The benefits that our clients realize from greening their meetings and events are as varied as the clients themselves. Conventional wisdom indicates that there are three key elements that benefit from green events: people, planet, and profits.

People: Green feels good. Many of our clients find that the attendees of eco-friendly events feel good about participating in something that meaningfully benefits our planet and its inhabitants. Guests at eco-friendly conventions report in post-event surveys that they leave the events feeling more satisfied about the experience. And people at sustainable social and corporate events report that the inclusion of socially responsible practices gives them a lasting sense of connectedness to the event hosts and other guests.

Planet: Green makes Mother Earth happy. Meeting and event waste statistics are staggering. Here's just one example: According to the Green Bride Guide's research, there are 2.2 million weddings held each year, with an average of 160 guests at each wedding. That's a total of 352 million people attending weddings every year. To put that figure in context, consider that only 300 million people live in the U.S. today. Now imagine that each one of those 352 million people consumed just one bottle of water at the wedding they attended. That means that 352 million water bottles end up in our landfills every year just from weddings. And that's assuming that each guest only consumed one bottle. A simple change such as requesting that your caterer serve filtered tap water to your guests in reusable or recyclable containers diverts 352 million water bottles out of our landfills.

Profit: Green is good for business. Anything that's good for the bottom line is good for business, and many green practices, like the bottled water example above, can result in cost savings. Consumers are also increasingly considering an organization's commitment to corporate social responsibility when making purchasing decisions. Keeping guests informed about an event's green efforts is a wonderful way to build consumer goodwill and stay competitive. Hiring local service providers and using local venues also allows our own communities to profit and prosper from our events.

It's entirely up to you! We believe that even the smallest changes to preserve our planet's resources add up to make a very big difference. Our clients define their own sustainability goals, and we help them realize them. So whether you want to find a few meaningful ways to green your event or you aspire to producing a zero waste celebration, In Your Element Events has the knowledge and experience to bring your vision to life.

Absolutely not! One of the most common misconceptions about green events is that they are more expensive, and it's simply untrue. In fact, many of the socially responsible practices that our clients implement to help preserve our planet's resources are cost-neutral. A few simple examples of cost-neutral options are: asking your caterer to donate leftover food to a local charity, asking the venue to wait until guests are seated at their table before pouring water so that empty seat glasses aren't wasted, selecting a venue that is as close as possible to the majority of your guests to reduce your event's carbon footprint, choosing floral arrangements made of flowers that are currently in season and available locally, and asking the transportation company that you are using to agree to a "no idling" clause during your event. The one green element that can cost more is organic catering. The cost difference is similar to what you would expect to find if you were comparing the prices of groceries at your local market to organic groceries at Whole Foods. Oftentimes we can adjust other areas of the event budget to accommodate the increased catering expenses, if that's an element that you would like to incorporate.

It may be uncommon, but we believe that providing published rates here on our website helps us to achieve our goal of pricing transparency.

Our services can be retained:

We believe that our prices should be fair, that clients should pay only for those services that they use, and that clients should always feel that they have received a good value for their money. One of the biggest advantages to hiring a professional meeting and event planner is our ability to negotiate the best possible pricing deals for our clients. We don't believe in hidden fees or markups, and any discounts or rebates resulting from our professional memberships are passed on directly to our clients. Our flexible pricing structure is designed to eliminate any conflicts of interest between the planner and client and help our clients achieve their budget. For charitable organizations, we offer a reduced fee schedule.

5. Do you have an event budget minimum?

6. What geographical areas do you serve?

7. You have many services listed on your website. Do you offer a standard planning package?

Please explore our site to discover how In Your Element Events can assist with your next celebration, or contact us now to discuss your specific needs.