A brand new carbon calculator, tailored specifically to the unique needs of event producers and organisers, will be launched at the International Event Management Summit run by the Australian Centre for Event Management (ACEM) in Queensland next week.

The free ACEM Carbon Calculator will enable event managers to measure the carbon impact of events, and will also offer guidance on the steps that can be taken to reduce carbon emissions, providing a valuable resource for anyone working in the Australian events industry.

Developed in association with the Carbon Reduction Institute, the easy to use online calculator will allow event managers to calculate the carbon footprint of events held anywhere in the world.

The free service will provide practical advice on the changes that can be made to events in the planning stages in order to reduce their overall impact – such as in the areas of catering, transport and energy use – and will link to an optional payment gateway, giving event managers the choice of offsetting their carbon footprint once it is calculated in order to create a carbon neutral event.

The International Event Management Summit, taking place 6 – 8 July in Surfers Paradise, will itself be an example in low impact event management, taking positive actions including sourcing all food for the conference dinner from within a 100 mile radius, in line with Slow Food principles. 

“Although creating a sustainable events industry is generally seen as important across the whole sector, we’re still finding that many event managers put reducing an event’s environmental impact in the ‘too hard’ basket,” said Rob Harris, Director for the Australian Centre for Event Management.

“This new ACEM Carbon Calculator is a free service we’re offering to the industry, in the hope that it increases the number of event managers taking positive action to reduce the carbon footprint of the projects they’re running.”

The collaborative features of the ACEM Carbon Calculator will enable event attendees to participate in actively reducing their impact in attending an event, through easy to use tools such as discounts for choosing low impact travel and accommodation options. 

“The new system will be a key tool for event organisers, not only enabling them to create low impact events, but also offering an option to save details of events for future reference and year on year impact tracking,” Mr Harris said.