Transforming for a Smarter Future: Lenovo Events Leader Comments on the Future of Sustainable Events
In 2024, Lenovo’s presence at MWC Barcelona is delivering more than a phenomenal product experience. By making thoughtful updates to the design, working with local suppliers, and prioritizing sustainability, Lenovo is counting MWC 2024 as a milestone in its journey toward more sustainable events. In this article, we cover Q&A with Adrien Vincent, Lenovo’s Director of Events who is leading Lenovo’s presence in Barcelona about how the event space is changing to not just reflect, but prioritize a more sustainable future.
So, what about Lenovo’s MWC presence in 2024 is different than years past?
With the support of our events vendor, Event Strategy Group (ESG), we were able to take a holistic approach and redesign our event stand to be constructed with fewer materials for construction, eliminate separate HVAC systems for the space, and decrease the amount of production lighting and LED walls used in the space. The goal was to create a more sustainable and efficient space while maintaining the engagement, comfortable, and inspiring in-person experience our visitors are used to at Lenovo events.
Why did you and the Lenovo events team decide to make these changes?
The events world has been through a lot in recent years. After the dramatic shift to virtual events during the pandemic, the slow return through hybrid events, and the innovation required to create a quality experience both in-person and virtually, I think I speak for all event professionals when I say that we no longer take these industry-defining events for granted. We need to make sure that our event experiences are delivering against customer priorities, and sustainability has definitely emerged as a customer priority. We’re taking every step we can to make sustainable choices and improve the experience for our customers. After all the change and adaptation we’ve been through, changes to make our events more sustainable seem more like natural “no-brainers” than significant add-ons. We’re grateful to have an events partner in ESG who shares our vision and makes integrating sustainability easy and we’ve enjoyed the added benefits of designing for sustainability and efficiency. From shipping costs of materials being streamlined to the set-up logistics being simplified, we’re seeing many added benefits of the redesigned space.
Other than redesigning the space to be more sustainable, are there other details that will make Lenovo’s MWC 2024 experience more sustainable?
Our team is working to evaluate every detail of the event experience and determine how it could be more sustainable and decrease the overall environmental impact of our presence and the presence of everyone who attends. We also see more sustainable options embedded in the options of our vendors. When I started my career, single use plastics and wasted food were commonplace at events the size of MWC. Today, we’re working with vendors to ensure that onsite food and beverage is served with compostable materials, that as much plastic or aluminum is recycled as possible, and that we’re minimizing food waste and sourcing local ingredients as much as possible. In Barcelona, we’re even working with an organization called Fundacion Aurea to ensure any leftover food is safely donated to mitigate waste and support local people in need.
Other than making strides in event sustainability, what’s the thing you’re most excited about for Lenovo’s presence at MWC 2024?
As always, our product teams will be showcasing very exciting innovations in the space. We’ll have innovative new devices, AI solutions, and demonstrations of how our technology is becoming more sustainable (alongside our event design)! I’m particularly looking forward to a smarter cities model that will allow users to test different simulations that demonstrate how Lenovo technology can create a smarter, more sustainable future. We know our visitors love these types of interactive experiences, and I look forward to watching people enjoy our space in Barcelona!
