Research Dissertation:how is the live events industry dealing with negative impacts effecting the enviroment?

University Degree Creative Arts and Design

Table of content

Abstract

This project examines and identifies the main management issues involved when considering the environment and the negative impacts being caused by the live events industry. The issues have been discussed in great detail especially regarding the importance Improving EFP (environmentally friendly practices). Developing these practices and finding out what festival promoters are doing is a major focus in this project. Issues include waste management and the techniques that can be adopted to minimise waste. The importance of reducing Co2 Emissions by tackling important issues such as audience transportation methods and improving public transport’s image when festival goers are considering their route to the festival. The range of methodology used to source the argument and create recommendations has derived from using qualitiave research such as the use of a case study and interview with key industry personal. Through extensive insight provided by the findings this report then gives recommendations that could be transferred to the work place. In conclusion to the findings and the literature reviewed it is clear to see that especially in recent years people are finally starting to take these issues seriously and dedicating time and effort into the improvement and implementation of these practices. There are many highly skilled key industries personal who want to see a change and many of the fans are also starting to look towards a ‘greener’ future. Its time all involved started to take responsibility and the heavy responsibilities lay with the event organisers, it is wise for them to involve all stake holders and other industry figures to pull together and make a change.

Introduction

Two of the main Management issues discuss in this report are how are event organisations lowering Co2 emissions and what waste management techniques and applications are being used. Both issues are becoming increasingly more important within this sector. Both indirectly relate to each other. The carbon footprint of any event has the opportunity be down sized. This can be tackled by addressing these management issues from an eco friendly perspective. At any festival or any given time when people are brought together in an environment that would normally be static, there is bound to be waste and pollution. Green house gas is produced accordingly to the activity; Unfortunately the study by shows that music festival fans still have a lot to learn as 13% of people surveyed said they wouldn’t recycle. The real drive for festivals to adopt a greener more ethical approach comes from within the industry. There are many pioneers acting within the industry and their waste management methods are effective and getting better year by year. One question that needs to be answered is, is being green a negative for promoters because they might have to sacrifice potential revenue or charge more for the ticket and would the punters pay? These issues spread further afield than the green fields of a festival, they affect the whole world. Global warming and recycling are at the tips of many peoples toungs and many believe that a festival is a good place to get people talking and re-educate them on the matter. This report has input from key industry personnel and the findings have suggested some management techniques and methods that are already being used within the industry. They cover areas such as what suppliers promoters can use, educational methods that can be adopted, waste management techniques and what recycling targets have been made. The future for carbon neutral festivals does not seam that far away when looking at the Sunrise Celebration and their environmental policys but there is still a long way to go for many. The question that this project proposes to answer is ‘How is the live events industry dealing with negative impacts effecting the environment?’ The implication of this question has lead to many interesting findings and the aims and objectives of this project are as follows

Review current literature regarding sustainability and live event tourism including management issues and developing solutions for them
Interview key industry personnel and develop a case study to enable comparison between industry practices and attitudes
Identify new business models being used within the festival sector, what’s new, what’s feasible and what are already being used?
Develop a section of recommendations that can be transferable to the workplace

Methodology

This project uses qualitative research methods. To explore the research question qualitative interviews were carried out and the use of a case study.

A generic interview was designed using semi structured open questions. Using this interview design enabled the responders to ‘reflect and expand’ (p.29 Davies 2007). The use of reflection and expansion invited and encouraged depth on the subject. The interviews were undertaken by using e-mail and telephone mediums. The reason for using these mediums is because the responders invited to take part in this study are key industry personnel with busy schedules. The telephone interview was arranged well before the date of the interview to prepare all persons involved. The e-mail interviews were agreed beforehand also. The respondents are all personal contacts who have a specific interest in the subject area so they were keen to take part. Factors that affected the access of these key industry personnel included geographical distance, busy work schedules and economic resources. The benefits included time efficiency; cost saving and giving the respondents the freedom and time they needed to answer the questions.

This interview was conducted from a strategic sample specific (p.143 Davies 2007). The target group fitted this sampling type because of time available and the nature of people’s attitudes when involving themselves in studies such as this one. Some of the responses that contributed were also sourced from company’s websites, personal work experiences which lead to gaining key industry contacts.

The workplace case study was taken from one event in time to provide an in-depth practical description of what is realistic to happen within this industry. This complemented the interview responses and made the argument stronger.

Analysis of results was conducted in several ways. The telephone interview was transcribed. The email responses and the telephone interview were then compiled together in to a table. Please see appendix 1. The information derived from the websites and the case study was also added to the discussion of findings. The interpretative of similar content introduced threads and themes to look for differences to compare and contrast.

Because of the reliability of the sources used produced masses of discussion of findings. The sources used are considered credible. This has proved to be supported by the literature and secondary research that has been undertaken.

The ethics adopted for this project informed all involved of the rule of consent. It was important to ensure that confidentiality and anonymity was considered. The informed consent method involved telling all involved who you are, what the information will be used for and why this project is taking place. All names mentioned have given prior approval.

Revised Literature Review

The literature concerning environmental impacts, green issues and sustainability is wide and increasing in many areas. One area is the link established between tourism and sustainability two key texts are Mowforth and Munt (2007) and Middleton and Hawkins. Mowforth and Munt’s literature is extremely informative with up to date with the concepts of the subject matter of sustainability and the implications it has on the world. This is relevant to the project as it identifies a different class of tourists’ and this catchments area is alternative tourism, festival tourism is in this category, and t is an international industry. This literature clearly explains what an ‘ecological footprint’ provides a means of quantifying environmental impacts in a single easy understandable indicator; it also provides a means of quantifying opportunities for cost savings’. This is a clear indication of a management issue that causes profit loss if not managed properly, this may not be true in the short term but the long term’s opportunity is the key. Middleton and Hawkins literature reports in detail about the human activity that is causing Green house gas emissions; it addresses these issues as nothing new and relates these issues to the tourism & live events industry. It point out that ‘many critics who believe that tourism is a primary cause of environmental pollution and degradation’ joining this whit the issues of renewable energy sources for public use, gives good incite into the ways of improving sustainable practice but says the push comes from within the industry. This book also shows the ‘R word methodology’ ‘necessary shift in the industry, decreasing the exciting usage of scarce resources. The R word is an effective waste management programme, this give opportunity to compare this method with others such as the Xerox corporation (1998) Bowdin and the waste wise event plan , the most effective and easy to implement will be identified.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Two central concepts and identified management issues of ecological footprints and waste management techniques are developed in the current market place. The environmental issues in relationship to event management are expressed in the literature published by Yeoman et al (2006) and Getz et al (DATE). The Author Yeoman et al has covered issues in a detailed account of Events Management as an overview, it states the implications and use of different methods and technology and also gives some key impact solutions, what is needed to research the chosen subject. It gives critical case studies and looks at the behaviour & relationships within this field. Up to date and informative methods are introduced along with solutions that could be used in the practical world of work. Because this literature is looking at the issues from a international and cultural perspective it is relevant and covers a wide range of positive and negative management issues. Getz argues that events can have a special relationship to the environment. This relationship can powerfully motivate, travel, and animate an otherwise static attraction. This creates positive image of destinations and can mobilise community planning’ this can be related to the new trend emerging in the industry where policies become greener. The vision of events becoming greener can be noticed in the efforts and marketing of specific events, they include Glastonbury, T in the Park, and the Glade festival. It should be the promoter’s responsibility to promote ethical consumption and protect the environment This literature also reviews important subject areas such as the environmental perspective, they suggest that using the festival as an educational platform can heighten awareness and makes reference to the relationship between the event and the environment. Bowdin (2006) highlights the characteristics that attract people to idyllic settings that rural festivals tend to be situated. ‘However, host environments may be extremely delicate and great care should be taken to protect them’. (P.44) he then goes on to recommend that an environmental impact assessment could be carried out to help recognise the potential negative impacts. The positive impacts are discussed due to using an urban city because of the infrastructure and transport links available. The concern for waste management, recycling and sustainability are examined in detail and the SEXI (sustainable exhibition industry) is introduced. From this research project there have been many identified guides to waste reduction available including the Xerox Corporation guide for waste reduction and recycling specifically at special events. Kemp (2000) introduced the environment from a ‘outdoor’ perspective, not much credit is given to negative environmental impacts within this literature and another Shone and Parry (2004) do not address environmental issues as a separate discussion.

The move for festivals to operate environmentally friendly policies to lessen potential negative impacts can be observed when looking at websites that promote certain festivals. A Greener Festival is a not for profit company boasting one of the most informative studies on environmental issues. It is derived from Claire O’Neills dissertation titled ‘Should UK Music Festival organisers implement environmentally friendly practices into event management? This website contained qualitive and quantities research obtained from 649 music festival attendees and 15 industry personnel. The findings present interesting and educational purposes. This literature can be used for industry personnel when considering making their festival greener. It pays particular attention to the subject areas such a waste management, water reduction, noise pollution, land damage and Co2 emissions. It reports on people’s attitudes towards the ‘greening’ of festivals from both sides of the industry. This website comes on recommendation from every respondent to this study. Some may say it has changed the way the industry operates. An example of the research of interest is that ‘2% of the 56 festival-goers comments were to the nature that festivals are one-off events and whilst they should be environmentally friendly, there are “bigger fish to fry”. This supports the argument put forward by Shone and Parry (2004) that most events have little impact, and environmentalism and sustainability should not be given undue attention’ This proves that people from across the industries scale are working together to improve EFP’s and this should not go without undue attention that it deserves.

The literature on the Sunrise Celebration website can also be used to ensure a more eco friendly event. The sunrise festival is incredibly eco conscious and the majority attendees share the same attitude as the organisers. The website shows this festivals environmental policy which covers vital areas such as the recycling rules and methods implemented on site, on site composting, water reduction techniques, Transport guidelines, compostable toilets , energy use and gives examples of what energy saving and alternative sources they use. This website also takes education at the festival very seriously, they claim to provide ‘guilt free partying’ and in future years hope to be a completely carbon neutral festival. This organisation is certainly one of the most eco friendly on the market and a lot can be learned from their EFP’s. They carry out a carbon footprint analysis after every event and set a target to lower this for their next event. They are committed to raise awareness and this is very important in the battle on climate change. It is important to note hear that not all festival websites are promoting their environmentally friendly policies; this is because 1/3 still have not adopted any policies. This indicates a split market attitude.

The move towards creating sustainable greener festivals is highlighted in current journals and articles linked to the live events industry. There are many voices being herd within the media such as Ben Challis, and Christopher Barrett. They have produced articles that have been compared and contrasted below.

One article shows how the music industry can be a ‘key player in the fight against climate change’. The environmental group called Julies Bicycle has been commissioned to release a report on the green house gas emissions caused by the music industry as a whole. It stated that ‘the industry is equipped to deal with reducing its current 538,000 tonnes of carbon (Co2) emissions and can help set the agenda for other business sectors to improve energy use’ The figure for the live events sector is responsible for is 401,000 tonnes per anon. This is 75% of all emissions of the whole industry .The majority of this comes from audience travel and this account for 43% (230,000 tonnes) of the whole UK music market. This is why when discussing the findings audience travel keeps occurring and is the biggest environmental issue that needs to be addresses. Please see appendix 3. It gives recommendations for best practice including ‘identifying and highlighting all options for travel for event goers’. The article then goes on to introduce the working group compiled by JB the members include Universal chairman and CEO David Joseph, MMF chief executive Jon Webster and Festival Republics MD Melvin Benn to name a few. The report and supporting work done by JB and all of the major organisations involved is said to put the music industry ‘ahead of the curve’ and this ‘model of consensual industry co-operation’ could be used by other industries (Tickell 2008) This report how’s how serious the music industry is about heading towards a ‘greener’ future.

Another report published by music week could be seen as The follow up to the article ‘A force for change, the music industry ramps up its environmental campaign’ This paper has input from Katrina Larkin who is the event organiser for the Big Chill and Melvin Benn from Festival Republic. “ this is really the beginning of the music industry saying ‘let’s establish what our carbon footprint is and let’s see how we can begin to address the issue of reducing it’...” (Benn, M 2008). It develops the argument further and focuses on specific environmentally friendly practices. ‘When considering the importance of tackling the problem of transport that is a key priority’ in the fight to reduce the industries carbon footprint. It mentions the fact that urban festivals are considered better for the environment because of the previously existing infrastructure and transport links, but when considering why people go to music festivals one of the main reasons is to relax and party in a idyllic natural setting (green fields). When looking at the study done by a greener festival.com there is some interesting results regarding ‘would fans travel to an event via public transport if the cost was included in the ticket price’ 65% of festival goers agreed. Glastonbury put this into practices but the promoter Michael Eavis reported saying these tickets were the slowest to sell. The report goes on to talk about how much waste is left at festivals and what methods can be done to minimise this. Live earth has also issues ‘greening guidelines’ available for industry personnel. It identifies the three main issues as transportation, energy and waste. These are the major issues that have been brought up by most literature and from the respondents involved in this study.

Another report highlights the growing problems the live event industry are facing with external factors that are out of their control such as the credit crunch, flash flooding and rising costs of production and fuel. Miserable weather and economic problems are making this industry very competitive and is the reasion why it is very important for the sucess of a festival to build a loyal fan base. It introduces the AIM (association of indipendedt music festivals) and this is interesting when you compair it to the association of JB’s major heavyweight board opperating on a more commercial bases. This proves that effort is being made from all corners of the industry. Although this report does not comment on enviromental factors affecting the performance of festivals it can be related.

Due to problems with international agreements and government tardiness it has taken a long time for the world to wake up and recognise that ‘if we carry on at the rate we are going we are going to need three worlds...we only have one’ Eavis (2007). Government policies are already affecting festivals. This is why it is important for festival organisers to lessen their ecological footprint and developed effective waste management systems this can be currently identified by The British standard publication has been designed to give guidance for a ‘sustainable event management system with guidance for use’ it uses a method of phases that an organisation may adopt to commit to sustainable development. It defines sustainable development as ‘an enduring, balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress’. It is aimed at individuals and organisations involved in the events industry ‘to implement a sustainable event management system’ this is noted to be for the entire supply chain, this means everybody involved in the event including all stakeholders and traders and other associated people. This document breaks the event down into stages and specific activities throughout the whole event cycle. Including planning, implementation/ event production and post production including evaluation. It explains the positive usage of KPI’s (key performance indicators) these are pre-agreed measurements of performance against the objectives of a specific organisation. It shows the importance of planning and monitoring and also the review and follows up the progress of an event. There is a maturity matrix that can be a good tool to use when trying to measure the sustainability and risk factor of any event. This is a government framework and is a asset to any organisation if used correctly. When considering the ECA report it highlights the importance involved and outlines the government framework and their reduction targets for co2. This website suplied the facts and figures about the targets. And what can be done as a collective and on a personel level. It gives tips on recycling and other sustainable practices that need to be adopted by all in the UK to insure the targets will be met. There is extensive material on the reduction of Co2 and this can be related to the live events industrie. It is not exclusive to the live events indutry but to the UK as a whole. It is calling out to all commerse, private households, and goverment organisations. There are other websites available that able the viewer to calculate their carbon footprint and do what they can to minimise this. Again this can be done by anyone if it be an individual or an organisation.

A literature search of enviromental journals are now starting to disscuss the UK Live music event industry and the negative impacts its having on the enviroment. Many of the papers concentrate on Glastonbury as a showcase for an enviromental festival. One paper credits the festival for its all round performance regarding charitable causes and waste reduction and are also ‘credited for their strict adherence to environmental protection’ (Sexton, K 2007). Another Journal that is also using Glastonbury as an example gives the exact number of recycling units that were in use at the 2005 festival ‘more than 20,000 recycling bins are made available during the event where people will put their waste in’ This information was retrieved from an interview with Robert Kearle who is the rubbish manager. At the 2005 festival the recycling rate was 230 tonnes of compost, the 2006 festival had targets to match or beat this figure (Sanderson P 2007) Another journal suggested tips for composting for use at festivals. It outlines the key components that need to be considered when composting food at festivals; it pays particular attention to the educational aspects involved in using this method. Staff training and providing signage are key to making this technique work (BioCycle 2006). Because these environmental articles address current issues and events they are a good information source but they could use different festivals as case studies because many of them just comment on Glastonbury and also major sport events.

Discussion of Research Findings

4.1 Exploring how the live events industry approach environmental issues

4.1a In response to the first interview question regarding environmental issues there was a range of issues identified. Some of the issues focus on festivals and highlight waste reduction and management, recycling, composting and audience travel options. Other issues indicate wider global, international issues such as climate change and patterns of consumption. Although the issues raised ranged from local festivals to global concerns it was clear that all respondents feel very strongly about doing what they can to protect the environment.

4.1b. Within the workplace the respondents’ attitudes suggest a realistic approach to ‘being green’. This is achieved by actions and a caring attitude. All respondents share a common interest of doing their bit for the environment. They all have a positive attitude towards a greener future whether that starts on the festival site or from a global point of view. Responses indicate some economic practicalities can limit the environmental targets desired. Other responses show it is important to get the environmental message across to the festival audience. Incorporating ‘being green’ into events companies means reducing Co2, dealing with waste and recycling. Behaving in a generally eco conscious way. Promoting lift share and improving public transport to ensure a positive increase in the use of these transport methods is seen as key to being green. One respondent is carrying out extensive research into the way people travel to festivals. The industries attitude towards the use of alternative energy sources is also starting to change. These respondents illustrate a ‘driving force’ in the industry that aims to change people’s attitudes and raise awareness about local issues that are affecting the world.

4.1c Linked to the interview questions 1 and 2 the respondents state how green events are vital to the innovation of the industry. One respondent highlighted that the green festival market which attracts eco conscious attendees are a niche market but also recognises that other festivals should still make a conscious effort to minimise negative impacts and educate all involved. Another respondent points out that the market is becoming more aware, this is essential because companies’ need to become green on a global scale. The responsibility lies with the organisers, they need to reduce their environmental footprint. Being ‘green’ is definitely becoming more important for event companies, as so many organisers are starting to test new methods and reduce their negative impacts.

The festivals that are not making any effort will soon be scrutinised under new government policies and legislations. The new framework for environmental protection underlines the domestic target which is to reduce Co2 emissions by 20% 2010 and 80% by 2050(Defra; 2005 ECA). There is already roomer that the 2010 target is not going to be met. This proves it’s time for all businesses to act now and start to reduce their carbon footprint or face heavy fines.

4.2 Examining the methods used to minimise the negative environmental impacts

4.2a When examining the methods used and the examples recommended to minimise the negative environmental impacts the following eco friendly sound practices were identified;

On site event strategies include recycling sorting methods; using alternative energy sources; compostable toilets; on-site food scraps composting. ‘Green teams’ are responsible for spreading the ‘green message’ and assisting with recycling and ensuring trader requirements have been met. Using bio fuel and using electric vehicles on site. Alternative energy sources, solar and wind
Getting to the festival green strategies involves ‘green car taxation’, promotion of public transport by developing relationships with local and national transport links; lift share encouragement; shuttle buses provided from local train stations and event buses arranged from major cities.
Trader requirements are another important environmental impact strategy used by many of the respondents. Strict trader requirements for being ‘greener’ include; using compostable utensils; sourcing materials and produce locally and the use of non meat traders.
Encouraging participation from attendees include employing ‘green teams’/ eco rangers.

All respondents apply many methods and techniques discussed here to help minimise the environmental damage being caused by their festival. Looking at the results you can tell the major areas that are concentrated on. All respondents note the importance of public transport and lift sharing options availability for all festival goers. Car tax is another incentive that seems to encouraging people to lift share. The recognition of travel as a major issue is supported by evidence that states the audience travel figure as far the biggest cause of Co2 emissions that the live events industry faces. This accounts for 230,000 GHG emissions tonnes Co2 per annum (Ashton, 2008). There is an option for event companies to join a ‘carbon neutral scheme’ these are set up to offset our carbon footprint for example pay someone to plant some trees or support further research but obviously it would be better to not emit the Co2 in the first place, also there is a risk in whether these companies are doing the right thing with the money they make because they are profitable organisations so it would be better to deal with the reducing before joining a scheme. Also these schemes are costly and could be considered not suitable for smaller festivals (a greener festival.com)

Also trader requirements seem to be a big concern, this could be due to the amount of unnecessary and non-eco friendly materials being brought on site by numerous traders in past years. It is important to set a standard for all traders to abide by to ensure best practice and minimal waste. There should also be strong recommendation to all suppliers to source their produce locally; this is a strong positive socio-cultural impact as well as environmental impact because it is involving the local community, there for building community pride. (Yeoman, 2006) Recycling is another pressing issue that needs attention and management. The waste management techniques used by the respondents at their festivals are all successful, some better than others this will become clearer when the recycling targets are discussed later. The decision to use renewable energy sources for the whole life cycle of an event is not that practical and quite costly. But there has been more effort than ever before to make use of what we already have and use applications like solar and powered generators even if it is just to power one stage of the festival (like the green fields ay Glastonbury), there is defiantly room for expansion within this area. Nick Ladd The Glade festival organiser has been reported to say that using solar or wind power can only be used at the smaller stages at festivals, this indicates that there is room for improvement within the technology sector before there can be widespread usage of this desired power method. (O'Neill, 2008)

4.2b Some techniques applied to manage waste can be shown when looking at the case study. Waste management requires skilled techniques to ensure best practice. Because there is a fresh water lake in the middle of the site it was important to source a solution to minimise contamination. Bio D was the chosen supplier to help combat this issue, using their eco friendly products ensured minimal pollution of the lake. Another waste management technique used by one of the respondents was to design easy to use colour coded recycling containers throughout the site, this made the whole process fun and interactive. These techniques show innovation from within the industry. It also shows how external organisations can help with the greening of any festival.

When discussing eco friendly suppliers you can see what external companies setting standards within the industry for example the case study shows that Bio D, supplies soap and other eco friendly cleaning products to provide the festival organisers with all materials needed for eating and drinking and then the organisers sold it on to the suppliers (not for profit) to ensure best practice and reduce waste, there were no non-eco friendly suppliers or materials on site in 2008. (BSI 2007)

The suggested suppliers setting the standards within the industry are clear. Bio D and Bio-Pac are the leading cleaning suppliers and Belu water was the first water company to sell water for a charitable cause in 100% compostable bottles. Mercedes vehicle are being used by one respondent because these are the lowest Co2 emission available on the market. BSI standards

4.2c The responses to this area all raise significant points about getting people involved. One respondent pointed out some highly effective ways to ensure people take responsibility for themselves and the mess they leave behind. They suggested that if there were people around on a Monday morning to oversee the campsite cleanup and encouraging people and not security shouting at them it could be a more pleasant and social experience for all involved. The point about using external services such as tangerine fields to create less responsibility for the festival goer is worth looking into. If people pay extra for the service why should they have to clean up after themselves? It is a good idea but for small festivals to organise this by then selves but seems unlikely because of the massive cleanup operation already taking place on site. The campaign lead by this respondent seems very pro active, it is important to protect nature and maybe it would be worth educating festival goers on grey water areas and why it is so important not to contaminate lakes and woodland areas. There is a reason for water treatment and festival attendees should be more conscious of their direct environmental impacts.

When asking if any of the respondents have plans to educate attendees on environmental issues. Two respondents said they have dedicated areas to educate and inform festival goers on current issues. ‘ Although this question received mixed answers the answer that can be seen clearly is yes festivals can be used as a great educational platform, even if it is kept to a specific area this means that the people that are interested will attend the talks and workshops and the people that are not interested will not.

4.3 Locating the Industries

4.3 a Most of the respondents are members of the Association of Independent Music Festivals (AIM) with one person being the founding member. The Association works closely with Claire O’Neill who is one of the innovators within the industry her dissertation titled ‘Should UK Music Festival organisers implement environmentally friendly practices into event management?’ she is the founder of the web site A Greener Festival.com a not for profit organisation ( ref) . Now she is the company sectary. Together the association and the greener festival work towards the benefits of ‘being green’. AIM is a great educational platform for all industry personnel, they are working as a team to spread the green word and continue with their research to find new and exciting ways to implementing eco friendly practices on site, they are the backbone of all independent UK music festivals members include The Glade Festival (winner of the Green festival award) The Secret Garden Party, Bestival, WOMAD and the Big Chill.

4.3b It is interesting to note hear that although most of the respondents are affiliated with AIM and hold strong knowledge and opinions about current green issues only one respondent knew about the recently published Julies Bicycle report, the respondent points out that the principle is shared with the one published by A Greener Festival.

No respondents in this study were involved with sponsorship and branding.

4.4 Targets, Auditing

Three of the respondents had set goals for what % of waste they can recycle, this issue is related to the cost’s involved with sending rubbish to land fill sites. The cost of this operation is rising and it should be last resort because of the green house gas emissions caused by this method. The results are interesting because one respondent’s target seems considerably lower than the rest, this can be related to the fact that this specific respondent did not have any financial support in making the festival ‘greener’. Another respondent was unable to reach the target they set for 2008. This was due to ‘unprecedented weather conditions’. They still managed to recycle a very reasonable amount when considering the conditions that caused high level of waste contamination. The other respondent has set a realistic target and commented saying ‘we are achieving them’. All of their waste management methods are done in house and this could be a reason why it was successful.

The only comment generated when asking the question about sponsorship and banding related events the only respondent related it to one of the company’s environmental policy. This question should have brought some interesting answers if the questionnaire was answered by any of the major festivals including T in the park and Glastonbury.

4.5 Future directions

The future of the live events industry is unpredictable. One report highlights the ‘oversaturated market and how the sector is looking to 2009 with cautious optimism’ (Barret 2008). Many of the programmed 2008 festivals faced numerous unstoppable factors such as the credit crunch, flash flooding and the rising prices of production and fuel. At the same time the established and more popular festivals will continue to grow. Their ‘green’ attitudes and practices are improving year after year. There are some festivals setting incredibly high standards therefore showing the way for less committed festivals. Soon it will become clear that all festivals and industry personnel need to improve their ecologically sound practices or face fines from the government legislations and negative media coverage. Attitudes of attendees are also becoming more positive. This can be shown when looking at the research done by A greener Festival, although the results also show that some festival goers need educating on the subject. For example from a study of 649 1/3 of the festival goers thought that noise pollution caused permanent environmental damage (O’Neill, 2008). With effort coming from within the industry driven by the professional pioneers and the eco conscious fans on the rise the future is looking ‘green’. The proof that the industry is working together can be shown by the research undertaken by many event organisations and the associations such as AIM and Julies Bicycle. From these findings it is important to note that event organisations are committed to both the causes and consequences of negative impacts, this is why it is important to look towards a sustainable future.

4.6 Evaluation of findings

When evaluating the findings sourced form four key industry pioneers it is clear to see that the positive attitudes and practices will eventually out way the negative impacts caused by festivals. Event organisers are joining forces to improve the outlook for this market. Associations and groups are being formed to strengthen the market. The knowledge held by these individuals is essential to the survival of festivals. The festivals have built up very loyal fan bases; this guarantees participation from music fans. The fans also pay a strong role in the success of the festival seasons to come. It is great to see the stakeholders of the event being more involved and to see volunteers helping with the big clean up of the festivals. The majority of music fans still only go to festivals to see their favourite it is still unclear if being ‘green’ is classed as a ‘competitive advantage’ but when considering the different sub cultures involved there would be many different reasons why people go to festivals. Although environmentally friendly practices do exist in the market one promoter commented by saying ‘it can be seen as a disadvantage due to extra costs that otherwise be spent on artists’ (O’Neill 2008)

4.6 a Asking questions differently

The questionnaire was sent out to 14 industry contacts. Looking back the questions could be seen as too wordy and high in quantity. Some of the questions asked are essentially asking the same thing. This is responsible for the amount of blank responses occurred in the questionnaire. This resulted in a positive because it encouraged the respondents to give more information in some areas. The four responses who agreed to take part were all personal contacts from previous work experience within the industry. This proves the difficulty in collecting quality answers from people who are busy and have no personal links. Three of the respondents work or manage similar small or medium sized festivals. This limited this study because of the lack of comparison that could have been brought forward if a large sponsored festival or European festival had been involved. This would have been very interesting to compare with the small and medium independent festivals who did agree to take place in this study. This raises the question is it the small independent festivals that care about the environment and the large ones that don’t? With Glastonbury as a exception.

4.6.c Clearly established the principles and practices in being more sustainable.

This is a global issue but many of them are just working on this from a local level. ‘Global Village’

Conclusion and Recommendations

The findings and previous literature has proven that this subject area is worthy of any research that may be dedicated to it. In answer to the research question ‘How is the live events industry dealing with negative impacts effecting the environment’ there is a very positive outcome when considering the findings from this project. The truth on the subject is that there is a strong driving force coming from within the industry and there are many organisations setting the standard that others can follow. There are industry groups and web sites such a AGreenerFestival.com that are the helping hand that this industry need to step up their environmental policies and start to plan for the future. There are strong management issues that need to be addressed and practiced and eventually perfected; this will bring the overall Co2 emissions that this sector can account for down, indirectly helping the government with reducing its own targets. The socio-cultural aspects of events can be clearly seen. The educational value of festivals is increasing and the involvement of charities proves that festivals are helping others and with improvement to EFP the industry will be benefiting people worldwide. In answer to the proposed question the industry is dealing with the negative environmental impacts by improvising and using less rare material, providing strict trader requirements,

Travel has been identified as one of the most important negative impacts that need attention.

Organisations need to continue to encourage lift share, it may be option to develop a lift share event specific, or for AIM to develop their own website with a lift share option for all their associated festivals. This would provide as a good monitoring system when evaluating the 2009 festival season.
More needs to be done to promote the sales of coach and ticket sales, this is a great idea but as mentioned earlier these tickets are not as popular as standard tickets. This could be tackled by researching specific areas within the UK and putting on coaches from the areas that would prefer this form of transport and ticket. Also offering slightly larger discount could encourage people to travel by this method.

Trader Requirements are another major issue that will contribute to lessening the negative impacts.

Trader requirements need to be developed further. There needs to be recognition due to the Sunrise Celebration ‘eco-bond’ system in place. This would ensure that traders stick to the rules and therefore reduce waste and lessen the use of non eco friendly materials being brought on site. Every festival should consider the traders credentials and whether they can abide by the requirements before any contracts are signed.

Waste being left at festivals is another important factor that needs improvement. People need to start to become more responsible for what they own and take their belongings home with them.

More ‘friendly’ stewards should be on site on the Monday morning encouraging people to take their belongings home and tidy up the mess they have made
This could be more effective if people were aware of the effort it takes to clean up a festival site after the event. Please see picture 1 & 2. Appendix 2.
There could be ‘unwanted but still useable’ plot for people to leave their things that could be used by someone else, similar to the donating of unwanted tents for third world countries.

Waste Management is also an area that needs to be monitored, evaluated and improved form year to year.

By setting recycling targets after an environmental audit organisers can improve this EFP and the targets can get higher every year, this will not only result in high satisfaction but also help to minimise waste being sent to landfills (this is becoming more expensive so there has never been a better time to start)
Develop an extensive waste management plan based on one that has proven success, this could become personal to the specific festival so it works for that particular event.
KPI (key performance indicators) introduced by the BSI Standards is a great method to adopt and will ensure effective performance and the targets are being met.

Education! Festivals are a great opportunity to educate all involved.

Educate attendees, let them know what they are responsible for on a large scale and on a small scale, this can be done by creating bright and colourful signage that should be used year after year to encourage and educate attendees on the negative environmental impacts.
Educate Staff, keep the ‘staff in the know’ train them on recycling procedures, onsite composting and passing the message on.
Use existing sources to improve greening progress, for example the ‘greening guidelines’ by live earth. And the very important and impressive www.agreenerfestival.com

Suppliers of the resources being used can be filtered. Festivals should only consider using the best and the most eco friendly.

Bleu Water- bio degradable water bottles profit goes to charity.
BioD- Eco Friendly cleaning supplies
Festival organisers should consider buying as wholesale and selling on to all traders all equipment they will use. This should be not for profit but for the environment.

Renewable Energy, wouldn’t it be great to have a carbon neutral festival?

Extensive research is defiantly due in this area
The cost of the equipment such as solar panels and wind turbines are expensive but if people and organisations come together this area could expand and new energy sources could be adopted. It may be expensive in the beginning but any festival would reap the benefits in the long run.

The Industry is coming together. The competition needs to be kept to a minimum and all the key players should listen to those who have already joined hands and heads to improve EFP across the industry. Such organisations and associations include