Joe GallopJA Productions (JAP) has published a sustainability report following its event site and operations management delivery of Birmingham Festival 2023.
The event, organised by Birmingham City Council, took place from 28 July – 6 August to mark the one-year anniversary of the Commonwealth Games. A cultural programme of entertainment was curated by JAP’s programme partner OPUS with tens of thousands attending Birmingham’s Centenary Square to watch local and international art, culture and entertainment.
JAP said its sustainability goals for the event included a clear commitment and ownership from its leadership team, reducing the carbon footprint of the event’s logistics, reducing the waste associated with event branding, reducing energy use and wastage across all operations, all suppliers required to evidence their commitment to sustainability and engagement with guests and visitors through education and sustainability-focused content.
Working with Richard Bate, vice president of IOSH and sustainability director for E-Bike Grand Prix and Cube International, the company has published a report that highlights successes and outlines areas that require improvement.
Successes from the overall plan included powering the event using 100% grid power and negating the need for generators; an initiative to use 100% recyclable branding materials; removal of all plastic bottles and cups from the event; entering into an agreement with local bars, cafes and restaurants to allow event attendees to use existing toilet facilities removing the need for any event toilets to be brought onto site and working with local cafes, restaurants and bars for the food and beverage offering rather than bringing in concessions.
JAP managing director John Adkins said, “We effectively managed the event supply chain to minimise emissions wherever possible. In line with our well-developed sustainable procurement and environmental and sustainability policies. Supplier selection was based on meeting specific criteria with local suppliers prioritised. We encouraged our suppliers to use local staff wherever possible and engage with their own local supply chains. We also asked to complete post-event sustainability performance analysis. Given the busy nature of the event season we are still waiting for some of these, which we always expected.”
The full Event Sustainability Report can be found here.