The Sustainable Event Awards – Meet the Judges: Kathryn Winfield

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The Sustainable Event Awards Celebrate Excellence in Event Sustainability.

The judging panel for the inaugural awards is a stellar line-up of experts and we’d like to introduce them to you in our Meet the Judges series, this week we introduce you to Kathryn Winfield, Venue Manager at BMA House.

  1. What experience can you draw upon to successfully judge the SEAs? 

    I have worked in the events industry for 12 years and seen a range of events and over the last 5 years really started to focus on sustainability in the industry. I am always actively searching out new ideas to make the industry more sustainable and I am excited to see what everyone has got to show us. 

  2. How long have you worked in the events industry and what keeps you interested in it? 

    12 years and the variety keeps me interested plus the people. The industry is full of people who are passionate and really care about their roles but are always willing to help others.

  3. Best (and worst?) moments working in the events industry? 

    Specific moments have been seeing the growth of the venue BMA House and the awards we have won. Right now in the Covid19 situation is certainly the worst moment of my career – I miss the venue, the events and all the people who come together to make events happen. My proudest moment was hosting a prestigious, totally carbon neutral awards ceremony in 2018 for the Global Good Awards, we even served an all-vegan menu throughout, one of the first venues to see this happen!

  4. What was the last event on which you worked? 

    I am currently changing an event I was running for charity into a virtual event. I was on the Fast Forward 15 mentor programme and we  were due to host an event to raise money for Girls Rock London on 30th April but sadly had to postpone but I am excited to be part of a team of us putting this on virtually now on June 18th!

  5. What does sustainability mean to you? 

    I want to help others learn and share knowledge and for me sustainability is also about educating others and if I can inspire one other person to change a habit I am very happy. Watch this space for our new Sustainable Events Circle, a series of collaborating breakfast events which will launch after lockdown.

  6. When did you first become interested in sustainability? 

    When I started at BMA House, I loved how much we were doing already and how the team around us not just in events but throughout the building had such a passion for sustainability. I could see statistics and how our carbon footprint was improving and this really made me want to drive this forward further and see how much we can do as venue to be as sustainable as possible with the challenges that come with a Grade II listed building. 

  7. Why is it important to recognise the achievements of Sustainable companies? 

    I think the industry is all about collaboration and without initiatives such as this how do we learn and collaborate with others? Its important we shout about companies who are doing good.

  8. What are your hopes for event sustainability in the future? 

    Sustainability has historically always been seen as a ‘nice to have’ as opposed to ‘need to have’ for a venue and I really want to continue my key part in bringing sustainability to life. I want sustainability to just be as important as knowing the price of the venue. It should come with every proposal and be a natural conversation topic for both planners and venues. I want to see planners stepping away from wasteful one use items and think about how items can be reused or alternates. 

  9. What is one thing we can all do on a daily basis to help make us more sustainable? 

    Look at your food options – can you buy locally for example I am part of a local community veg box scheme and I actively reduce my meat content to reduce my carbon footprint. 

If you are leading the way in event sustainability then get the recognition you deserve, enter today www.sustainableeventawards.com

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.

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