BeaconHouse recognised as one of UK’s most sustainable agencies

‘The Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies UK’ list identifies and recognises event agencies from across the UK that prioritise sustainability across all aspects of their business and their ability to deliver measurable and impactful sustainable outcomes for client events.

We are the only agency on the list headquartered in the North of England and this achievement recognises our team’s unwavering commitment to changing the way that the event industry views sustainability and the impact that events have on our planet. Our strategy is led by our co-founder and director Sarah Thackray, whose passion for the topic started when she began working with client Planet Mark, a national organisation that provides sustainability accreditations.

The award recognised that instead of traditional carbon offsetting, we have devised new and innovative ways to focus on tangible regional impact rather than bold, unachievable statements. This includes the launch of a local donation fund to support environmental causes across the North East, where we donate 10% of event emissions carbon credit equivalent to charity Groundwork NE & Cumbria, championing greener by default catering at events, carbon tracking of events using TRACE, and partnering with local suppliers. In 2025 the agency is focusing on food waste, with plans to partner with organisations like Olio to redistribute excess event food locally and testing Klimato for carbon labelling on menus to improve awareness of food sustainability. Accessibility, and inclusive approaches to delivering events is also front of mind with the introduction and roll out of new access and inclusion audits for events.

The 30 agencies that made the list are all at different stages of their sustainability journey, but all have made a commitment to embedding sustainability into their internal and external business practices. Agencies completed a rigorous and wide-ranging questionnaire, requesting data on both agency strategy, tactics and accreditation, followed by an analysis of real event case-studies to enter the ‘Most Sustainable Agencies’. Submissions were scored, then benchmarked to provide the clearest view of event agency sustainability available.

Inclusion on the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies list is a real honour, and a celebration to the whole team’s commitment to not only measuring our own carbon impact but engaging our colleagues, supply chain and networks with what it means to do sustainable business. We no longer offer sustainability as an ‘optional extra’ when we design experiences for our clients – it’s simply how we do business. We make sustainable choices at every part of the planning, delivery, and evaluation process as it is our responsibility to lead the way in what is possible. I would like to say thank you to the partners and experts who continue to navigate the sustainability journey with us, including Katrina Appleyard who has supported us to shape our vision for the next four years.

In 2024 we launched an ‘Event Sustainability Supply Chain Roundtable’ initiative, which brings together local suppliers, venues, and partners to drive collective change in the event sector, alongside a Supplier Code of Conduct which encourages fair wages, ethical practices, and environmental responsibility which already has 15 suppliers signed up.

To create real change we need to work together and share our challenges as well as our successes. We believe in creating a supportive, inclusive, and progressive eco-system, rather than penalising organisations for not doing sustainability perfectly and we are in a position to support our suppliers as they go on this journey with us. Rather than demanding accreditations that some organisations can’t afford, we’re invested in supporting them to improve, which benefits everyone in the long run.

Clients have praised our  approach to sustainability, including Rob Charlton, CEO of Space Group who we work with to create the _shift event series. Rob said, “What I like is that they push back on every idea to find the most sustainable solution and are very innovative in their approach. We re-use everything year after year so we limit the amount of waste, we have moved away from printed material in favour of digital information and most recently our catering has been fully vegetarian. The team is always challenging what can be done but it never feels like a gimmick – it’s just a core part of how they operate as a business.”

Shelley Johnson, head of market insights for NewcastleGateshead Initiative said, “BeaconHouse Events are a force for sustainability change within the North East events industry – guiding clients and suppliers in best practice through sharing knowledge and providing examples for us to learn from. They have a wealth of knowledge and a passion for sustainability which we are keen to pass on to people hosting events in the region.”

Thinking about doing events differently in 2025? We would love to discuss your ideas in more detail. To speak to our team contact info@beaconhouse-events.co.uk or call 0191 691 3456.