Powerful Thinking Guide 2017

The updated Powerful Thinking Guide provides event professionals with up-to-date knowledge and practical resources to help manage temporary energy smartly, reducing environmental impacts and fuel bills. It is created from a collection of modular resources, factsheets and case studies that are also available online. This edition is European in focus, reflecting both the progress being made across Europe on this topic, and the partners involved with the guide’s content.

Since the first edition of the guide in 2012, a significant shift towards more efficient energy management has taken place in the events industry. Events are typically able to save between 10% and 50% of their fuel consumption and there are many examples that illustrate how and where this has been achieved in the new guide.

The guide has been co-written by a group of leading European energy consultants, advisers and festival organisers under the direction of lead author Chris Johnson, Chair of Powerful Thinking and Operations Director of Shambala Festival. Contributors include: Chiara Badiali (Julie’s Bicycle), Paul Schurink (ZAP Concepts), Sid Rogerson (Entersys), Tim Benson (ZAP Concepts UK), Sjoerd Schouten (Watt-Now), Shaun Pearce (Production Services Association), Liz Warwick (Lansdowne Warwick).

About Powerful Thinking

Powerful Thinking is a think-do tank which brings together festivals, suppliers and environmental organisations to explore ways to reduce the costs and carbon through increased efficiency and alternatives, and share findings to promote lower carbon industry.

It aims to provide clear guidance and resources to festival organisers about approaches to sustainable power and to drive a market for renewable energy supply at festivals, understanding and accounting for the business and cost restraints.

Powerful Thinking was inspired by Shambala Festival and Julie’s Bicycle, and founded by a consortium including Bestival, Festival Republic, A Greener Festival, the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), Kambe Events and Firefly. These organisations provided both the start-ups funds and impetus to drive this initiative forward on behalf the festival Industry. Julies Bicycle further support the group by providing the secretariat and support in-kind. More recently the Association of Festival Organisers (AFO), the Production Services Association (PSA) and the Nationwide [mobile] Caterers Association (NCASS) have joined the steering group. We also work with research partners; The Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development’s (IESD), DeMontford University, and the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), Oxford University.