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07 Apr 2025
Yorkshire Launches New Summit to Tackle Sustainability in the Events Industry
This summer, the very first Yorkshire Events Sustainability Summit (YESS) will take place on 16 June, 2025, at Horizon Leeds. Created by industry change-makers Your First…, YESS is marking a new chapter in how the events industry approaches environmental, social, and governance (ESG) responsibility.
YESS is built for event professionals who are ready to move beyond buzzwords and take meaningful action toward a more sustainable future. This one-day summit will bring together venues, suppliers, planners, agencies, and advocates for a day of inspiring conversation, knowledge-sharing, and practical takeaways. Attendees will explore a wide range of topics- from reducing environmental impact to designing inclusive experiences, addressing mental health and neurodiversity in event planning, and making sustainability measurable and manageable.
“We created YESS because we’re tired of talk without action,” says Ben Vollans, Co-Founder of Your First. “It’s time to move past performative gestures and drive real, collaborative progress across the industry.”
The programme has been curated to prioritise peer learning and open dialogue, with a mix of panel conversations, interactive workshops and a small exhibition area. Among the day’s highlights is a special session hosted by Anna Abdelnoor, CEO & Founder of isla, who will launch the second edition of the Temperature Check Report—an industry-defining study now expanded to include European insights.
The Green Action Labs will explore food sustainability in both indoor and outdoor event contexts, inclusive and community-driven alternatives to traditional offsetting, and how to harness technology to reduce waste and improve sustainability performance. With a core emphasis on inclusivity and collaboration, the event encourages knowledge-sharing and honest discussion—recognising that real sustainability doesn’t happen in isolation.
YESS 2025 is proudly supported by a growing network of partners including Horizon Leeds as Venue Partner, Production Light & Sound as AV Partner, and Soror Pro Consulting as Sales Partner. The organising team continues to welcome interest from partners and sponsors who are passionate about accelerating real change in the events sector.
The summit is supported by Conference Leeds, Make It York, Conference Sheffield, Meet North Yorkshire part of North Yorkshire Council, Barnsley Council, and Visit Hull & East Yorkshire—reflecting a shared commitment to driving progress and positioning Yorkshire as the UK’s leading hub for sustainable event innovation.
Join us at YESS 2025 and help shape a greener, more equitable future for events.
For Images please click here.
Tickets are on sale here.
Website: https://yourfirst.events/yess
LinkedIn
For media inquiries please contact:
Maria Dakova | Co-Founder Your First… | Head of Mischief and Buzz maria@yourfirst.events 07784381968
For partnerships or sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Charlotte Podlewska | Partner Soror Pro Consulting Charlotte@sororproconsulting.co.uk
About Your First…:
Your First… is a concept events company founded by Ben Vollans and Maria Dakova, dedicated to shaking up the events industry through creativity, sustainability, and purpose. Rather than delivering client-led projects, Your First… creates its own bold event concepts—filling gaps in the market and partnering with like-minded brands, venues, and suppliers to bring them to life.
From award ceremonies celebrating diversity and inclusion, to the Yorkshire Events Sustainability Summit (YESS), international showcases like Digital Marketing China, large scale festivals and monthly networking drinks for event professionals—Your First… is only six months old, but already redefining what events can be. Every experience is designed to inspire action, build community, foster collaboration and leave a lasting impact.
https://yourfirst.events
Date: 7th April, 2025, Leeds
#YESS2025 #SustainableEvents #EventIndustry #GreenFuture #CollaborationOverCompetition #YorkshireSustainability
YESS is built for event professionals who are ready to move beyond buzzwords and take meaningful action toward a more sustainable future. This one-day summit will bring together venues, suppliers, planners, agencies, and advocates for a day of inspiring conversation, knowledge-sharing, and practical takeaways. Attendees will explore a wide range of topics- from reducing environmental impact to designing inclusive experiences, addressing mental health and neurodiversity in event planning, and making sustainability measurable and manageable.
“We created YESS because we’re tired of talk without action,” says Ben Vollans, Co-Founder of Your First. “It’s time to move past performative gestures and drive real, collaborative progress across the industry.”
The programme has been curated to prioritise peer learning and open dialogue, with a mix of panel conversations, interactive workshops and a small exhibition area. Among the day’s highlights is a special session hosted by Anna Abdelnoor, CEO & Founder of isla, who will launch the second edition of the Temperature Check Report—an industry-defining study now expanded to include European insights.
The Green Action Labs will explore food sustainability in both indoor and outdoor event contexts, inclusive and community-driven alternatives to traditional offsetting, and how to harness technology to reduce waste and improve sustainability performance. With a core emphasis on inclusivity and collaboration, the event encourages knowledge-sharing and honest discussion—recognising that real sustainability doesn’t happen in isolation.
YESS 2025 is proudly supported by a growing network of partners including Horizon Leeds as Venue Partner, Production Light & Sound as AV Partner, and Soror Pro Consulting as Sales Partner. The organising team continues to welcome interest from partners and sponsors who are passionate about accelerating real change in the events sector.
The summit is supported by Conference Leeds, Make It York, Conference Sheffield, Meet North Yorkshire part of North Yorkshire Council, Barnsley Council, and Visit Hull & East Yorkshire—reflecting a shared commitment to driving progress and positioning Yorkshire as the UK’s leading hub for sustainable event innovation.
Join us at YESS 2025 and help shape a greener, more equitable future for events.
For Images please click here.
Tickets are on sale here.
Website: https://yourfirst.events/yess
For media inquiries please contact:
Maria Dakova | Co-Founder Your First… | Head of Mischief and Buzz maria@yourfirst.events 07784381968
For partnerships or sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Charlotte Podlewska | Partner Soror Pro Consulting Charlotte@sororproconsulting.co.uk
About Your First…:
Your First… is a concept events company founded by Ben Vollans and Maria Dakova, dedicated to shaking up the events industry through creativity, sustainability, and purpose. Rather than delivering client-led projects, Your First… creates its own bold event concepts—filling gaps in the market and partnering with like-minded brands, venues, and suppliers to bring them to life.
From award ceremonies celebrating diversity and inclusion, to the Yorkshire Events Sustainability Summit (YESS), international showcases like Digital Marketing China, large scale festivals and monthly networking drinks for event professionals—Your First… is only six months old, but already redefining what events can be. Every experience is designed to inspire action, build community, foster collaboration and leave a lasting impact.
https://yourfirst.events
Date: 7th April, 2025, Leeds
#YESS2025 #SustainableEvents #EventIndustry #GreenFuture #CollaborationOverCompetition #YorkshireSustainability
