Creating Luxurious, Low-Waste Events with Lucent Blue

Lucent Blue Events + Design integrates sustainability into event planning, tackling industry challenges like waste reduction and carbon footprints while delivering high-impact experiences.

Tell us a little bit about yourself! What is your background and how did you find your way to starting Lucent Blue Events + Design?

I’ve been in the event industry for 20 years.  I cut my teeth planning benefit events for a small arts nonprofit in New York City, moved on to direct events at NYU’s Wagner School, and I eventually landed at an event design agency called David Stark Design and Production. There, I produced events ranging from the Opening Night Galas for Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera, to the Fashion Week launch party for Prabal Gurung’s collaboration with Target.

Producing events from a dynamic office in New York City was always exciting, always hard work, and yes, sometimes fairly glamorous -- but it could also be heartbreaking at times. Pop-up shops would result in dumpster loads of garbage when they were over. Some venues in New York didn’t even recycle (imagine all the bottles and cans produced when a bar is serving thousands of people…). So when I returned home to Minnesota, I set out to start a company that would put sustainability at the core of its practice, without sacrificing on luxury. And thus, Lucent Blue Events + Design was born.

Describe your company's approach and your favorite types of projects to work on. 

We work with corporate, nonprofit, and social clients on a wide range of events and to be honest, I’m not sure I can pinpoint one favorite type of project, because the varied nature of our work is one of the things that I truly love. Every event is different and presents its own unique challenges, and that is what makes the work interesting.  That said, I do love a really complex project - whether an event has a lot of design elements, or just complicated logistics, it’s really satisfying to work on figuring out how to bring all the moving parts together, put a plan in place, and then see that plan unfold through a team effort. We strive for flawless execution, and while pure perfection may not exist, it’s magical to work with everyone behind the scenes to bring an event to life.

Save the Boundary Waters Legacy, Celebration Gala. Photos by Joy by Jo

What are some of the biggest issues in the events industry when it comes to sustainability? What are you most passionate about focusing on at Lucent Blue?

One of the bigger, and more obvious issues, as I alluded to earlier, is the amount of waste that events produce. We are passionate about helping clients to reduce that waste and to think strategically about the ecological impact an event might have.  That said, the other really big, and less talked about factor is the carbon footprint events have, and particularly in how guests travel to or arrive at an event -- especially for large events like conferences, corporate meetings, and trade shows, where people are flying in from several locations, staying at a hotel, and then driving to the event venue itself.

The carbon emissions that result from travel are not endemic to the event industry, nor is it on our shoulders alone to try to solve the issue, but we need to be aware of it, and be advocating for broad systemic changes that will have a meaningful impact. And the more we can encourage guests to use public transportation or other sustainable ways of arriving, every small effort adds up. 

What are some behind-the-scenes sustainable practices that you do with your events and clients? Any examples in action?

We start by suggesting and procuring vendors that we know have sustainable practices. Whether it’s a Sustainable Green Printing certified printer, a florist that sources local, sustainably raised flowers, or a caterer with sustainable practices, the partnerships we have with vendors that share our values make our efforts so much more streamlined when we’re able to work with them.  

When a venue or required caterer or other vendor that we’re working with does not have sustainable practices already in place, then we try to bring in other partners to supplement -- perhaps we get a waste management service to sponsor composting efforts, or we ask the caterer if it’s possible for them to source local and organic produce, at the very least. We know the more we ask all vendors about these things, the more they’ll think about incorporating them on a regular basis.

Science-Themed Annual Benefit, Great North Innocence Project. Photos by Alexis Lund & Amy Anderson

Where are the biggest opportunities for reducing waste in events? 

It really depends on what elements are present at the event.  The lowest hanging fruit is to ensure that the caterer and/or venue has recycling and composting available.  But then it’s up to our team to make sure that everything coming into the event is reusable, recyclable, or compostable as much as possible and then having a plan to ensure things make it to the right stream at the end of the event.  Beyond composting food and avoiding floral foam in centerpieces, one thing we always recommend is to ensure all signage and printed goods are 100% recyclable (if not reusable).  Many folks use foam core for signage but the printing industry has a fantastic alternative to that called falconboard, and we find more and more printers are carrying it. 

If we have a recurring event that needs t-shirts for staff, we recommend not printing the year on them, so they can be re-used year after year (same goes for signage, if possible). It’s also important to think about swag. If an event has giveaways or thank-you gifts for guests or speakers, we encourage our clients to be mindful about these selections to make sure they’re not just giving out cheap tchotchkes that will just be thrown away.  

What is the a common misconception about sustainable events? 

The biggest misconception is that making sustainable choices is going to break the budget.  As the industry shifts, there are more and more solutions that are sustainable and still cost-effective.  And if we can find it in our budget to spend a little more on the things that matter to us, the more we demonstrate demand in the market for sustainable and ethical practices, the more the market will respond to that, and prices will continue to come down.

North Loop Fest, Outdoor Music Festival. Photos by Kyle Schneider of Infinite Bounds.

What are your top tips for your clients around sustainability? 

Start thinking about sustainability at the beginning of the planning process.  The more you build it in from the beginning, the easier it is to ensure your team is following through on those values and the easier it is to ensure your choices fit into your budget.  

What is inspiring you most right now? Whether it’s design elements or aspects around sustainability. 

I’m inspired by the shift that we’ve seen in the industry over the past few years.  And I want to say that we know Luum has been really influential in building a movement around sustainability in the Twin Cities market and we’re seeing it in other markets across the States as well. Now that the climate crisis is upon us, folks are paying attention to their impact in a much broader capacity and the venues, vendors, and planners that embrace sustainable practices are going to be more competitive in the long run.  There are a lot of folks out there who care and it’s exciting to see people coming together around these issues and working collectively to make change.

Discover more of Michaella and the Lucent Blue Events + Design team’s work on Instagram or her website.