We’re proud to be one of the leading venues in the world of motorsport when it comes to sustainability. In fact, we hold the highest standard Three-Star FIA Environmental Accreditation, reserved for those demonstrating the very best practice in the industry. It’s not just motorsport for us though – we’ve gone through a significant transformation over recent years to become a leading sustainable destination within MICE for corporate events and operations too. 

Let’s hear from Judi Oliver, Business Development Manager, from our Corporate Events Sales Team about what clients are looking for from venues, why they prioritise sustainability, and how Silverstone is working with our customers to ensure events align with their own sustainability goals.

Why is sustainability important for Silverstone's corporate clients, and how does it contribute to enhancing the overall event experience? 

Most large corporate clients now have to do an annual sustainability report, and that combined with their delegates or clients becoming more knowledgeable and passionate about sustainability has meant that this subject is often on the agenda. A few years ago, sustainability was a question asked of us regularly and bookers were often surprised when we told them how much we were doing. It’s coming up less in conversation now as it’s a given that most venues are addressing the issue. That said, a lot of corporate clients have developed very strong values around sustainability and it’s important we show them we share their values.

Following a recent corporate showcase, one of the businesses in attendance, a B-Corp certified enterprise, were keen to host their event with us but weren’t sure we were ‘green’ enough, so we introduced them to our Head of Sustainability, Stephane Bazire. Stephane talked with them through their concerns, and they were delighted to find that we didn’t need to change anything. Rather, it highlighted all the great things we’ve been doing, such as our solar panels, EV chargers, locally sourced food, vegan alternatives, and more. They confirmed their large conference was a great success with both the client and their delegates.
 

How have sustainability initiatives implemented at Silverstone impacted its operations and corporate event management processes? 

Naturally, our Sales Team has become more consultative in their approach. There’s not a ‘standard’ event at Silverstone, but we are spending much more time understanding what’s important to the client before showing them the space, and including our Event Managers at earlier stages of the conversation than ever before.

Sustainability has made us think differently about what’s important to our delegates, and it’s been fun to explore the new ways of using our space to fit these new briefs. Our Sales and Events Teams have come up with some amazing ideas and we’ve all really enjoyed seeing them happen and to hear the fantastic feedback.

Have you noticed any changes in client preferences or feedback regarding Silverstone's focus on sustainability at events? 

A lot of enquiries want activities with a sustainable spin on them - luckily we have a versatile track that is perfect for walking, running, and cycling. We can also offer Stephane, subject to availability, to speak at an event about sustainability. We charge a small fee and the money we raise goes to charity.

We’re also seeing many more festival-feel event enquiries with clients wanting to have fun outdoors. We even include glamping in our woodland. The beauty of Silverstone is that we have some great event spaces themed around F1 that can still be used sustainably and gives our clients a theme to work with. Many of our events now feature dinners in garage blocks, concerts in the paddock, photos or speeches from the podium, yoga in the pit lane, wellness areas, and chill-out zones, as well as locally sourced food and drinks.

What we've been doing...

We run a green champions initiative for our team members to engage with the wider business and promote more sustainable practices across all departments and operations. It puts forward new ideas of what we can do in our day-to-day roles.

Here’s an overview of some of our sustainable processes:

• The 2,764 solar panels on the roof of our International Conference and Exhibitions Centre generate 13% of our total power, with the rest of our energy coming from renewable energy grid suppliers. 
• We’ve installed 24 electric charging points across our site to help those visiting Silverstone make the switch to an EV car easier. 
• Our catering operation is more sustainable than it's ever been with locally sourced food and drink, lower impact menus and recyclable or compostable food packaging.
• Energy-saving practices by our staff (including replacing our existing fittings with LED bulbs) has helped reduce our energy consumption from lighting by up to 85%.