What is AIEC doing?

Over the past decade we have worked towards making AIEC a more environmentally friendly event by embracing our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and recognising the need to make smarter choices for our planet and the generations to come.

We know that physical events are by their nature very taxing on the environment. We have a long way to go to make our event fully sustainable and carbon-neutral, but we are committed to keep working at it and improving each year.

Here are some of the actions we have implemented in previous years, as well as new sustainable practices we are introducing this year.

1. Reducing our carbon footprint by decreasing carbon emissions

• Choosing eco-friendly or hybrid vehicles for transportation of speakers and delegates where available and possible.
• Favouring local keynote speakers and, if not available or suitable to the program, from Australia.
• No longer booking international speakers if they are only travelling to AIEC for their speech.
• Considering booking virtual keynote speakers for plenary sessions.

2. Striving for a zero-plastic conference by committing to eliminating plastic resources and using recycled products

• Providing water stations throughout the venue and the exhibition for attendees to refill their water bottles.
• Providing wash stations in the exhibition for attendees to wash their coffee cups.
• Eliminating the use of plastic water bottles and ensuring easy access to water dispensers for speakers (on stage) or delegates (in session rooms).
• Eliminated plastic pockets for name badges.
• Eliminated the use of single-use pull-up banners.
• For sponsored items such as the water bottles, lanyards or stationery, we ensure that sponsors choose sustainable and high-quality products by asking sponsors to submit the items for approval.
• Giving preference to environmentally responsible suppliers, products and services wherever possible/available.

3. Minimising our contribution to landfill in all areas of waste

• Requesting lanyards and name badges to be returned to the Welcome Desk before leaving and recycling them through dedicated zero-waste boxes provided by Terracycle.
• Eliminated the printed programs (including the small pocket planner and program at a glance) and ensuring all information is available in the conference app.
• For delegates who still find paper programs useful, we offer a PDF version of the program for download, but we include a disclaimer and remind them to “think about the environment before printing the document”.
• Setting up a 'last chance' space for exhibitors to place leftover promotional items (that would normally end up in landfill) before the end of the conference. Leftover items (pens, lollies, etc.) are donated to local schools/charities if appropriate or will be disposed of responsibly.
• Utilising electronic signage and eliminating/reducing single-use signage such as pull-up banners wherever possible.
• Implemented a fully paperless registration process that can be completed entirely online, from filling out the registration form to arriving onsite with a QR code sent to the delegate’s email that can be scanned directly from their phone or tablet.
• Ordering long-life signage or props that are not specific to the AIEC year brand and that can be reused at future conferences. We are also ensuring they can be transported and stored easily (collapsible signage).
• Organising FreshCup compact dishwashers, which make it convenient for attendees to bring their reusable keep cups and water bottles from home and stay hygienic.
• Allowing/encouraging exhibitors to use generic branding (not year specific) on their merchandise so any leftovers can be repurposed and reused at other events they attend.

4. Increasing sustainability education and awareness for the whole conference community before, during and after the event

• Offering a space (Sustainability Lounge) and organising activities in the exhibition to raise awareness that “sustainability is not just what you put in a bin”.
• Invite sustainability education providers to participate in and/or lead education and awareness activities for attendees.
• Invite local sustainability experts from other fields to attend AIEC and participate in braindates and networking sessions with other conference attendees.
• Where possible, calculate attendees’ estimated travel carbon emissions related to attendance at the conference. Share the information with attendees, either at the conference and/or via other communication channels to raise awareness.
• Include reminders and tips on what attendees/exhibitors/suppliers can do in all our communications via emails, app notifications, website, videos, speeches, etc.
• Train/educate all staff on Team AIEC on best practices and provide a do’s and don’ts guide for onsite.
• After the event, calculate and evaluate the actual impact/costs of the event (where possible).

5. Fostering inclusivity and celebrating diversity

• Ensuring a culturally diverse speaker lineup for plenary sessions that represents a broad spectrum of cultures, backgrounds, genders and communities.
• Supporting and/or acknowledging local community groups.
• Sourcing volunteers from local groups where possible.
• Involving international student volunteers or talent from South Australian education institutions where possible.
• Embedding cultural competence activities throughout the conference to increase self-awareness and point out unconscious biases among attendees.
• Hosting an Indigenous Lounge where the culture, history and language of the local Indigenous people are acknowledged, celebrated and shared with delegates (through displays and interactive activities).
• Including diversity and inclusion in fun and educational activities such as the app challenge or polling questions during sessions.
• Offering subsidised registration rates that cater to the economic diversity of our attendees, including special discounts for students and staff from schools.

6. Implementing sustainable food management practices

• Picking menu items that include in-season produce.
• Requesting delegates include their dietary requirements when registering. 
• Prioritising menu items made or produced locally to support local farmers and reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation.
• Increasing the plant-based or meat-free menu options for our catered meals.
• Asking and reminding delegates to RSVP to all social events to ensure we don’t over-cater.      
• Monitoring food consumption patterns and delegate feedback to identify areas for improvement. Understanding which items are popular and which are more wasteful allows for informed decision-making when planning our menus.
• Working closely with the venue’s catering team to ensure appropriate portion sizes are served. By openly discussing portion management, we can avoid excessive food waste and adjust quantities based on demand.

7. Prioritising local, ethical and sustainable suppliers

• Acknowledging local suppliers and/or businesses that align with our sustainable targets on the AIEC website, app and socials.
• Choosing local suppliers and producers for catering. 
• Selecting venues for offsite events where possible that support responsible practices and promote the local economy.

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Key dates

6 Feb - Call for proposals opens

14 March - Call for proposals closes

May - Registration open

mid-June - Program released

31 July - Super early bird registration closes

12 September - Early bird registration closes

14–17 October – AIEC 2025

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