With sustainability at the forefront of the industry focus; We Are Placemaking have been developing ideas, training and auditing processes to go above and beyond the expectations for sustainability standards.
One area that we are keen to talk about is social sustainability and the effect events have on our local communities and wellbeing. Events can have a huge positive impact on the local community by getting them involved in both the pre-planning stages and bringing the public together during the live event.
Bringing Communities Together
Without a doubt one of the key bonuses with events is the fact that the bringing communities together, lifting community spirit and creating an opportunity for engagement and involvement – all of which can vastly improve someone’s wellbeing.
We recently produced the Light Up! Festival for Peabody at Thamesmead, which saw a number of light installations bring to life the local park and visitors from the area come together to enjoy what was on offer for the first time in Thamesmead. Furthermore, this event saw engagement from key local organisations such as the local schools, a local volunteer programme and Bow Arts. This local engagement created a sense of local identity and resulted in a successful and highly attended event.
Raising Awareness of an area
Events can have a huge impact on the local area by raising its profile to a wider audience and drawing in visitors / creating footfall that perhaps wouldn’t have been there originally. This in turn, can have a great impact on the local restaurants, pubs, retailers etc.
Whether small or large, if the event becomes a regular feature on the events calendar, this can be a great boost for the area economically and socially.
Suppliers and Local Groups / Councils
Throughout the planning stages, We Are Placemaking work with local crew and suppliers to ensure that we are meeting the social aspect with the events we are delivering, working with companies such as Connection Crew who provide employment and training opportunities for people who have previously been homeless. As well as the staff we employ, we take the needs and consideration of the community, local businesses and citizens to ensure they are aware and feel their voices are heard through organiser engagement throughout the process.
No matter what size the event is, it can have a real purpose in bringing communities together, which can eventually turn into long term benefits for the area as a whole.
If you would like to discuss your event needs, we would love to hear from you. Please email placemaking@wegroup.london
Click here to check out some of our favourite events we have worked on recently.
