Liverpool pilots sustainability training for future event professionals

Introduction

Table of Contents

Liverpool City Council, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and sustainability consultancy A Greener Future (AGF) have collaborated on a pilot training module aimed at embedding sustainability skills into the next generation of live event professionals. The initiative, scheduled to start in May, is designed to give students practical tools and frameworks to plan and deliver lower-impact events across music, festivals, conferences and cultural programming.

Background or industry context

Sustainability has become a central concern for the live events sector, with venues, promoters and organisers facing increasing scrutiny over carbon emissions, resource use and waste. Music festivals, large-scale concerts and major business events typically generate significant environmental impacts through energy consumption, temporary infrastructure, audience travel and single-use materials.

In parallel, clients, sponsors and local authorities are placing more emphasis on environmental performance data, certifications and transparent reporting. This has created a growing demand for event teams who can work with standards, measurement tools and operational practices aligned with net zero and circular economy goals.

Many universities and training providers have begun to introduce sustainability content into event management and related degrees, but the depth and practical orientation of that training can vary. Liverpool’s pilot is part of a broader effort to integrate recognised industry methodologies and live case studies into the education pipeline, ensuring graduates are prepared to work within evolving sustainability frameworks from their first roles in the sector.

Key developments or announcement

The new pilot module will be delivered to LJMU students as an applied programme focused on sustainable live event delivery. While full syllabus details have not been disclosed, the initiative brings together three types of expertise:

Local authority perspective: Liverpool City Council contributes policy and strategic context, including how large-scale cultural events align with citywide climate targets and environmental regulations.
Academic delivery: LJMU integrates the module within its curriculum, targeting students on courses linked to events, tourism, culture and related disciplines, and providing the academic framework for assessment and reflection.
Industry standards and tools: AGF, known for its work on sustainability in music and live events, provides specialist input on measurement, best practice and real-world case examples.

The pilot is expected to familiarise students with core principles of sustainable event management, including resource planning, waste reduction, energy efficiency, transport impacts and stakeholder engagement. It will also highlight how data, reporting platforms and sustainability standards are used in procurement and decision-making by organisers, venues and brands.

By targeting students at an early stage in their careers, the partners intend to create a “green events” talent pipeline for the city and region. Graduates entering roles at venues, production companies, agencies or local authorities would bring with them a working knowledge of practical sustainability measures, which can be adapted across a range of live event formats.

Industry impact

The pilot reflects a broader shift in the live events ecosystem towards treating sustainability competence as a core professional skill rather than a specialist add-on. For the events and festivals hosted in Liverpool, this could mean a gradual increase in staff who understand how to integrate sustainability into creative concepts, operations and budgeting from the outset.

As more events adopt greener practices, there is also potential for closer collaboration between organisers and technology providers. Data capture solutions, audience travel tools, energy monitoring systems and digital platforms for waste tracking all require staff who can interpret and act on the insights they generate. Building these capabilities in a university context may reduce the on-the-job training burden for employers.

The involvement of AGF links the local initiative with established industry thinking and may support alignment with recognised assessment schemes and frameworks. This could position Liverpool as a reference point for other cities or universities considering similar partnerships, particularly where local authorities are heavily involved in programming and licensing major events.

Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers

For event organisers, promoters and venue operators, the pilot signals that sustainability skills are becoming embedded in standard event education pathways. Employers recruiting from institutions such as LJMU may encounter graduates who are already familiar with basic tools and practices, including:

Integrating sustainability criteria into supplier selection, including production, staging, AV and catering.
Working with measurement platforms or spreadsheets to track emissions, materials and waste streams.
Understanding how site design, crowd management and scheduling can influence environmental performance.
Recognising the links between sustainability commitments, brand reputation and audience expectations.

For technology providers serving the events market, the training module highlights an opportunity to align products and services with a workforce that is more comfortable with data-driven decision-making. Tools that support emissions reporting, audience behaviour insights, real-time monitoring of power usage or material flows are likely to gain traction where end users already understand why and how to use them.

Event technology companies may also find value in engaging with academic programmes of this type, either through guest lectures, pilot projects or access to student research. Such collaboration can help vendors test new features, gather feedback from future users and understand how sustainability requirements are evolving in education and policy.

For local and regional authorities, the Liverpool initiative illustrates a model for linking cultural programming, skills development and climate objectives. A trained green events workforce can support more consistent application of sustainability guidelines across festivals, conferences and civic celebrations, and can help cities report on environmental outcomes linked to their events calendars.

Conclusion

Liverpool’s new sustainability training pilot at LJMU, developed in partnership with A Greener Future, represents a structured attempt to embed environmental competence into the live events talent pipeline. While currently focused on a single institution and city, the model demonstrates how local government, academia and industry can collaborate to address both workforce needs and climate goals.

As expectations on event sustainability continue to rise, similar initiatives are likely to appear in other regions. For event professionals and technology providers, the shift towards formal education in sustainable event management underscores the need to integrate environmental considerations into every stage of event design, delivery and evaluation.