ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management

An event is a planned public or social occasion. Whether it is a festival or a trade fair, an outdoor public event or a concert in a sports hall, a corporate conference or a happy hour in a small bar, it makes no difference. The ISO 20121:2012 standard is applicable to any type of event, regardless of the type, frequency, size and breadth of the target audience.

ISO 20121 is aimed at organisations who wish to adopt a sustainable management system for an event, covering ethical, environmentally responsible and economic impacts. It is not the event itself that is audited, but the management system.

Direct organisers, e.g. studios for planning, booking agencies for concerts and theatrical performances, corporate event offices (with marketing-related purposes) and in public administration (with cultural and territorial promotion purposes), cultural associations, conference centres;

Managers of locations suitable for holding events e.g. clubs, sports arenas, fairgrounds, hotels, stadiums, theatres, parks, public streets and squares;

Providers of services that enable events to take place e.g. audio-visual services, catering, cleaning and transportation companies, guard and stewardship services and temporary agencies.

ISO 20121 shares many similarities and requirements in common with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. It also incorporates many requirements contained in ISO 26000. The scheme requires the organisation to define its objectives for continuous improvement in terms of environmental, economic and social impacts and to prepare a management system to achieve them.

• 10-paragraph structure shared with the 2015 revisions of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 (high-level structure).
• Plan-Do-Check-Act plan as reflected in the event life cycle
• Definition of purpose and scope (in the case of organisers, it is possible to mention a single event, a series of events, all events covered, or the organisation)
• Stakeholder analysis and involvement
• Policy for sustainability
• Careful analysis of relevant environmental, economic and social aspects and actions to address them
• General and industry legislative compliance
• Analysis and management of risks and identification of opportunities
• Design of supply chain management
• Continuous improvement

• Easy integration with other management systems
• Integrated approach to organisational event management
• Improved reputation and adoption of best practices
• Competitive advantage e.g. tenders, new business
• Reduced costs (through waste reduction, reduced energy consumption, and equipment reuse)
• Risk reduction
• Enhancement of corporate image and brand
• Increased control of objectives and performance

The Certification process consists of the following steps:

Request for proposal

• Contract between the company and the Certification Body
• Submission to the Certification Body of the documentation necessary to start the certification process

Documentation evaluation

• (Stage 1) Verification of the documentary requirements necessary for certification
• (Stage 2) Certification audit  - verification of the efficiency of the Sustainability Management System through dialogue with managers and analysis of documentation

Audit report

• Preparation and review of report

Issue of Certificate

• Issue of certificate on meeting Standard requirements.
• Certificate is valid for 3 years

Annual surveillance audit

• Two annual surveillance visits are mandatory
• On the third year a Re-Certification Audit will take place and the Certificate will be renewed