An Investigation into Sustainable Practices and Initiatives in the Saudi Arabia Conferences Industry

Abstract

The conferences industry has seen significant discussions regarding sustainability, but most research that is currently available focuses on stakeholders, like organisers, delegates, and attendees of conferences. The management staff of conference venues, who may have an impact on the adoption of sustainable practices, has not received much attention. This research project aims to bring to light how conference organisations incorporate sustainability; examining pre during and post conference practices to discover initiatives how to be more Environmentally, Economically, and socially sustainable. By critically review the literature on stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and analyse the impact of CSR initiatives on conference sustainability and stakeholder perceptions. And critically review the literature on social economic and environmental sustainability in the conference industry. The data for this project was collected through online semi-structured interviews with 8 venue managers of conference in Saudi Arabia, to identify practices, and successes in implementing sustainability pre during and post hosting a conference. This research reveals several key findings for organisational practices. The research findings highlighted pre-conference sustainability practices included choosing the most suitable materials or items to minimise environmental impact. On the other hand, some of the identified during-conference sustainability practices included waste management by recycling and providing segmented containers based on the material type. The research also found out some preferred post-conference sustainability practices which included assessing the economic benefits of hosting conferences to the communities to ensure that conferences generated economic sustainability. These findings indicate the importance of implementing sustainability initiatives in conferences, based on the results the study provided some practical recommendations to enhancing the integration of sustainability in the hosting of conferences.