Keeping everyone hydrated during conferences and trade events is an essential part of planning. But just keeping everyone from “getting thirsty” isn’t enough. In addition to providing easily accessible, clean drinking water, event organizers must also consider sustainability.
Hydration stations, which are growing in popularity but often overlooked by event planners, play a major role in reducing the plastic waste so often associated with events.
If you’re planning a conference or trade event and you’re looking for a sustainable hydration solution for attendees, here’s what you need to know.
Environmental Impact of Traditional Water Supplies at Events
Before determining the best hydration solution for your next event, it’s important to understand why you should avoid the traditional options for supplying water to event attendees.
When you think of drinking water while you’re at an event, your mind likely focuses on plastic water bottles. They’re an easy and somewhat convenient option for supplying water during an event.
Unfortunately, the benefits end there.
Single-use plastics, including water bottles, throwaway cups, and more, increase the waste generated by your event. They’re one of the fastest ways to increase your carbon footprint and can also be expensive and inefficient, forcing people to stand in long lines every time they need more water.
For these reasons, more and more event organizers are moving away from single-use, disposable plastic water options and choosing hydration stations instead.
Benefits of Sustainable Hydration for Events
Event organizers and attendees enjoy a variety of benefits when they opt for more sustainable hydration solutions for their events, including:
- Smaller carbon footprint
- Reduced waste management costs
- Enhanced attendee satisfaction
- Partnerships with local businesses
- Achievement of corporate environmental responsibility goals
Sustainable Hydration Options
You have a few options for sustainable hydration. In some cases, these options can be combined into a single system.
Refillable Water Bottle Stations
Encourage event attendees to bring refillable bottles, or provide bottles for attendees, and offer access to water fountains, touchless dispensers, or multi-gallon jugs of clean drinking water. This is a great way to encourage hydration and cut down on your event’s carbon footprint. This solution can work well for small and large events, and is a simple way to eliminate the downside of single-use plastics.
Mobile Hydration Stations
Mobile hydration stations are self-contained water systems that can be placed at various points throughout your event. They’re especially useful for outdoor or hybrid indoor/outdoor events. They’re ideal for larger conferences and trade events and are an efficient way to prevent dehydration at your event.
Cups and Bottles
In addition to the water supply, you’ll want to consider how to reduce waste from the vessels the attendees will drink from.
Branded reusable bottles or cups work well as both practical gifts and effective waste-reduction tools, and some events even use RFID-enabled smart bottles to track hydration. They’re also a great opportunity to market your organization and/or partner with local businesses for marketing and promotion opportunities.
For guests who forget their reusable containers, compostable or fully recyclable cups can serve as a backup option, but they should remain secondary to preserve your event’s sustainability goals.
Choosing a Hydration Solution
When choosing which sustainable hydration solution is right for your next conference or trade event, consider the following:
- Filtration and purification quality
- Dispensing method
- Capacity
- Flow rate
- Accessibility
- Design
- Custom branding opportunities
How to Incorporate Hydration Stations into Event Planning
Now that you know the benefits that hydration stations offer for event planners, how do you incorporate them? You’ll want to consider:
- Event Layout: Map out where you’d like to locate hydration stations to ensure the most efficient and convenient placement.
- Communication: Think about how you’ll let event attendees know how the water stations work and where they can find their nearest station.
- Tracking: Consider how you’ll track water usage to ensure a consistent water supply and that each station remains stocked throughout the event.
Quench Buggy Offers Sustainable Hydration Solutions
The right hydration strategy can transform your conference or trade event into a cleaner, greener, and more enjoyable experience for everyone.
If you want a reliable, eco-friendly hydration option that’s easy to implement, Quench Buggy offers mobile water stations that keep crowds refreshed while helping you significantly cut waste. Reach out to Quench Buggy to learn how our stations can support your next event.