Green Event Management Initiatives in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Events are becoming established as an integral and significant part of tourism development and marketing strategies. Due to global warming, most event organizers are in the process of reshaping their attitude towards the environment and resources. Environmental sustainability has become increasingly important in today's business world and introduces several policies and practices to produce environmentally friendly products and make green a part of their tender process. Hence, the central focus of the study was to identify the current green event management practices in Sri Lanka. Primary data was collected through structured interviews from 15 event managers who are members of the Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition, and Event Organizers using the purposive sampling technique. A qualitative data analytical method was employed, and the collected data were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. The findings of the study reveal that waste management, energy efficiency and dissemination of information are the current green event management practices in Sri Lanka. Further, implications and recommendations are discussed based on the generated codes and categories. Moreover, green events can be used to gain a competitive advantage and maximize the company's reputation, which affects the initiation of a sustainable business growth.