News

Nineteen Group has announced significant progress in reducing the carbon impact of its events, reporting a 19% year-on-year reduction in the average carbon footprint per attendee.

Between 2024 and 2025, the average carbon footprint per event fell by 20%, from 1,857 to 1,481 tonnes of CO2e, and the average carbon footprint per attendee fell by 19%, from 195 to 158 kilograms of CO2e. These figures cover Nineteen's entire value chain, including Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions.

Nineteen first began measuring emissions in 2023, when the average carbon footprint per event stood at 1,776 tonnes of CO2e, underlining the progress achieved despite the company's rapid global expansion.

This improvement has been driven in part by newly acquired events, particularly international shows where attendees travel shorter distances on average. These events typically carry a lower carbon footprint, helping to reduce the overall intensity per attendee.

Nineteen also sees a long-term opportunity in expanding its global footprint. By geo-cloning events across multiple regions, Nineteen can bring content closer to audiences, reducing the need for long-haul travel and enabling more sustainable participation.

Alison Jackson, CEO, Nineteen Group, said: “These results demonstrate that sustainable growth and global expansion can go hand in hand, particularly as we bring our events closer to audiences through a more international portfolio and regional geo-cloning strategy. While there is still much more to do, this progress is a powerful reflection of our team’s commitment to building a more sustainable future for the industries and communities we serve.”

The company's overall total carbon footprint increased by 17%, growing from 24,133 to 28,131 tonnes of CO2e between 2024 and 2025. However, this statistic reflects the scale of Nineteen's organic growth and its expanding global portfolio of events.

David Holden, Group Chief Operating Officer, Nineteen Group, said: “Nineteen is the fastest growing B2B trade show organiser in the UK, so you’d expect our overall carbon emissions to increase. However, ensuring our teams are considering how to reduce the year-on-year carbon emissions of each event has moved the dial far more than we could have hoped on a per attendee and per exhibitor basis, which allows us to take event growth into consideration. Just having those conversations in the planning stages of an event means every stakeholder is invested in carbon reduction strategies from the beginning of a show cycle.”

The company acknowledges that sustainability in the events industry remains a complex, long-term challenge. Over 99% of Nineteen's emissions come from event-related activity, including attendee travel, venues, and production, rather than internal operations. While progress to date is encouraging, Nineteen Group recognises that further reductions are still required over time.

Charlie Cotton, Founder, ecollectivecarbon, said: “Reducing the carbon footprint of an event is incredibly hard. But Nineteen's latest results show that smart actions deliver real progress. Their average carbon footprint per attendee has reduced by 19% in the last 12 months, which is particularly impressive given that attendee travel, the biggest CO2 contributor in the events industry, is included. We're excited to build on this progress with Nineteen Group and develop new strategies to further reduce CO2 emissions.”
As Nineteen continues its growth journey, the business remains focused on scaling best practices across its portfolio and driving meaningful, measurable improvements in sustainability across the global events industry.

Full details of Nineteen Group's carbon measurement methodology, including the scope of calculations and data sources, are publicly available: Nineteen Group Carbon Methodology