Planning sustainable events with BMA House

BMA House is an events venue with a difference. Centrally situated in beautiful Bloomsbury, it ticks all the boxes for a romantic, picturesque wedding or an elegant corporate event - but it’s BMA House’s focus on sustainability that really sets it apart from other London venues.

At Togather, we’re seeing more and more event organisers looking to prioritise sustainable events and booking with BMA House make it easy. We sat down with Rebecca at BMA House to discuss how they help organisers - whether they’re planning their wedding or a company event - to reduce their impact.

What are some lesser known ways that event organisers can make their event more sustainable?

One way is transport - the mode of transport used to travel to and from a venue forms a huge part of the overall carbon footprint associated with the event. At BMA House, we have secure bike racks to promote cycling plus shower facilities on site, EV charging points, and encourage guests to take our Clean Air Walking Route from King’s Cross which takes you off the busier, more polluted Euston road, through the beautiful backstreets of Bloomsbury, which is 57% less air polluted. 

Next is the supplier list: choose a venue with a sustainable supplier’s list. Whether it’s a photographer, lighting, chairs or florals to make your event stand out, we have you covered. As one of London’s greenest venues, sustainable practices are embedded in all we do at BMA House and we take our responsibility to carbon reduction very seriously; promoting sustainably led initiatives and require our suppliers to do the same. Our wonderful list of approved suppliers have had to share their practices to be part of our list. Whether it’s using public transport to access the venue, asking supply chains to share their practices, reducing waste,using LED lighting or donating products to the community, rest assured that by working with our chosen suppliers, your event will be operating in a more sustainable way.

What is your personal favourite thing about BMA House?

Our Hidden Garden, you can’t beat it! Even in the quietest of seasons, London is a bustling city and sometimes you just need to find some time out for yourself to relax, unwind and breathe. Our peaceful, botanical Garden is set at the back of the House, with a tranquil pond, quaint garden furniture and adorned with medicinal plants and flowers. The perfect spot to visit during a break in your event, plus this can be hired out privately for drinks receptions, wedding receptions and BBQs in the evenings and weekends.

Let’s talk weddings. Have you noticed an increase in couples looking specifically for sustainable choices?

We’re noticing more and more couples looking to include sustainable elements into their wedding day and often come to us for help & guidance on where to begin. For example, our couples may like to use vibrant bio-degradable confetti made from dried flowers. More frequently couples are asking for a full plant-based menu; our menus are 70% vegan and vegetarian so couples have plenty of delicious dishes to choose from. We will always help our couples make sustainable choices and have our sustainable suppliers list to send out, which always helps as each supplier has been vetted for their sustainable credentials. We are well underway with our journey to be the first accredited ‘Sustainable Wedding Venue’ for London with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance.

What are some other event trends you’re noticing - amongst corporate clients or weddings?

Guests are moving away from the traditional seated three course dinners, opting for standing wedding breakfasts with Street Food stalls / bbq’s / bowl food, and interactive dessert stations when guests get to ‘Build-their-own-trifles’! Event Organisers are asking for information on our suppliers, especially for catering, to know where the food has travelled from, and more specifically the carbon emissions associated with each dish, all of which we can provide. To provide transparency and support decision-making, we provide local supplier maps and menus (“The London Larder”). These showcase our commitment to local producers and reduced food miles.

Definitely less beef and red meat is being chosen when it comes to conferences. To support this change in behaviours, we have eliminated beef and most red meat from menus. This has significantly reduced carbon emissions associated with catering services, especially during summer parties and BBQs. In place of traditional burgers, we offer a variety of popular, creative and tasty alternatives.  Over 70% of our menus are now non-meat based.  Additionally, we have implemented a policy of meat-free Mondays, all of which reduce our environmental impact and promote healthier eating.

We have also noticed an increase in event organisers wanting to reduce food waste, which is why we have introduced set menus on our hot fork buffets which change daily, plus a Meat-Free Monday DDR.

What’s something that might surprise people about BMA House?

Charles Dickens used to live on the site, before BMA House was built. He wrote two novels during his time here and we’ve even named a meeting room after him.

More recently, a standout initiative this year was the introduction of our carbon calculator tool, developed with Planet Mark. This helps clients estimate/reduce event carbon footprint, making it easier to make responsible choices. It uses a personalised approach to estimate carbon emissions, providing insights that empower clients to take action.The tool is free of charge and the comprehensive impact report includes a breakdown of emission sources (food, travel, waste, etc) and suggestions for improvement.

See more about BMA House and get started planning your event here.