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Be•at wants to ensure that future generations can also enjoy live entertainment! We look at the entire LIVE community, from fans to suppliers, volunteers and employees. By learning from and inspiring each other. By taking action and setting standards. By seeing sustainability as an opportunity for innovation and value creation.
In the spring of 2021, an assessment was made for each of our venues to map out the current state of affairs in the field of sustainability. It is about establishing ‘zero points’ against which the results can be measured in the coming months and years.
Each year, action plans are drawn up for each venue, setting out the objectives to be achieved in the coming year.
To achieve its goal, be•at works with the Live Nation Charter on sustainability and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. We have identified eight areas of priority focus within these 17 SDGs.
Solar panels on Trixxo Arena and Antwerp Hospitality Center
Last spring 2021, 350 solar panels were installed on the Lotto Arena and 1250 panels on the Trixxo Arena. For the Lotto Arena, these panels can cover 50% of the daily use (excluding events), for the Trixxo Arena the entire daily use (excluding events) is covered.
Bicycle leasing
Since 2018, we have offered our permanent staff the opportunity to lease an (e-)bike in a financially attractive way. More and more colleagues make use of this possibility, and leave their cars at home.
Bicycle parking on the Antwerp site
In order to promote the use of bicycles by employees, it has now been decided to provide a secure bicycle parking area on the Antwerp site. This will be constructed in conjunction with the reconstruction of the Vaart car park. Charging points for electric bicycles will also be provided.
Calculating the CO2 footprint
To measure is to know! Live Nation has appointed an external firm to map out the ecological footprint for each of the venues. This will make it easier to take the right actions, and to measure actual results.
Energy coaching trajectory in consultation with city of Ghent for Capitole Gent
We have enrolled in an energy coaching trajectory with the city of Ghent, and the first proposals are on the table. Partly it is about a better understanding of our own consumption and the optimization of machines, but also an ambitious proposal to connect to the heat network is being investigated. We are curious!
Switch to LED and (motion) sensors
Wherever lighting needs to be replaced, we will opt for LED from now on. A first major replacement operation in the pipeline concerns the façade lighting of the Lotto Arena. The installation of more and more motion sensors should also help us to reduce our energy consumption.
Antwerp site
Since 2005 our Antwerp site has been operating an event mobility plan, drawn up in consultation with the city. The aim is to stimulate sustainable mobility by giving priority to walking before cycling before public transport before making use of a private car. This is also paying off. Whereas in 2008 almost 65% of visitors still came by car, this share has now dropped to about 45%. This is well within the 50/50 modal split target that the city had set for 2020.
Public profile analysis and personalized mailing
Years of experience have taught us that it pays to investigate the audience profile of an event. Factors such as age, place of residence of the public and type of event play a role in the mobility choices visitors make. Analyzing this for each event enables us to steer visitors in the direction of sustainable mobility that is of interest to them. Our venue in Forest (Vorst) has always been pioneering in this, but this knowledge is now also being used for the Antwerp site.
Continuous expansion of bicycle parking facilities
The Antwerp site currently has three bicycle storage facilities, with a total capacity of 660 spaces. The capacity in Forest (Vorst) has also been increased to 96 storage spaces right in front of the door.
Combi ticket — Event Pass
For many years, a ticket for a show at the Sportpaleis and the Lotto Arena has also given you automatic access to the De Lijn trams and buses for the journey to and from the event. For Forest National, the same applies thanks to the Event Pass which can be used on STIB trams and buses.
Extra trams
For some time now, the Sportpaleis has been deploying extra trams for well-attended shows. This significantly stimulates the use of public transport. For Sportpaleis and Lotto Arena, an average of 40% visitors already comes by public transport!
Bravo!-ticket in Forest
We have set up a partnership with the SNCB/NMBS (Belgian Railways) so that visitors with a ticket get a 50% reduction on their train ticket.
Voluntary work
For years, we have been offering local associations the opportunity to take care of our bar services. In this way, they can earn a nice extra to finance their operations. Associations with a social, cultural or sporting goal are given the opportunity to run a bar and thus raise money for the club or for a good cause. For example, money flows to the rehabilitation of people with disabilities in Guatemala, to temporary accommodation for young people in difficulties and to many other nice projects. Thanks to all the volunteers, because they make sure that we as a society can achieve more.
Youca Action Day
Since 2021, Be•at is fully committed to the Youca Action Day. Youca, YOUth for Change and Action – formerly Zuiddag – is an organization for and by young people that stimulates them to work together towards a sustainable and fair society. On Youth Action Day, 15,000 young people, from the fourth to the seventh grade, commit themselves to work on a school day. By doing so, they get a taste of working life. Their pay, 55 euros, is donated to projects of committed young people worldwide, in Burkina Faso, Ecuador and Uganda.
Beverage cups
Together with our partners, we are constantly looking for new ways to avoid plastic cups ending up on the rubbish heap. In that sense, we also had a test case in the Proximus Pop Up Arena in summer 2021 to switch to a circular system. However, the ambition is even higher, in so far that we are also working towards the reusable cup. This is not easy in an event hall, due to the lack of storage space and the logistical operation involved in washing the cups. We also want to make sure that what is presented as a sustainable option strokes with reality. But technology is also evolving, and we are hopeful that we will be able to come up with a sustainable solution by early 2023.
Plastics
The use of plastics is banned as much as possible in our venues. We are constantly making efforts to address this issue with our suppliers. We are not yet able to say that you will not find any plastics at our venues, but its use has been greatly reduced, and the objective is clear: as little plastics as possible in our venues!
PET bottles are collected for recycling. We count on the support of our visitors to dispose of their waste in the correct bin. Sorting well together = better recycling.
Sorting
To optimize sorting in the offices and backstage areas, we started developing our own system of sorting bins at the end of 2021. A custom made sorting street on wheels so to speak. This in-house design is modular in terms of both size and material and can be adapted in function of the location where the bin is used. The design was made in close consultation with the cleaning crew, so that they can empty the bins easily.
Plastic film collection
The plastic film used for drink bottle packing is collected separately in Capitole Gent and delivered to Renewi. 98% of this plastic film can be used as a new raw material.
Tap water dispensers in the offices
In March 2020, water dispensers were installed in all our venues, both in the offices and in the backstage areas, amounting to 27 dispensers! They are connected to the mains water supply and provide our employees with cold, sparkling and hot water. This immediately results in a significant decrease in PET bottle consumption, and the energy-wasting kettles could go straight to the recycling shop.
Urinals
All our urinals are systematically equipped with automatic and water-saving flushing systems.
Organic cleaning products
Currently we use ecological cleaning products in the offices and toilets. We are also investigating whether it is possible to clean our venues with biological cleaning products. This requires some extra attention because the venues collect more dirt and need more intensive cleaning.
Rebuilding the parking lot of Forest National
The parking lot behind the concert hall needs to be redesigned. Currently we are working out a concept with specific attention to water infiltration and collection. No more concrete paving, but a water-permeable and green construction!
Sharing experiences within Live Nation
Within Live Nation monthly meetings take place with those responsible for sustainable initiatives. The aim is to learn from each other and to share standards. We also look at ways of influencing partners and stimulating them towards a responsible sustainability policy.
Weareforest.be
With its website weareforest.be, Forest National is strengthening its ties with its close neighbours and the inhabitants of Forest (Vorst) in general. The starting point is the need for interaction between our concert hall and its neighbours. Neighbourhood work, mobility and sustainability are discussed in detail.
Forest National aims to integrate sustainability into the experience of its visitors. But it also wants to contribute to the quality of life and the well-being of everyone in the area. In any case, the concert hall is an important socio-economic motor for the municipality, the shopkeepers and the local community. It wants to fulfil this task in a responsible way.
Be•at actively works on initiatives that ensure that as little food as possible is thrown away. Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen for instance cooperates with ‘Bert & Co’, a caterer who distributes his surpluses to underprivileged people. Capitole Gent uses Swill, a Renewi system for food leftovers, for VIP, backstage, catering and the offices.
We also ask our food suppliers about the origin of the products, now that the clear choice has been made for local products.
Drukkerij Bulckens
Our printed matter is outsourced to printing company Zwart op Wit, which is very committed to sustainable printed material. Since 2016, the company has been 100% CO2 neutral, using green energy, vegetal inks and recycled paper as standard.
For our Pop-Up Arena in Middelkerke, we entered into a partnership with Proximus. The point of attention for both parties was what we could do for each other in terms of sustainability. The use of sustainable transport was emphasized and circular use of drinking cups was tested. Visitors were also encouraged to hand in their old mobile phones for a fee.
Deel met ons de opportuniteiten die je ziet voor verbetering.
Every year, be•at facilitates more than 600 concerts, shows and performances in its 5 arenas and 3 theatres in Belgium. You name it, it can be done in our venues: product presentations, congresses, press conferences, company parties, team-building events, trade fairs, consumer fairs, concerts and parties. Thanks to our unlimited possibilities, we can easily facilitate any event in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent or Hasselt.
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VAT (BE) 0461.051.688 • RPR Antwerp • BNP Paribas Fortis • IBAN: BE93 2200 4925 0067 • BIC: GEBABEBB
