15 JUL 2019

The conference aimed to inspire and challenge delegates in shaping the sustainable transformation of the built environment.

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) hosted its 3-day flagship conference, TRANSFORM, for 400 delegates at The Roundhouse on 19 – 20 March 2019.

TRANSFORM is the place for industry leaders to discuss, collaborate, and hear about the newest technologies and innovations and the event called for a dynamic space to enable its vision. Sustainable initiatives were a key component in delivering the event, particularly surrounding catering, as set out in GBCA’s Environmental Sustainability Policy. 

As part of their catering brief, European Catering were tasked to follow it diligently. This meant: 

• Not using single-use items, including coffee cups; 
• Using seasonal, locally sourced food; 
• Disposing of food waste in organic waste bins; 
• Donating leftover food to Oz Harvest

Lucy Harris, GBCA Head of Industry Development said that hosting TRANSFORM at The Roundhouse was a rousing success.

“The Roundhouse provided the perfect setting for the Green Building Council of Australia’s TRANSFORM conference on creating healthy, sustainable places for people and the planet. Drenched in natural light, the venue created a sense of vibrancy that sparked excitement among our delegates and kept the momentum going across the two days that we ran the event. 

In addition, the Roundhouse team ensured that the conference ran seamlessly, providing state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment and security. We’re thrilled that TRANSFORM will be returning to The Roundhouse in 2020.”

Not only did European Catering execute GBCA’s requests, the caterers went above and beyond to implement strategies to exceed the brief. The team is well versed in sustainable practises, which include:

·       Choosing food with little or no packaging and recycling cardboard with VEOLIA;

·       Printing address labels in-house on recycled paper;

·       Combining deliveries from one supplier rather than small orders from several vendors;

·       Using filtered tap water or Neverfail spring water bottles to avoid plastic waste;

·       Reducing the thermostat on their hot water system to not heat the water to unnecessary high levels

Arnold Huber, Director of European Catering commented “We recognise the impact our operations can have on the environment. We have promoted the implementation of Ecologically Sustainable Development for the last decade and have successfully established long-lasting partnerships with sustainable, like-minded growers and suppliers.” 

The Roundhouse is proud to work with clients and partners who share our dedication to improving our sustainability efforts; while delivering exceptional events. 98% of surveyed delegates said that TRANSFORM met or exceeded their expectations – a major win for the venue, our valued client and European Catering.

We are looking forward to hosting GBCA’s TRANSFORM conference again in 2020. Find out more about our sustainability efforts and sign up to attend our event series ‘Round The Room | Sustaining the Events Industry’.