Engage, act, impact: organising a successful Sustainable Energy Day

Participating in the Sustainable Energy Days initiative is your chance to boost the visibility of your event, get your voice heard and make a difference in your community. Over the years, the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) has recognised thousands of Sustainable Energy Days across Europe and around the world, highlighting the power of collective conversations and actions in achieving real results.

These events can be held online or in-person, anywhere from schools to conference centres or outdoor spaces, and offer a platform for a range of activities, from awareness-raising to showcasing specific technologies or policies related to the clean energy transition. Open to creativity, they can be tailored to target local communities or entire regions. To be eligible for the Sustainable Energy Day label, these events should take place between 1 March and 30 June 2024. Explore events from EUSEW 2023 to see how others successfully brought their Sustainable Energy Day visions to life!

If you are planning an event that aligns with these values, act now: apply to be part of the Sustainable Energy Days lineup before 31 May 2024 at 23.59 CET.

Check out the following guide to ensure your event makes an impact.

Who, what, when

Sustainable Energy Days are for everyone, and anyone can apply, whether they be educational institutions, public bodies, energy agencies, trade or industry organisations, businesses, NGOs, EU project partners, associations or networks, or citizens. These events vary in duration and use different formats to explore a range of topics. They are held locally between March and June 2024 and require no admission fees.

Have clear goals

Identifying well in advance what you or your organisation wish to achieve during the event will enable you to plan your lecture, workshop, focus group or info session more effectively. Clearly defining specific outcomes, whether it be brainstorming with members of your local community or networking with sustainable energy professionals, will also influence how you tell others about your event and provides a framework for evaluating its success afterwards.

Identify your audience

Taking an idea and turning it into action requires different types of people with different types of skills – it all depends on the topic. For example, engaging with local residents is crucial for a community clean energy project, but identifying the best technical solutions requires energy sector partners with specialised knowledge.

Make contact

After identifying your target audience, you should be proactive when reaching out to them. The dedicated interactive map on our website will show the wider EUSEW community where to find you, but you can further your outreach efforts using the Sustainable Energy Day organiser’s toolkit. Ready-to-use templates and social media posts will help you disseminate the message on your audience’s favourite social media channels. Moreover, your event will be featured in the EUSEW newsletter, which is distributed to over 16,000 subscribers, and actively promoted on the EUSEW social media platforms, where we have a combined following of over 20,000 people. This multi-faceted approach to promotion provides an excellent opportunity to increase awareness and engagement for your event, reaching a large and diverse audience interested in sustainable energy and climate goals.

Collaboration is key

In the run-up to your event, think carefully about the best way to involve your audience. Build team spirit among attendees through ‘icebreaker’ activities when introducing themselves. During online events, use tools like Slido and breakout rooms to encourage debate and make participants the focus of your session. This will give them a sense of ownership, leading to effective results and a successful event.