25 Apr Working together to deliver Sustainable Events
Sustainability is a popular phrase coined at the moment. In the endurance racing space, companies are trying to understand and implement methods of being green. And participants are beginning to question and insist that steps are being taken to eliminate unnecessary waste. But is it really happening? And what does it really take to deliver a green event?
We believe sustainability should be in the DNA of the event. Re-thinking every aspect to see how it can be done better, whilst keeping the integrity of the event’s competitiveness, safety and atmosphere. At Run As One Singapore we took a blank canvas and rewrote the playbook around event organisation.
Gone were the superfluous signs and large branding items that frequent events. Gone were most of the venue tents, generators, tables and chairs. Gone were the drink stations, plastic cups and large gallon bottles. Gone were the volunteers providing directions on course. Gone were the compulsory finisher medals and event tees.
In their place came technology and reusable assets. The MyRaceGate app provides directions around the course, motivation and cheerleading, fun facts and accurate timing. Runners are encouraged to bring and run with their own filled water bottle. Runners are part of a loyalty programme, where instead of automatically receiving event goodies – they can exchange MetaMiles (the equivalent of loyalty dollars) for an event tee if they want it. They can also indicate if they want to receive a finisher medal when registering for the event. This means that medals are only ordered for runners who have indicated that they want one – this means less waste at the source.
As we say, it’s the little things that all add up and make the biggest impact. The best part is it’s something we can all achieve together, providing satisfaction for both organisers and participants that we are making a collective difference.
