A sector-leading partnership launched the Donut Assessment Tool for Events (DATE) at LAEOG’s Event Production Show panel, to pilot implementation of the national Green Events Code with local authorities, 2 March 2023.
DATE will provide local authorities with a free-to-use, simple tool kit to assess an event’s community, accessibility and environmental sustainability impacts.
DATE’s creation exemplifies the spirit of collaboration which was key to the product’s development. Vision: 2025, hosted by Julies Bicycle, partnered with DATE’s designer, academic and industry consultant Andrew Lansley, to embed its Green Events Code within the newly developed tool kit. DATE’s Accessibility section is based on material provided by Attitude is Everything via their Live Events Access Charter. These elements were combined with a further project assessment tool used by Cheltenham Borough Council, then redeveloped from the ground up to create DATE, a sophisticated but simple to use events assessment toolkit.
All this was made possible by the Cheltenham Zero partnership, through which leading arts charity Cheltenham Festivals and the Borough Council were able to provide a highly networked and sustainability-focussed environment that facilitated and enabled the project’s completion.
This collaborative work will offer support to local authorities measuring the impacts of events. The tool provides an accessible, free-to-use, off-the-shelf solution for local authorities and other originations to gain attain a better understanding of their events’ commitment and practices in key areas of accessibility and sustainability impact.
Throughout 2023, Vision:2025 will work with a pilot group of local authorities across the UK to trial the code, to develop an understanding of how it can be implemented to best effect in practice for outdoor events across areas such as policy, and assessment for site permissions and tenders.
Chris Johnson, Vision: 2025 chair commented: “The Green Events Code represents an opportunity to establish a consistent and work-able approach to sustainability across the live events sector for all stakeholders. We will be publishing a Green Chapter of the Purple Guide by Summer 2023, based on the code, to develop the foundations for wider adoption.”
Andrew Lansley commented: “It’s been great to help of these organisations collaborate over the past year, with the sole aim of producing something for the benefit of the industry, without a commercial agenda. The potential positive impact of DATE across the events sector is very exciting indeed. This free-to-use toolkit will make a genuine difference across our whole industry and feels like a dream come true.”
Ali Maule, co-Chief Executive Officer of Cheltenham Festivals continued: “We couldn’t be prouder to have been part of this journey. We are committed at Cheltenham Festivals to widening participation in and access to the arts, and ensuring we can achieve this long into the future. Accessibility and sustainability are at the heart of that. The DATE toolkit is about helping everyone else achieve the same ends.”
Alex Covell, Attitude is Everything Charter Manager added: “This tool adds much needed benefits and support to this important area of the industry. It’s a great first step to sign-post and assisting building inclusive practice.”
Vision:2025 and Andrew Lansley will work together with other partners, including Manchester City Council, through 2023 to explore how the tool and Green Events Code can provide work-able solutions across a range of uses and contexts.
Vision:2025 is currently gathering expressions of interest from local authorities to take part in the Green Events Code testing phase.