3 ways to influence your audience

by Jarno StegemanThe Event Tutor

www.eventtutor.com

During a busy Bank Holiday weekend in Brighton, with several events taking place at the same time, litter surfaced in the streets almost immediately.

That made me think. Why do people litter? And when an event site is clean, who is the first person to litter?

in the UK

councils spend close to £1 billion

a year to tackle littering

30 million tons

of litter are collected each year

86% of people

think that littering is disgusting

5,000 abandoned

tents

6,500sleeping

bags

54 tonnes of cans and

plastic bottles

and that’s just

1 festival

Encouraging Sustainable Behaviour is a report written by Lindenberg and Steg. It’s about social norms and the so-called goal framing theory.

Social norms, they write, have in common that we take them seriously. We disapprove of someone if they leave the social norm. There is also some kind of feeling that we have to live up to the norm.

As long as everyone lives up to the social norm we’re all good.

That is where the

problem about littering comes in.

Not everyone is living up to that

social norm.

Norms work under social pressure but at the end

self-interest always wins. So if 90% of your audience act according to the norm, it means

only 10% of your crowd litters.

but that 10% can have a huge impact

So why do people litter? This is where the goal framing theory comes in.

How we make our goals is based on our perception, thinking-process, and decision-making.

When you are hungry or drunk, your goals change (hedonic goals).

When you are with friends your goals change (normative goals).

Or you make choices based on what will benefit you most (gain goal).

Under different circumstances, you make different decisions.

How clean is your event site?

Now, think of your event site. Is it a clean site?

How often do you empty the bins? How clean is your toilet area or your

food court?

How much respect do you show for your own event

site?

How to influence your audience?

You need an audience that

has a pro-environmental

attitude

Demonstrate your support

of pro-environmental

norms

Self-regulation

People with a pro-environmental attitude

need to work hard as the decisions they make go

against their egoistic values.

Hence it is hard work to go green.

So you, the event organiser, need to make it easy for them not to

litter.

Make it clear to them what it is you want to

them to do.

Demonstrate your support

for the environment

If your event supports environmental initiatives

you need to shout about it.

You need to make it clear that this is what you stand

for. Communicate with your audience and educate

them.

Self-regulation

What you as an event planner organise for your visitors, will be considered the norm.

If you offer alcohol then most likely your guests will drink alcohol. If you offer vegetarian food, most likely people will eat vegetarian.

If you offer a clean site, people will keep it clean.

You, the event planner, can influence the behaviour of your

audience.

You need to make it clear to them what you

want to achieve.

To change the attitude of your

audience…

you might need to change

yours first!

For more information about sustainable event management

visit

EventTutor.com

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