspire and guide leadership and ambition towards meeting our immediate and global challenges.

To take your place and support this vital and significant work, contribute to the Industry Crowdfunder. The funds will be matched by grant funding, and used for coordination, research, expert inputs, design and communication. Support #SMGO3 https://bit.ly/SMGO-3

Anaïs Biaux is the Head of Festival Networks at Without Walls. She leads the strategic development of various programmes, is Sustainability Lead, and heads up the network’s Environmental Responsibility Action Group. Previous to this role she has produced a range of festivals and events celebrating art and nature at Wild Rumpus, including Just So and Timber Festival; delivered a range of collaboration projects at XTRAX promoting UK outdoor arts internationally, and over the years has been involved in programming and delivering various outdoor festivals, both in France and in the UK. In our monthly Q&A, she shares her journey in creating sustainable events HERE. 

In April, we spoke to Lucy Scrase at Ourea Events. Read her answers HERE. 

In this blog, Event Sustainability Specialist Meegan Jones reviews the Greenhouse gas calculator tools that events can use to measure and record their carbon footprints.

Looking at both paid platforms and those that are free-to-use, Meegan has reviewed over 40 tools and in this blog she dives into a closer look at the standout options for #eventprofs, including Climeet, Trace, SEMS, EventDecision, MeasureEvent, Green Producers Club, Julie's Bicycle CC Tools and the Green Events Tool, taking each of the essential categories in turn to assess the metrics and criteria that each tool uses: including Waste & Materials, Energy, Travel & Transport, Food & Drink, Accommodation and Digital. Read the blog HERE.

Julie's Bicycle caught up with the festival team at Norwich and Norfolk to hear about how they're pushing boundaries when it comes to their sustainable practice. From practical actions like exploring more sustainable energy supplies, to playing an active role in building collaborations with other festivals to grow sustainability ambition and practice. Read the case study HERE. 

Vision: 2025's Sustainable Events Summit (SES) will return to the Showman's Show, on Wednesday 23rd October 2024. The free-to-attend action-focused summit will present the latest research tools and knowledge to bring outdoor event organisers, suppliers, local authorities and experts together, driving collaborative resource development, industry standards, best practice and innovation that will inspire and shape the industry response to the climate emergency at UK events.

2024 is a pivotal year for the Vision: 2025 network as work begins on shaping strategy to 2030. Now is the time for organisations committed to sustainability to get involved and be part of this vital conversation. Get in touch with bethan@vision2025.org.uk for speaker and sponsorship opportunities.

Each month we feature a case study from the FUSION – Festivals as Social Innovation Incubators project. This month we highlight Pohoda Festival in Slovakia which welcomes appr. 30,000 festival-goers each summer.

The festival collaborates with many non-profit organisation including Proti prúdu, an NGO that produces the Nota bene street magazine, providing people experiencing homelessness with a steady income. The project is a success, but many associate it with begging. To counteract this negative impression Proti prúdu has developed the luggage porters project with Pohoda, where selected vendors of the street paper are employed by Proti prúdu to help festival participants with their luggage. The project brings people from the margins into the hustle and bustle of the festival community improving relations and raising awareness about the problems of homelessness in Slovakia. Fusion Website. 

Roskilde Festival, Denmark (Capacity 130,000). One of the biggest challenges for Roskilde is campsite waste. As well as exploring a solution to supply festival-goers with their own camping kit, Roskilde have established community camping areas, where the festival runs campaigns to communicate what kind of behaviour they expect from their participants eg., “Leave No Trace Camp” and “Clean Out Loud Camp”. By involving their audiences Roskilde has avoided cleaning up huge amounts of waste. Read the full case study Future Festival Tools website. 

Our selected news picks from across the Live Events Industry and beyond, including jobs, events, blogs, reports, and what the Vision: 2025 team has been watching, listening to, and reading this month:

• Julie's Bicycle are looking for a new member of their team - apply for the role of Climate Change & Sustainability Specialist HERE
• A Greener Festival launches new round of training in association with Oxford Brooks University HERE
• Disability, Care and Climate: Article by Julie's Bicycle Climate Justice Lead Farah Ahmed HERE 
• How UK music festivals are planning for freak weather, last year in the Guardian but relevant for now HERE .
• Billie Eilish announces tour with extensive raft of sustainability measures, in Access All Areas HERE
• Julie's Bicycle Creative Climate Leadership podcast: All six episodes are now live. Listen HERE
• Live appoints Ross Patel in key sustainability role, in Access All Areas HERE.

Our newsletter reaches over 4,500 UK event professionals interested in sustainability. Send jobs, events, resources and articles to feature here to: info@vision2025.org.uk.