How can you communicate and report on your sustainability performance and outcomes after your live event?

1 Define your purpose and scope

Before you start communicating and reporting on your sustainability performance and outcomes, you need to define your purpose and scope. What is the main message you want to convey? Who are your target audiences and what are their expectations and interests? What are the key indicators and metrics that demonstrate your sustainability achievements and challenges? How will you measure and verify your data and results? These questions will help you shape your communication and reporting strategy and format.

2 Choose your communication channels and tools

Depending on your purpose and scope, you can choose from a variety of communication channels and tools to share your sustainability performance and outcomes with your stakeholders. For example, you can use social media, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, webinars, or infographics to highlight your main achievements, stories, and learnings. You can also use press releases, case studies, testimonials, or awards to showcase your credibility and recognition. You can also create a dedicated website, landing page, or dashboard to display your data and results in an interactive and transparent way.

3 Follow a reporting framework or standard

If you want to communicate and report on your sustainability performance and outcomes in a more formal and comprehensive way, you can follow a reporting framework or standard that provides guidance and best practices on how to structure and present your information. For example, you can use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 20121, or the Event Sustainability Framework (ESF) to align your reporting with internationally recognized principles and criteria. These frameworks and standards can help you improve your credibility, comparability, and accountability.

4 Engage your stakeholders and partners

Communicating and reporting on your sustainability performance and outcomes is not a one-way process. You should also engage your stakeholders and partners in your communication and reporting activities, as they can provide valuable feedback, insights, and support. For example, you can invite your stakeholders and partners to participate in surveys, interviews, focus groups, or workshops to collect their opinions and expectations. You can also collaborate with them to co-create content, stories, or solutions that showcase your joint efforts and impact.

5 Highlight your impact and value

One of the most important aspects of communicating and reporting on your sustainability performance and outcomes is to highlight your impact and value. You should not only report on what you did and how you did it, but also on why you did it and what difference it made. You should demonstrate how your live event contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global agenda for social, environmental, and economic progress. You should also showcase how your live event generated value for your stakeholders, sponsors, and audience, such as enhancing their reputation, awareness, loyalty, or satisfaction.

6 Plan for continuous improvement

Communicating and reporting on your sustainability performance and outcomes is not a one-off activity. You should also use it as an opportunity to plan for continuous improvement. You should analyze your data and results, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and set new goals and actions for your next live event. You should also monitor and evaluate your progress and performance, and update your communication and reporting accordingly. You should also share your learnings and best practices with your peers and industry, and seek new opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?