Organizing an eco-responsible event
Nantes Saint-Nazaire, a creative and committed destination!
Organizing your event in the region means benefiting from an ecosystem fully engaged in transitioning the event industry.
The Convention Bureau supports you in finding qualified providers for your professional event (venues for hire, event agencies, caterers, accommodations, event service providers).
Whether you’re preparing a conference, seminar, convention, or any other type of gathering, many solutions exist to design an event that is both high-performing and respectful of the environment, resources, and participants.
Together, all responsible!
Choosing the venue
Choose a venue that meets your technical needs and is easily accessible and aligned with sustainable practices:
- Accessible by public transportation to reduce the impact of long-distance travel
- Accessible for people with reduced mobility
- Also consider energy, water, and waste management: ask the venue manager about their sustainability efforts.
Transportation
- Prioritize sustainable travel and raise awareness among participants.
Encourage: - If necessary, promote low-emission vehicles for local transportation
- The use of public transport (list nearby tram, bus, train stations…)
- The use of bicycles: mention bike parking, rental stations, and cycle paths (e.g. www.geovelo.fr)
- Carpooling, via platforms such as togetzer.com
Stands and installations
- Choose eco-designed stands, decor, signage, and stage sets to minimize environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. Avoid carpet usage.
- Think “reuse”: why not reuse your stand elements from one event to another?
- Opt for eco-designed equipment and materials
- Prefer local, eco-committed service providers to limit travel and support the local economy
Catering
- Choose caterers who use seasonal, local, ethical products from short supply chains. Members of the Convention Bureau’s catering network are strongly committed to eco-responsible practices.
- Prevent food waste by carefully managing quantities (accurate participant numbers, reasonable portion sizes) and plan strategies to redistribute leftover food (if still packaged and cold chain is intact) to charities or staff.
Nantes & Saint-Nazaire service providers are committed to fighting food waste – see the charter and tips for reducing it. - Offer multiple menus and always include a vegetarian option
- Limit packaging waste: avoid single-use plastics, disposable dishware, coffee capsules, etc.
Waste management
Ensure proper waste reduction, sorting, and recovery:
- Reduce packaging, printed materials, and unnecessary goodies. Use washable dishware, reusable decorations, etc.
- Confirm that onsite sorting is available with clear, accessible recycling stations. Specialized service providers can help manage this.
Before the event, reach out to organizations or recycling centers that may be interested in reusing your decor or materials.
Promotion
- Avoid excessive paper-based promotion (invitations, programs, flyers…).
- Encourage ecological awareness among your audience
- Include an environmental education component in your digital campaigns (e.g., best practices for reducing digital and event-related footprints)
- Inform attendees about sustainable options provided at the event (recycling bins, bike access, local food producers, etc.) through signage and announcements
An inclusive event
- Promote physical accessibility
- Choose PMR-accessible venues and invite participants to notify you of their needs (e.g., French sign language interpreters, subtitles for digital or replay content)
- Ensure gender diversity among speakers
The Convention Bureau: a free support service
The Convention Bureau is a service of Nantes Saint-Nazaire Développement.
Its team helps businesses find creative and committed providers that match their needs from its network (venues, agencies, caterers, service providers, accommodations).
Contact us
Sophia BENNANI
Sales & promotion manager
+33 (0)6 33 43 71 32