THE WATERCOOLER: THE UK'S FIRST FULLY ACCESSIBLE, CLIMATE NEUTRAL B2B EVENT
8th April, 2022
When the team at the Make a Difference Events (the founders of the
MAD World Summit) and the Evening Standard decided to launch a new,
large-scale, face-to-face B2B exhibition, conference, and networking event,
they committed to creating an event that is kinder, more accessible,
and with positive social and environmental impact at its heart.
To help them achieve that aim they selected four partners -
Welcome, Eventwell, ClimatePartner and Event Cycle - whose work they admired.
Three of the four partners are SMEs, all were founded with the intention of
creating positive social change, but it is the first time that they have been
brought together in this way.
The result is the first inclusive, carbon-neutral, large-scale B2B
events in the UK.
Join them and hundreds of exhibitors and partner companies at the
Watercooler Event, May 25-26 2022, Olympia London, co-located with SME Expo.
Who are our partners?
The WelcoMe app opens up live events to disabled
visitors in a new way by providing both an app that details their individual
requirements but also ensures that on-site customer service staff are trained
and ready to give everyone a warm welcome.
Gavin Neate, Founder & CEO at WelcoMe tell us "WelcoMe
sets new standards for conferences to follow in the provision of services for
all disabled people. We are incredibly proud that The Watercooler and SME XPO are
leading by example and become the first conferences in the world to provide
delegates with this award-winning and truly innovative staff training and
disability awareness application.”
“Delegates download the app, fill in a basic profile and set up a
visit to the conference. In doing so they automatically train staff how to
interact and communicate with them on their arrival with minimal fuss and
removing the need to self declare any need on arrival".
"We are truly honoured that the Watercooler and SME XPO are
the first conferences in the world to offer this innovative and truly
empowering service and we look forward to helping set a new standard for others
to follow".
For more information visit: https://www.wel-co.me/visitors
Eventwell is
the brainchild of event veteran Helen Moon. The charity actively supports
positive mental health and wellbeing at live events by going on-site to support
event professionals, their partners, and event visitors. They’ll be creating a
welcoming mental health area and a quieter area, supported by mental wellbeing
trained EventWell Hosts and mental health first aiders, where visitors can
retreat should they struggle with sensory or mental health issues during their
visit.
“Conferences and events like The Watercooler are full of
opportunities to learn and experience new things, but they are also rich in
stimulation, and with their outward-facing and switched on nature they can also
be overwhelming, exhausting, and triggering, both mentally and physically, with
a wide range of physical, mental wellbeing and neurodiverse needs arising in an
event environment.
The idea of an EventWell quiet room is not to stimulate but to
provide a gentle mental escape in a safe, secure, and accessible space.
Visitors, can catch up on an email, read, take a nap, meditate, listen to
music, or simply take a break, they can find calm and reduce triggers and any
sensory overload, or they can speak with an EventWell trained host safely and
confidentially about anything they may be feeling or experiencing.
We are delighted to support and work with the Evening Standard to
provide this essential event service and support.”
For more information visit: https://eventwell.org/
Eventcycle has
brought the circular economy to UK live events and aims to turn event materials
into charitable donations. They collect waste directly from the venue and
create a positive impact but donating it straight to local charities.
Co-founder Chantal Kerr-Sheppard said: "Event Cycle work with
planners to reduce the environmental impact of their event and create a
positive social impact in the process. We challenge design decisions from the
start as well as finding homes for necessary leftover items post-event with
charities, community groups and social enterprises. By working with The
Watercooler and SME XPO events, we hope to help them on the road to becoming as
sustainable as possible."
For more information visit: https://www.eventcycle.org/
ClimatePartner are
working with us to create a carbon-neutral event by firstly measuring its
emissions, advising upon reduction strategies for future events, and offsetting
the remaining carbon with high-quality offsets.
Emilien Hoet, Head of ClimatePartner UK, says, “We are delighted
to come together with the Evening Standard and Make a Difference Events to
offer a unique B2B experience. They are leading by example, using this
networking event as an opportunity to make a positive impact on the planet. It
is our hope that actions like this inspire more companies to re-imagine the way
they deliver conferences, by measuring their footprint to better understand how
to make reductions in greenhouse gases, and offsetting residual emissions to
become carbon neutral.”
For more information visit: www.climatepartner.com
© 2022 Watercooler Event
