We wanted to make the Gathering an unmissable, unique, inspiring and thought-provoking few days where SCVO members and colleagues from across the voluntary sector and beyond could learn and engage in professional development, hear about a range of different topics, network and make connections, inspire and be inspired! 

• We offered a programme of over 70 sessions with diverse topics, speakers and formats to support delegates to engage in learning and development and gain insights, skills, and knowledge relevant to their work
• We hosted 70+ exhibitors in two different areas of the EICC, offering delegates the opportunity to explore and meet event partners and exhibiting organisations
• We gave delegates opportunities for professional engagement and space to meet new people and connect with others from the sector and beyond
• We showed our appreciation for our valued members with an unmissable chance to enter a prize draw to win a professionally-made short film about the work and impact of their organisation. Congratulations to our lucky prize draw winners The Menopause Café Charity!
• We helped our members stay hydrated with the gift of an exclusive SCVO-branded water bottle as a small token to say thanks for being part of the SCVO membership community
• It wasn't all work and no play! We helped delegates to relax and have some fun while they were at the Gathering so that they could return to work feeling motivated and refreshed.

We know that hosting a large event has environmental impacts including but not limited to: 

• Power and energy production and consumption 
• Procurement, production, use and circularity of materials 
• Production, creation and waste of food and beverages 
• Transport of delegates, staff and event materials 

We are committed to mitigating our environmental impact and to making continual progress and making each year’s Gathering greener.  Here's some information about things we did to help us reduce our carbon footprint, and ways we encouraged our exhibitors, hosts and visitors to play their part too:

• We chose the EICC as the venue for the Gathering because it has good transport links. 86% of delegates used public transport, walking, cycling or wheeling to get to the venue 
• SCVO only had one paper guide for the Gathering, printed with environmentally friendly paper and bio-degradable ink. We produced minimal printed promotional material and most printed materials were not event-specific to allow them to be used at future events to avoid waste and most of our event information and directional signage was displayed on screens and on re-used and reusable signage around the venue 
• Where possible, we re-used and re-purposed stands, banners and signage from previous events and the main SCVO stand was hired, with the structure to be re-used by other organisations 
• Delegates could recycle waste using recycling bins located around the EICC and we encouraged delegates to prepare for a greener Gathering with pre-event communications encouraging delegates to bring their own reusable cup for tea and coffee (and a 50p discount!), and a water bottle. There were water stations around the venue and at the SCVO stand 
• Our giveaway for SCVO members was an ethically and sustainably produced, re-usable aluminium water bottle to encourage members to move away from single-use plastic water bottles in their daily lives 
• Catering at the venue was exclusively vegetarian (with vegan and non-gluten-containing options) in keeping with our commitment to encourage more plant-based diets 
• 0% of our event waste went to landfill  and cardboard and plastic from the Gathering was baled in Edinburgh and goes to mills in the UK to be re-used 
• We brought our Growing Climate Confidence project to the main SCVO stand and offered delegates the chance to play a fun climate-related game while having the opportunity to chat one-to-one with SCVO's climate project officer and to seek expert advice on taking steps on their journey to net zero 
• 10% of the Gathering programme covered topics relating to the environment, sustainability, the climate crisis and the journey to net zero 

Our other commitments 

We will work with the EICC again this year to create an event impact report to include information about energy consumption, waste management and plastic use. This will be considered along with our wider feedback and evaluation to help us learn and plan future events. 

To help all voluntary sector organisations get to grips with the climate and nature emergencies, we have developed our Growing Climate Confidence resource, a website packed with tips and ideas to help you think beyond the Gathering, and to think about your organisation's role in helping to reduce emissions and engaging your community in the importance of taking steps address the climate and nature emergencies that impact us all. 

Accessibility and inclusion continues to be at the forefront of our minds in the decisions we make about the Gathering. We wanted the Gathering 2025 to be accessible, inclusive and enjoyable for everyone and we applied a range of accessibility measures as standard. Here are some of the actions that we took: 

• We continued engaging with sponsors and partners so we could offer the Gathering experience at no cost to delegates, to help to support as many people as possible to take part 
• We warmly invited delegates to tell us about needs in advance and where needed, we followed up with people about their needs so we could aim to meet them as best we could 
• We provided information about access and accessible facilities in a range of formats and offered all information in accessible formats. We provided online and hard copy event and venue information 
• We provided advanced detailed transport and accommodation information and details of car parking/drop-off 
• We welcomed people bringing their own lunch, snacks and refreshments to save on cost 
• We offered a dedicated accessibility and information desk with welcoming and informed staff  
• We made sure that our signage was clear and our staff were easily identifiable staff to provide support 
• We provided induction loops at registration and in all event rooms 
• We limited public address (PA) announcements and ambient music 
• We provide a prayer room, a quiet room, a parenting room, and a work room, in addition to quieter spaces around the venue 
• We provided Gathering exhibitors and event hosts with tips on how to be more accessible and inclusive, stressing our commitment to making the exhibition accessible 
• We provided British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters as standard at the most subscribed events and recorded the events for the Gathering Extra so that as many people as possible could have access to them
• We tried to make sure that our event programme offered a diverse range of sessions delivered by people from different backgrounds and experiences with a focus on encouraging panel members with lived experience of the topics being discussed to take part 
• We hosted the Gathering Extra online on 5th March as well as the in-person Gathering. It's an online event that featured recorded sessions from the Gathering and special live guests with an SCVO host, in a format that is designed specifically for an online audience.