Répondre au commentaire

The feeling you get when you attend a live show is irreplaceable. But a live show means that all the stuff that comes with the events must travel: artists, volunteers, equipment, supplies, food, audiovisual equipment, and audience members.

Even if your event is located in a defined area, guests might come from all over and, as a green host, they should be encouraged to walk, use buses, ride bikes and carpool.

• Did you know that anywhere from 70% or more of all emissions from a concert is the product of audience travel to and from the venue? That’s not good. So, empowering your audience to take the most efficient and sustainable means of transportation can be one of the most influential greening commitments you can make as an event organizer.

Audience members will use whichever mode of transportation is convenient, easy, and available to get to an event. Because larger event venues are generally not located in urban or highly populated areas, audience transit to and from events is a major concern.

• To help reduce these excess emissions, green hosts need to inform audience members about alternative forms of transportation that are available, such as trains, buses, bikes, shuttles, and carpooling. More and more companies are coming up with creative solutions to move audiences, for more information visit: www.zimride.com

Your sustainable transportation options are not limited to existing methods. Get creative! Creating incentives for alternative forms of transportation can encourage audience members to explore various options. These incentives can include incorporating any public transportation method into the event ticket price or something simpler, such as creative raffle prizes.

• Incentives work. Do you know how many people can squeeze into your car? Set up a group/invitation on Facebook or other networks, plan on a time and pickup location, then load them all in and find out. Also, make it known that rewards such as better parking spaces can go to those who carpool. For more information, check out: www.icarpool.com

FYI, several music festivals have posted special carpool contests on their websites. Fans can print out a special flyer and post it in their cars as they carpool. “Spotters” at the event can pick carpoolers for entry into contests with cool prizes.

CHECKLIST

• Tell fans about environmentally friendly transportation options
• Provide maps and scheduling information for local public transit
• Create incentives for the use or more environmentally friendly forms of transportation
• If there is available local public transportation to and from the venue, arrange for shuttles to transport guests to and from the “park and ride” stops.
• Coordinate with third parties to subsidize the costs for the audience
• Provide skateboard checks, bike racks and/or bike valets at the event venue
• Provide carbon-offset opportunities for audience members