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