Sustainable events

Our approach to sustainability at Rothamsted Conference Centre

Businesses are increasingly conscious of making their events sustainable, in line with ISO 20121, where possible. At Rothamsted Conference Centre, we are proud of our credentials as a sustainable events venue, and work hard to support our clients with their Corporate Social Responsibility goals.

The ISO 20121 definition of sustainability:

“In a nutshell, sustainability is about how an organisation continues to run its activities in a commercially successful way whilst contributing towards a stronger and more just society and reducing its impact on the environment. To achieve ISO 20121, an organisation will need to demonstrate that it has considered within its management system all key financial, economic, social and environmental issues relevant to its operations.” 

Some of the ways we supports our clients to run sustainable events:

• Our buildings at Rothamsted are BREEAM accredited – rating ‘Excellent’, which means our conference centre building has been planned with the environment in mind, and has a smart heating/cooling system.
• We encourage use of public transport to our venues – we are a short 10 minute walk from Harpenden train station which is on the direct line from London St Pancras International – just 25 minutes away.
• We are wholeheartedly supporting the 20% less plastic movement, in line with the Meeting Industry Association‘s pledge for 2020.
• We offer a sustainable DDR package which provides delegates with our excellent service and facilities while reducing plastic and waste.
• Our chefs limit the amount of meat on our menus, and offer many vegan and vegetarian dishes every day in our restaurant and conference centre menus.
• We use local food providers wherever possible, thus reducing our carbon footprint.
• We encourage event planners to discuss their events with our team over the phone and view our rooms by virtual tour, rather than visiting in person to limit unnecessary travel.
• We offer state of the art audio visual and video conferencing technology to minimise unnecessary travel for delegates.
• All profits generated by Rothamsted Enterprises are ploughed directly back into the agricultural research into climate change and food security carried out at Rothamsted Research.

Our Sustainable Daily Delegate Rate – £49.50pp +VAT

We offer a Sustainable DDR package which provides delegates with our excellent service and facilities while reducing plastic and waste, which includes:

• Main meeting room hire
• LCD Projector, laptop, whiteboard, flipchart, and stationery
• Dedicated AV Technician on site is included for the Auditorium and Fowden Hall bookings only (if minimum numbers are met), to ensure the smooth running of your technical requirements 
• Conference Day Delegate Buffet lunch 
• A selection of Fairtrade teas and artisan bean to cup coffees available from arrival and throughout the day with biscuits and a variety of snacks
• Still and Sparkling mineral water in the meeting room
• Fresh bowl of fruit
• Dedicated Event Manager
• Free onsite car parking
• Free Wi-Fi access for all delegates