Home NEWS The first tool for measuring events’ sustainability rating unveiled at Conventa

The first tool for measuring events’ sustainability rating unveiled at Conventa

The solution developed by Toleranca marketing and Arctur impressed attendees of Conventa

Mar 3, 2024

Planet Positive Event

After more than a year of development, Toleranca marketing and Arctur rolled out an innovative tool for creating sustainability ratings of events and certifying them. Before the official inauguration, the tool was tried and tested at corporate pilot projects and Conventa. The pioneering creators were among the first to combine a cutting-edge carbon footprint calculator, precise criteria for sustainable events, a certification system and external assessment following the ESRS Standards for sustainable reporting.

The responses of international event organisers and the expert public show the tool is a milestone development in certifying events’ sustainability. The platform debuted at Conventa, impressing trade show participants with its superb user experience, user-friendliness, technological advancement, and complexity. Planet Positive Event’s standout feature is regenerative criteria that measure the positive effects of events beyond carbon footprint.

The tool encourages and enables event organisers to make a sustainable transformation. Many companies who entrust event agencies to organise their events have been obliged to write sustainability reports since 1 January 2024 in line with the CSRD Directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and the ESRS Standards. There are over 50,000 companies that fall into this category. Event organisers will soon have to provide these companies with concrete data, define and identify value chains and integrate all acquired information into a holistic system of sustainability reports.

The founding father of the project, Gorazd Čad, stressed that the tool came to life as a response to challenges the organisers of the international trade show Conventa encountered on their sixteen-year-long quest to transform the event sustainably. Among the problems were inaccurate carbon footprint calculators, inadequate and incomplete reporting standards, time-consuming data collection unsupported by a holistic platform and a flawed knowledge base. Gorazd Čad emphasised: “To sustainably transform Conventa, we tested numerous tools, calculators, methodologies and recommendations. Something was always amiss or didn’t function properly. That is how we decided to develop our own solution. We are immensely proud of it because it is a global innovation in many ways. Among its numerous facets is its external evaluation conducted by independent experts. The solution is also user-friendly, resulting in a great user experience. Planet Positive Event is the brainchild of Slovenian know-how, innovation and technology. Planet Positive Event was developed by event organisers for event organisers.”

A holistic web app for event organisers

Planet Positive Event is a holistic web app enabling event organisers to see whether their event complies with ESRS Standards, measure their event’s carbon footprint and learn how to organise events sustainably. The result of the entire process is the sustainability rating that raises the prominence of event organisers, thus helping them gain access to capital, various forms of financing, EU tenders and insurance schemes faster. The tool was developed by Arctur, a leading high-tech company in information processing and implementing AI with the help of its in-house supercomputer in tourism and other sectors.

The essence of the tool is the obligatory and recommendable criteria and an efficient carbon footprint calculator. Event organisers conduct a self-evaluation to see which criteria they meet. The creators are particularly proud of the matrix for calculating the carbon footprint – the first of its kind in the world. The tedious process of gathering all information about carbon footprint has thus become straightforward. One of the tool’s unique features is the regenerative matrix covering all 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

“We are proud that we can use technology for unique solutions such as Planet Positive Event. The tool encourages event organisers to take positive action. It truly aids and guides in achieving behavioural change,” added Tomi Ilijaš, Director of Arctur.

A 360° approach to sustainable transformation

Before its launch, over ten market-leading companies supported Planet Positive Event. The team behind Planet Positive Event is already guiding event organisers with a 360° approach to sustainable transformation. The inspiring knowledge will be available to all partners through video educational courses and practical workshops. The creators will also establish a list of certified green suppliers and a green market for supply and demand. You can learn more about the solution on the official website: www.planet-positive-event.eu.

For such a tool to run flawlessly, reliable support is imperative. Toleranca marketing will offer clients content support throughout all project phases, while a dedicated team of experts under the leadership of Andraž Orehar (Arctur) will provide technical support.

Trustworthy national and international external assessors help set the tool apart from other solutions. External assessors are leading experts in sustainability in Slovenia and beyond. The external assessment is conducted following the rules of procedure Planet Positive Event, which precisely defines how the external evaluation is organised and executed. External assessors guarantee the credibility of the final sustainability rating. The team of Planet Positive Event includes 11 Slovenian external assessors and 15 international external assessors.

Planet Positive Event in numbers:

180 practical tips for organising sustainable events
16 evaluation matrixes (94 obligatory and 241 recommendable criteria)
1 SDG matrix to calculate the event’s regenerative effects
9 forms to calculate the carbon footprint
1 carbon footprint calculator
1 automatically-generated report with a sustainability rating of the event and a certificate
1 external assessment by an independent expert assessor

What does PLANET POSITIVE EVENT mean to us?

We see event organising as a transformative process. Our tool guides event organisers to foster a positive impact on the planet. The calculated sustainability rating shows how successful we are in creating regenerative events. Every step matters on the path to events responsible to the environment, society and attendees.

Learn more about the pioneering tool for sustainable transformation here.