1. Overview and problem statement
Did you know…?
Sir David Attenborough has said that “Saving our planet is now a communications challenge.” 41
Whether it is promoting the concerts themselves, communicating about sustainability and circularity, or conveying information about safety and accessibility, communication is a key element of event organizing. This is true for the audience and stakeholders, bands and crews.
At the same time, communication and education on sustainability also has its pitfalls. Especially when promises about sustainability are communicated that are not kept or the actual results are not communicated transparently afterwards, greenwashing accusations, conflict or canceling of an event or public figures are likely. Poor communication can also lead to concepts on waste separation, sustainable procurement, vegan food and the like being rejected or improperly implemented.
Communication is a powerful tool to take the audience and all people involved in an event on the journey, to inform and inspire. At the same time, communication must be transparent, honest and credible. Digital communication is becoming increasingly important for engaging audiences.
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2. Our Benchmark for Tempelhof Lab
Our focus at Tempelhof Lab was to communicate the sustainability concept of Cradle to Cradle, analyze our successes along with the goals not achieved, and find ways to bring the concept to a wider audience. To this end, we took the following measures:
- Since Tempelhof Lab was a pilot project, we decided to act first, then talk and communicate about the project.
- We anchored basic knowledge about Cradle to Cradle and sustainability within our own team first; then communicated externally.
- Our communication strategy was to comprehensively and credibly report all sustainability goals and measures – both what was and what was not achieved – and support it with as many provable facts and figures demonstrating our impact and carbon footprint as possible.
- Use the opportunity to raise awareness and inspire the audience around sustainability, circularity and resource effectiveness and to make Cradle to Cradle concepts real and tangible. The objective is to facilitate an ongoing learning process in the event industry, in politics and in society.
- Offer comprehensive information about the goals and background of Tempelhof Lab onsite for the audience onsite and digitally.
- Any media coverage of the concerts and the project should discuss its unique nature and the principles of a Cradle to Cradle circular economy.
- Means of communication should follow Cradle to Cradle principles.
3. What worked well, what can be improved?
Tempelhof Lab implemented an extensive communication strategy with the following aspects:
Before the Concerts
What worked well?
- Briefing of all participating contractors about sustainability principles on behalf of the bands, which are tied to the respective contracts.
- Report to policymakers. Using our findings from the practical implementation of sustainable and circular innovations, we appealed to policymakers with concrete recommendations for policies for a Cradle to Cradle circular economy.
- We printed and distributed 35,000 informational flyers to local residents of the Berlin district Tempelhof (surrounding the event site Tempelhof Airport) on C2C biodegradable paper with C2C- printing ink.
- We held an informational event for Tempelhof Lab workers.
- We offered tours of the Lab/concert site for NGOs, policymakers, event organizers as well as press, in order to share the measures and innovations we implemented.
- A small, frameable edition of the concert poster promoting the project was printed on C2C biodegradable paper with C2C- printing ink.
What can be improved?
- Pilot project for outdoor advertising with 500 posters printed according to Cradle to Cradle and biodegradable paste failed because posters and paste were not weather-resistant.
- Conduct digital education and training of local crews, e.g., in conjunction with safety briefing.
- Even more comprehensive briefing of all stakeholders to create a basic understanding of the relevance of sustainability and Cradle to Cradle principles in the events context.
The concerts
What worked well?
- Information about the sustainability concept and the measures implemented were shared with the public onsite through posters and banners throughout the venue and at the food stalls.
- Digital information on the sustainability concept and the measures implemented on the project website and accompanying communication on social media by the initiating partners.
- Informational materials like banners and posters were displayed, if possible, from C2C materials. Alternative sustainable materials like PVC-free banners were used. Care was taken to rent or make as many of these elements as possible, rather than buying them.
- Signage for the waste stations was designed as a wooden structure without adhesive joints, with information panels screen-printed with toxin-free ink.
- Gamification elements for education and information sharing such as a quiz, “P-bank” and a phosphorus meter.
- “Cradle Village” served as an educational and exhibition space for special Cradle to Cradle and sustainable educational projects and projects that could not be scaled yet, as well as booth space for NGOs.
- Onsite ambassadors educated the public about the Lab’s concept at “Cradle Village” and 25 waste stations.
- The bands announced the sustainability concept from the stage.
- Reports by Germany’s main TV news magazines ARD Tagesthemen and local RBB Abendschau on the day of the concerts.
What can be improved?
- Characterizing the project and extensive briefing of Tempelhof Lab’s local crew about the sustainability concept in a timely manner before the event.
After the concerts
What worked well?
- Interviews and characterization of the project in the press with a focus on the C2C concept of the concerts.
- Guidebook for the event industry documenting all findings, sponsored by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Roundtable held with the industry to ensure their needs and requirements were covered in the guidebook.
- Presentation of the project at industry events in the form of panels, keynotes, presentations as well as at the C2C Summit on Tempelhof Lab and at the Green Culture Conferences in Bremerhaven and Leipzig.
- Short informational video about the project.
- Feedback and debriefing with all project participants to maximize learning.
- Series of events held in 12 Berlin districts to disseminate information and findings as well as their scalability in other sectors to the community, starting in fall 2023.
- Exhibition in Berlin on Cradle to Cradle with referrals to Tempelhof Lab, starting in March 2024.
- Preparation of a climate balance sheet based on the impact measurement.
What can be improved?
- Use of an app to communicate the concept with the fans. This idea was raised shortly before the time of the event, but could not be implemented due to capacity, costs, and anticipated low usage rate.
- Available live-channel on Telegram could be promoted and used better, both to inform the audience about the concept during the concert and to continue communication with fans after the concert.
4. Findings and Recommendations
- Promotional concert posters for the outdoors meeting Cradle to Cradle criteria are still a challenge:
- Frameable C2C-certified posters work indoors.
- For outdoor advertising, other solutions are needed as there is not yet a weatherproof C2C coating for posters as well as paste.
- In this area, the joint development of C2C or sustainable poster solutions as well as general solutions for outdoor advertising with collaboration between an experienced C2C print shop/manufacturer and a major event organizer could lead to a systemic change.
- The communication strategy described above meant that the local crew could not be sufficiently informed about the special concept of the concerts.
- In principle, all internal stakeholders should be informed and briefed as early as possible.
- The better a sustainability concept is anchored in the minds of everyone involved, the more effective and easier it is to implement.
- Use existing infrastructure.
- Use large screens on and next to the stage to communicate information about the concept to the audience.
- Use breaks in the set to show an informational film, for example, to raise awareness to concertgoers.
- Create timeless informational materials that can be used again and again.
- Sincere communication of sustainability approaches can be used as a connecting element between artists and fans.
- To this end, choose media channels that are appropriate for the target group.
5. Service Provider Contacts
- Print C2C – Poster And -Print: Vogeli & Gugler
- Wall Paper Paste: Auro
- Local Residents Informational Flyer: Lokay
- Rental Banner: EPS
- PVC-free, printed banners: Redside Promoter
6. Further inspiration from the industry
In 2022, Billie Eilish teamed up with the American NGO Reverb to implement production-related measures backstage to reduce her CO₂ footprint and take action against the climate crisis. She also uses Reverb to raise awareness of sustainability issues among her fans while on stage. This includes an “Eco-Village” at each concert, an area where local NGOs can interact with fans and impart knowledge about vegan nutrition, activism and political education. Fans, in turn, can sign up for “challenges” around dietary change or volunteer with local NGOs. 42
The Shambala Festival (capacity 25,000) published a new 5- year sustainability strategy in 2023, but can already look back at its prior successes. Through extensive communication measures, fans left no tents behind in 2021 and the public was encouraged to bring their own reusable coffee mug.43
The Tollwood Festival in Munich (capacity: 1.5 million) since 2007 has held a “world salon”: A 1,400 m2 large interactive tent, in which panels, presentations, concerts and interactive installations around themes like climate justice, innovations, war and peace and more take place. Further education and interaction are found throughout the venue. For example, in collaboration with a research team from the University of Greifswald, the true costs of offered food were presented in a transparent manner. 44
