Bringing a CSR Strategy to Life Through Events and Event Locations in Wien

Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) has become a de facto part of any company’s business strategy. It shows the company’s intent to give back to the community and society, improving brand perception over time. It has become quite common for CSR to be linked to marketing where companies curate causes that are linked to their line of business while also using it to build positive sentiment.

One way that CSR shows up is through event locations Wien. Companies tend to sponsor or host events that aid the impact that they want to have. This article explores how businesses can integrate events into their CSR strategy in an impactful and sustainable way.

1. Aligning Events with CSR objectives

The first step is to start with the objectives that your company wants to achieve through CSR. The focus areas will vary from business to business and can include topics like sustainability, employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion and community engagement. Once you have a clear idea of what the focus areas are, you can start to design events that advance those focus areas.

For example: If your focus area is sustainability, you could of course have a tree planting day but you could also bring together key stakeholders in a panel discussion to share their experiences of change management when it comes to sustainability within their organisation.

2. Dive deep on a focus area and build engaging events

The best way to drive CSR strategy through events is to build a series of events that show different perspectives on the area in question as well as engage the audience in different ways. This will help your audience connect with the focus area in the long term and make them more open to CSR initiatives in the future.

For example: If your focus area is diversity and inclusion, you could have storytelling sessions, diversity training sessions, do a panel discussion around inclusion at the workplace, meet with and hear from specialists working in the field but also with entrepreneurs building solutions that foster diversity and inclusion.

3. Choosing sustainable event locations Wien

There is no getting around the fact that every event that you invest in adds to your climate footprint, but you can offset that by choosing a green or sustainable event locations in Wien. Green locations focus on sustainable catering options, waste and energy management in order to reduce the footprint of your event. Green locations are certified by the authorities and can in some cases also help you procure a green certificate for your event.

For example: Impact Hub Vienna is a green event location and we do offer green event certification as well. For more information on how we approach sustainability and to explore our certification, click here.

4. Embedding green practises in event planning

If you want to host a more sustainable event, here are a few things to keep in mind:

a) Reduce printouts and paper- Try digital invites and marketing.

b) Transportation to the event- Encourage the use of public transport and carpooling. For guests travelling from further away, advocate for the most sustainable travel option

c) Sustainable catering: Source local and seasonal produce, reduce food waste and support local sustainable caterers and farmers.

d) Waste management: Implement waste separation to aid in composting and recycling

You can find out more about hosting a green event by reading our toolkit here.

5. Measuring and Reporting Impact

It’s important to measure the impact of your event, not only from a CSR perspective but also from a sustainability perspective.

From a CSR perspective, it can show the progress being made on a focus area, based on the objectives. It’s important to focus on a few important data points that help you understand if you’re moving in the right direction. Measurement can become a long, complicated process, so it’s important to start small with the best possible proxies and build as you go.

From an event perspective, a green event certification requires specific data points that have to be measured and submitted like the energy consumed or kilograms of food waste.

Here are a few ideas for CSR events that you could host:

1. Hackathon

Hackathons are a fun way to bring together people from different perspectives to solve problems. It unlocks creativity and is a collaborative experience for all those involved. For you CSR theme, you could bring together groups of internal stakeholders or you could do mix of internals and externals.

For example: solving for the reduction of waste in the organisation. This event could have employees but also bring experts and entrepreneurs who work on this issue everyday.

2. Engage in a discussion

Panel Discussions or Roundtables are a great way to create awareness about the topic. They usually bring together stakeholders from different viewpoints like experts, community leaders and members, activists, corporates to deepen the narrative around the topic. The discussions could be followed by a Q&A and a chance to network after.

For example: the use of AI in social impact or how to really make a difference in the climate crisis or DEI at the workplace: from words to action.

3. Experience led events

A good way to get people connected to a topic is to offer them an experience. Events with Hands on experiences connected to CSR initiatives tend to leave a longer lasting impact.

For example: creating a community garden or a tree planting day

4.Tours

An extension of experience led events are to take your audience on a tour of a CSR initiative in action or an establishment closely related to your focus area. This gives your audience a look at impact in action and can build more transparency.

For example: A tour of the waste incinerator in Vienna to talk about the importance of waste management; a tour of a green location and space so participants can see sustainability actions at work

5.Educational Outreach

A great way to interact with the communities you serve is through an educational outreach event connected to your CSR initiatives. It could be in the form of a workshop which provide valuable skills and information to the community.

For example: Financial Literacy Workshops for underserved communities offering information and tips on finance management, investment and savings.

These are just some ways in which you can bring your CSR strategy to life through events.

In conclusion, it’s important to carefully plan and strategise events aligned to your CSR objectives. By aligning this, every event can contribute towards your CSR goals and milestones. Not only that, when using events as part of CSR strategy, it is critical to then maximise the sustainability of each of these events through using green locations as well as incorporating sustainability practises into the event planning process. Host your next event at Impact Hub Vienna. Impact Hub Vienna offers versatile and green spaces for your events and its certified by the Österreichisches Umweltzeichen. You can explore our spaces here.

Meaningful events can reflect the values of businesses and contribute to a positive social and environmental impact. Join us in making every event a green event.