Recap: Energy, Tech & Tunes: the Power of Events

'Step by step to a green mini society'

Recap: day three of 'Energy, Tech & Tunes'

How do we make festivals and events future-proof, for example in terms of sustainability. Some 60 participants pondered this challenge on Friday morning 19 January during 'The Power of Events' at the House of Connections. The session was part of the three-day programme 'Energy, Tech & Tunes', a collaboration between the University of Groningen, Eurosonic and the Municipality of Groningen.

Friday morning was kicked off by Rob van Wegen, sustainability coordinator at the showcase festival Eurosonic Noorderslag, which takes place in Groningen every January. According to Van Wegen, a festival is a mini society. Changing this mini society goes step by step, the sustainability coordinator knows. 'We can adjust our behaviour, but that is not real change. Ultimately, we want to move towards systemic change, where sustainability becomes part of our DNA.'

Boosting step by step

As an example of this step-by-step development, Van Wegen cited the introduction of vegetarian food at Eurosonic in 2018. 'My idea was as step one to put the meat options at the back of the buffet. The second step was to specifically ask for meat, and the last step was no more meat on the menu. This ensures a gradual change in behaviour. In doing so, I don't want to play policeman. I don't get excited by the things I come up with myself, but rather by other people's ideas.'

According to the sustainability coordinator, events can play three roles in the transition to a sustainable society. Festivals and events can provide a stage, help development (e.g. through try-outs and testing) and drive change. This always happens in three domains: within the organisation, the sector and society. The impact is greatest when an event acts as a booster, the sustainability coordinator indicates.

After his talk, Van Wegen invited the participants to further explore the topic of 'impact of events and festivals' in eight roundtable discussions. The most striking ideas were discussed afterwards. According to the participants, Eurosonic's slogan as part of 'reaching out' should be changed from 'You heard it first at ESNS' to 'You did it first at ESNS'. The importance of 'a festival as a candy shop' was also stressed, i.e. an event offers a unique opportunity for visitors to try something 'new'.

'Kon minder' ('could be less')

'The Power of Events' was the third and final day of the three-day programme 'Energy, Tech & Tunes', jointly organised by the University of Groningen, Eurosonic and the Municipality of Groningen. Organisers Floor Kuiper and Marcella Oldenhuizing, both from the UG, look back on the first edition of the event with satisfaction. 'It was quite exciting how it would turn out, such a diverse programme with different themes and speakers,' says Oldenhuizing. 'But a very nice foundation has been laid. 'Kon minder (could be less)', we say in Groningen.'

The days revolved successively around music and technology, hydrogen and sustainable events. Kuiper: 'It showed what can be done in the House of Connections, the UG's central meeting place at the Grote Markt, which also houses the Schools for Science & Society. For the university it is very valuable to link up with Eurosonic, a festival that everyone knows in Groningen. We as UG can hitch a ride on that.' Kuiper and Oldenhuizing hope that the programme will be followed up next year. 'In any case, nice collaborations for the future have been made.'

Author: Jelle Posthuma