Festival of Sustainable Business

- Day in the Life

Exhibiting at the Sustainable of Sustainable Business 19/09/2024 

For the second year in a row, Pointer Consultancy Group exhibited at the Festival of Sustainable Business Exhibition organised by Future Leap. The main reason why we decided to return to this event was due to the variety of purpose-led businesses that attend and the great learning opportunities from the interesting talks. These help us to learn how to improve our own company and also improve how we support our clients on their journeys' to becoming more sustainable too. This year, Charles, Alice, Ben, Lucy and Becca attended the event to represent Pointer.

Read below to hear about Becca's experience at the event:

 

Introduction

The Festival of Sustainable Business is a significant event to me, as it is where I first met Pointer as an eager graduate in 2023. One year on, I was keen to return to the event in my role as a consultant, to
represent Pointer Consultancy Group, share my knowledge and learn from others
within the sustainability space.

In the morning, we arrived at We The Curious , where the event was being held this year, and finishing setting up our stall. It was exciting to see our new branding in action after contributing to final decisions on colours and icons over the last few months. For our table, we decided to opt out of having endless freebies on our table and choose a locally sourced vegan hamper as our giveaway prize instead. It was nice to see how other exhibitors had also taken time to make more sustainable choices on their stalls to reduce waste too, highlighting the difference that these collective actions can make.

broken image

10:00 - Welcome Talk

At 10am, I went to the Just Transitions Talks Stage and got welcomed by the hosts, Future Leap and representatives from the main sponsors, Retrofit West CIC, Bristol City Leap, Good Energy and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). 

Most interesting takeaway: Thomas Parsons from Good Energy, on looking how we can integrate purpose with profit, through being able to contribute to the climate agenda through making money, innovation and sustainable growth.

 

10:40 - Women in Engineering Talk
Selene Blanco from Vattenfall, a European energy company, shared her experience of being a women in a STEM career, highlighting the importance of:

- Embedding diversity and inclusion intoperformance metrics and wider company goals.
- Role models in senior leadership
- Encouraging women into STEM careers at an early age, before they choose GCSEs.

Main takeaway: In the Q&A, inclusive recruitmentwas a huge topic of discussion, which made me reflect on our journey at Pointer with this (see more here).

11:30am - Social Value Panel

The next talk was an exciting panel discussion with representativesfrom charities (Babbasa), academia (University of Bristol and Bristol College) and intermediaries like Bristol City Leap, who are ‘helping to connect the dots’. As a consultant who has worked within social value, I was interested to hear the valuable contributions from leaders in this space. The discussion emphasised the need to involve everyone in the shift to a sustainable economy, with a focus on engaging the younger generation, particularly in under-represented communities. It also provided insights of how I could contribute towards this through volunteering activities and social impact initiatives in work through our volunteering policy and outside of work too.

 

Main takeaway: While policy changes are helping to push the social value agenda, there is a need to see social value as a ‘moral and business imperative’ - Poku Pipim, Babbasa.

broken image

12:00 - Lunch
At midday, the chosen destination to eat our lunch was the venue’slarge balcony. It was a great peaceful area which provided the perfect place for an escape from the busy atmosphere and reflect on what we had learnt so far. It was great to see that the organisers provided exhibitors with vegan
lunches to minimise impact on the environment.

13:00 - Wider Networking

After lunch I ventured into the main exhibition space tovisit the other colourful stalls which lined the room. Here I was able to explore new technology which can help assess climate risk, learn more about renewable energy generation and find out how corporates can help facilitate
more climate education within schools. All the other exhibitors that I engaged with very passionate about their organisations and focused on how they can contribute towards making a positive impact on their communities and the planet. What I found most interesting was that even in conversations with organisations who may have seemed to be competitors, we spoke about the value of collaboration with SMEs. It was clear that within sustainability we all had a shared goal and
are aware that collaboration is needed to make much needed change.

13:30 - Stand

During the afternoon it was my turn to be on the other sideof the table and represent Pointer at our own stand. It was great to see some familiar faces and introduce or company to some new connections. It was a good opportunity to share how we can help other purpose-led businesses through write winning social value bids and developing holistic ESG strategies. After engaging interestingconversations with entrepreneurs looking to kick off their business, graduates
eager for internship opportunities and other potential collaborators, I was left feeling inspired by all the innovative ideas and enthusiasm.

broken image

 

14:30 - Retrofit Talk

As sustainability within the built environment is a hugelyrelevant topic within this space, the last talk focused on the importance of retrofitting and decarbonisation. Prioritisation of retrofit within the construction industry was outlined as a challenge however clear communication and education were
proposed as key solutions to overcome this.

15:00 - Stand and De-brief
For the final hour or so, I had some more time of the stand toengage with the last attendees of the day. It was also a great chance to catch up with my colleagues and hear about what they had learnt and other emerging opportunities that have stemmed from the event. After experiencing many exhibitions and networking events in the past which were based on transactional
relationships, there was a joint consensus of how refreshing this one was. This stemmed from the delegates being open-minded, approachable and united in their passion to make the world a better place.

16:00 - Pack up.

By 4pm it was time to pack up our stall. Armed with newknowledge and a many new connections, I left feeling excited about the endless opportunities within sustainable business and my company’s valuable role within this space.

Event Reflections.

For me, collaboration was the main theme of the event. Whether you are a small or large business, an energy expert or a local politician, there is a place for everyone in the transition to a more
sustainable economy. The need for a just transition was highlighted, one which celebrates diversity and includes the often-marginalised voices within the traditional business landscape. During the event, the different many career paths into sustainability were all inspiring and there was a shared sense of mission within the room, to create a positive impact on our planet and communities.

This why at Pointer we have a partnership approach when it comes to sustainability. Our aim to help demystify sustainability, establish a holistic ESG strategies and implement this through collaborating with other experts, helping you to go deeper into the more technical aspects of sustainability. So, wherever you are on your sustainability journey, contact us and we can discuss how we can support you.

 

Get in touch via our email: info@pointer-cg.co.uk or through our LinkedIn.

 

This article was written by one of our consultants, Becca Foster. Find more about her role here and careers opportunities at Pointer here.