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IRELAND – Verve sets the standard for sustainability in the Irish event management history
The Irish agency is the first event management company in Ireland to attain International accreditation for its sustainability efforts measuring environmental impact as an integral part of the event planning process.
Irish based, European event and brand activation firm Verve, announced that it has secured the highest possible global standard in recognition of its sustainability management systems. Verve, a company that partners with companies such as Diageo, Coca-Cola and Google across Western Europe, attained the ISO 20121 standard, an internationally recognised mark of event sustainability management systems.
The accreditation was awarded following several audits and demonstrates Verve’s commitment to ensuring that sustainability is considered at all stages of the rollout of the products it delivers. As the largest independently owned firm of its kind in Ireland and this country’s first event management company to attain this distinction, Verve is at the forefront of an emerging ‘green’ trend within the Irish live communications sector.
Founder and Managing Director, Ronan Traynor notes that an ability to demonstrate sustainability is a requirement when working with companies in Europe yet it is not yet a pre-requisite in Ireland. Despite this, Verve pushed ahead to secure the accreditation and strengthens its competitive advantage as a result. Commenting, he said: “Live communications is about shaping and providing a complete experience, so it makes sense to pay attention to how an event or brand activation sits within the context of the wider world. We view environmental considerations as intrinsic to the entire event and brand activation delivery process, from the planning and design stages right through to execution,”.
“Our attainment of the ISO 20121 standard is an important touchstone in the growth and development of Verve. Recognised around the world, this accreditation is increasingly sought after by the multinationals which constitute an important strand of our client base, and all our clients are keen to maximise efficiencies and minimise waste. Thought is given to the type of materials that we source from our suppliers and indeed any manufacturing or installation process that is employed.”
“Increasingly, client firms view it as essential that the events and brand activations they engage in are in harmony with their values, which more often than not include environmentally-friendly targets and considerations. This is part of a larger trend that sees live communications as supportive of core business activities and strategy, whether it’s a B2B conference or seminar geared at securing new clients and deepening customer relationships or a show-stopping employee engagement event aimed at bolstering a company’s reputation as a desirable employer. This accreditation gives Verve competitive advantage in a sector that is becoming more and more in tune with the corporate culture of the enterprises it serves,” he concluded.
The ISO 20121:2012, Event sustainability management systems is a voluntary international standard for sustainable event management created by the International Organization for Standardization. The accreditation process is rigorous and involves two external audits and an audit of a live event.