A survey of sustainable development in the events industry
Puustinen, Paula (2021)
Puustinen, Paula
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021112922450
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021112922450
Tiivistelmä
In today’s world, sustainable development is a megatrend that has started to become a necessity for businesses across all industries, and not simply a competitive advantage. To achieve full potential of sustainable development, it should be integrated into the planning and measurement systems of businesses.
This thesis is a research-based study that examines sustainable development in the Finnish events industry. The goal of the thesis is to provide an overview of how Finnish companies and organizations have adopted and implemented sustainable practices, what is the level of commitment to sustainable development, and to find out what are the strengths and weaknesses of the current situation.
The theoretical framework describes the features of the fragmented and diverse events industry and the process of event planning and management. The concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are explained and some of the most famous sustainability initiatives that are essential for the study are presented. These topics are brought together by describing how sustainable development can be approached in the context of event management.
Primary data collection was carried out in the form of an online questionnaire. Mixed research strategy that uses both quantitative and qualitative methods was chosen. Quantitative research allows generalization from the results to a wider group of event companies, and qualitative features bring depth to the survey and help understand the phenomenon in a more profound manner. In spring 2021, 236 companies that operate in the events industry were contacted by email request to fill the online questionnaire. 73 company representatives filled the questionnaire and decent response rate of 31% was acquired.
The results of the survey revealed that the level of the investment and measures used in sustainable development varied quite a lot between the companies. Only a few respondents announced that sustainability is not considered at all in the operations of the company, most companies described that they had adopted some sustainability measures, some respondents described that their company is considering sustainability throughout all the operations. Though most actors understand the importance of sustainable development and are willing to invest in it, some responses also revealed that more awareness and knowledge about sustainable development is needed.
As most of the actors seem to be open-minded for sustainable development and are willing to learn more about it and invest in it, this information should be utilized in the events industry by actively bringing different actors together to exchange ideas, network and to create common approaches to sustainable development that could address the issues of sustainability more effectively than just individual actions.
This thesis is a research-based study that examines sustainable development in the Finnish events industry. The goal of the thesis is to provide an overview of how Finnish companies and organizations have adopted and implemented sustainable practices, what is the level of commitment to sustainable development, and to find out what are the strengths and weaknesses of the current situation.
The theoretical framework describes the features of the fragmented and diverse events industry and the process of event planning and management. The concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are explained and some of the most famous sustainability initiatives that are essential for the study are presented. These topics are brought together by describing how sustainable development can be approached in the context of event management.
Primary data collection was carried out in the form of an online questionnaire. Mixed research strategy that uses both quantitative and qualitative methods was chosen. Quantitative research allows generalization from the results to a wider group of event companies, and qualitative features bring depth to the survey and help understand the phenomenon in a more profound manner. In spring 2021, 236 companies that operate in the events industry were contacted by email request to fill the online questionnaire. 73 company representatives filled the questionnaire and decent response rate of 31% was acquired.
The results of the survey revealed that the level of the investment and measures used in sustainable development varied quite a lot between the companies. Only a few respondents announced that sustainability is not considered at all in the operations of the company, most companies described that they had adopted some sustainability measures, some respondents described that their company is considering sustainability throughout all the operations. Though most actors understand the importance of sustainable development and are willing to invest in it, some responses also revealed that more awareness and knowledge about sustainable development is needed.
As most of the actors seem to be open-minded for sustainable development and are willing to learn more about it and invest in it, this information should be utilized in the events industry by actively bringing different actors together to exchange ideas, network and to create common approaches to sustainable development that could address the issues of sustainability more effectively than just individual actions.