Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an approach whereby a company commits to various sustainable development issues. From governance to eco-responsibility and gender equality, CSR policy covers a wide range of topics, all related to the impact of economic activity on society and the environment.
With International Women's Day just behind us, let's take a look at the various levers at your disposal to align your CSR objectives with the organization of high-impact corporate events.
Summary
1. How can you catapult your CSR policy to the forefront of your company?
1.1 Gender equality
1.2 Project governance
1.3 Ecological transition
1.4 Communication tools
2. Support: the cornerstone of a successful event!
Among other key themes, 2024 will continue to highlight socially responsible events and give the events sector a leading role in driving change. Each event meets specific requirements, in whichintroducing a cause or raising awarenesson topics as diverse as diversity, ecological transition, or equity has now becomea standardthat every organizer has a vested interest in considering. Seriously addressing these issues makes it possible, for example, to developinternal mobilitywithin the company by taking better account of the desires of its employees and candidates and promoting their well-being, but also to strengthen theemployer brandand thusimprove the quality of its recruitment.
Here are a few examples of events or actions that can be implemented, depending on the CSR issue targeted. ⤵️
Corporate events aimed at raising employee awareness and encouraging action on the issue of gender equality have proven effective and can take many forms, from more traditional formats such asworkshops on rights andlegalobligations,to more innovative ones such as video games, films, and podcasts.Webinars andspeeches are also effective ways of promoting gender equality by drawing the attention of every employee to this issue.
Another trend, straight from the United States and increasingly implemented, particularly in large groups such as Dell Technologies, Société Générale, and Euronext,is Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).Set up within companies to promote the personal and professional development of employees, these groups are led by volunteers from the staff and are united around a common characteristic, whether it be gender, ethnic origin, lifestyle, or interests. Their stated purpose is to protect minorities from bullying and to contribute to their development. A corporate event is therefore an ideal channel for enabling, for example, a group of women to meet, exchange ideas, and organize initiatives to promote gender equality within the company.
Workplace relationships, communication, collegial decision-making, and management are all social issues linked to CSR policy. With this in mind, you could consider a shared approach to managing your event project, byconsulting employeesto find out their preferences or by appointinga collegial project team.
In this way, you adopt a participatory approach rather than a top-down one; you encourage team cohesion within your company and you can be sure that the organization is transparent.
• When it comes tochoosing the venue for your event...
Hotel, restaurant, reception hall: whatever form it takes, your event needs to find the ideal venue! When making your choice, you can take into account various criteria related to ecological transition, such as geographical distance, public transport links, waste management, the use of eco-friendly cleaning products, short supply chains, etc.
• ...the issue of transportation
To enable your employees to travel to the event venue, favorcollective andgreenmodesof transportation such astrains, carpooling, or buses. Not only will this be less polluting and less expensive than individual cars, but it will also encourage interaction between participants, which will be very beneficial for the work atmosphere! You can also offer to digitize certain round tables to limit travel, or favor online meetings with your service providers when preparing for the event.
• … content and activities
If you are planning workshops for your corporate event,think local and environmental.For example, why not dedicate one to the impact of your daily work on the environment? This will raise awareness of the issue while providing concrete solutions. Also choose local speakers and resources, such as a facilitator based in the region, and include food from local producers on the menu.
However, it is important tokeepyour approachfun: the ecological transition should not be a boring moral lesson, but rather a collective ambition, a shared value. If you are planning a seminar, you could organize a bike ride, a fruit picking session in a nearby orchard, a visit to a producer of regional specialties, or even consider incorporating game mechanics into your events through gamification.
• … the choice of service providers
During your event, you will certainly call on variousservice providers: event manager, caterer, table service, cloakroom, host, etc. When selecting them, it is important to consider their own commitment to ecological transition: local sourcing, travel, working conditions, waste management, among other issues.
Once you hire them to work for you, their social responsibility becomes that of your company for the duration of the event. It is therefore essential that their values and operating methods reflect your own commitments.
A corporate event is above all an opportunity for visibility and internal communication: it is therefore natural to use various communication media for this purpose. But here too, you can exercise relativerestraintby avoiding excessive printing on paper or using non-reusable plastic banners,or by choosing goodies made in France from recycled and recyclable materials.
These are all ways to integrate the various themes of your CSR policy, with the guarantee of enjoying corporate events rich in exchanges and diverse learning opportunities.
While the objectives are noble, organizing events centered around your CSR policy often requires support. As the first event tech company to be ISO 20121 certified, having also completed its carbon footprint assessment for scopes 1, 2, and 3, AppCraft strives daily to find ways to help its clients align with their CSR objectives, thanks to solutions already available such as:
• the integrationof carpooling moduleswhen participants register, orroomingwith hotels
• the possibility for our customers to calculate the carbon footprint of their events, from page views to emails sent, live or replay views, using various calculators integrated into the platform.
• And coming soon: the ability to calculate the carbon emissions ofthe modes of transportation used, in order to take corrective action on this issue prior to the event, if necessary.
We also understand that you need to work with a company that allows you to create events tailored to your needs and advises you on which modules to integrate, depending on your objectives. That's why our solution is modular, with more than 150 modules to date, allowing youto:
Integrate your brand
From design to the possible integration of your tools into our solution, you will have the option of working with a white label, allowing participants to enjoy an immersive and authentic experience in your brand universe.
Measure your success
Directly from our back office or by exporting the data as an Excel file, you will have access to all the raw data to justify your event to your management, including immediate feedback at the end of a workshop, live event, etc., or at the end of your event in the form of a satisfaction questionnaire.
Facilitate the logistics and communication of your event
Depending on your needs, we can create a web app and/or a mobile application to share important information about your CSR event, but also to manage all your email communications (invitations, reminders, registrations, etc.) directly from the back office. Thanks to therooming module, you can also easily manage hotel reservations and room types independently, or track participants' activities.
Engage your audience
To ensure that key messages are shared and understood, we offer, among other things, interactivity modules, the possibility of interacting with your audience through aQ&A session, encouraging responses withword clouds, or promoting networking and exchange with asocial wall.These are all ways to encourage open discussion and guarantee an optimal experience for your participants.
And to help you choose a venue and organize your CSR corporate event, don't hesitate to consult a platform such as Carmin : you'll find information on hundreds of venues throughout France (capacity, address, style, etc.).
Article written in collaboration with Carmin
