Sustainability in Drinks switches location after burst water main
The London sustainability conference has discovered first hand the havoc flooding can wreak on a business. Still, its organisers can now promise “business as usual” for the event on 21 October.
You might expect a sustainability conference to discuss flooding. After all, it is a very real threat that climate change causes, and precisely the type of threat that sustainable business seeks to head off. Less likely, however, is that such a conference would have to contend with flooding itself.
Yet that is precisely the situation that Sustainability in Drinks has faced, three weeks off its sophomore event on 21 October. Although not caused by the weather systems – a burst water main is instead to blame – flooding led the organisers to abandon their original venue, St. Mary’s in Marylebone. It also left them with a conundrum.
“It was unthinkable to postpone the event as we have influential speakers and exhibitors who have already booked to attend, from eight different countries, including New Zealand, California, Portugal and Nordic countries,” says Judy Kendrick, who co-founded the event with Janet Harrison last year.
Luckily, the duo are no strangers to events management, and the adaptation it sometimes entails. “We asked for help from the UK drinks PR network and generic bodies,” explains Kendrick, “and received a phenomenal amount of support, including suggestions for alternative spaces, within a couple of hours!”
It has now been confirmed that Sustainability in Drinks will still take place – billed “business as usual” by its founders – with it now relocated to Christ Church, Spitalfields. The beautiful building is just an eight minute walk from London Liverpool Street, meaning the event has been kept in the heart of the capital.
Harrison commented: “The only real change to the day is the timings. It now starts at 10.30am, with the talks and workshops being pushed forward by half an hour. Other than that, everything is the same.
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“We are absolutely thrilled with the new venue, its capabilities and the event manager’s willingness to accommodate us at such short notice: it is quite a relief!”
A full programme
The quick pivot has been vital to ensure a successful event, given the jam-packed schedule. Although it is just a one day event, Kendrick, Harrison and their team have put together a thorough programme.
Four themed zones – covering land health, packaging, carbon management and sustainable society – will offer a chance to connect across the industry. Each of them has two small group workshops running, allowing a deeper dive into complex issues.
Through the day, there will also be panel discussions, allowing visitors to hear from leaders in sustainability in the drinks trade. Addressing questions of certification, communication and the nuances of sustainability at different points in the supply chain, they will bring together Masters of Wine, senior buyers and winemakers.
As the day’s conclusion, Jancis Robinson MW will introduce The Big Sustainability Debate followed by the day’s keynote speech. This year, Professor Paul Behrens of Oxford University will give the address.
The 2025 conference follows a hugely successful launch last year. The inaugural 2024 event won the award for Best Drinks Event at The Drinks Business Awards 2025. Moreover, the brand is expanding with its planned debut at Wine Paris next February.
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