Meet the Sustainable Festival Management graduate helping the live events industry clean up its act

Once part of the crowd as a music-mad teen, Sustainable Festival Management BA(Hons) graduate Bryonie Mathews is now shaping the future of festivals in her role with one of the UK’s leading sustainability consultancies, Hope Solutions.    

Hope Solutions provides bespoke services to a legendary line-up of festivals, artists and record labels, from Glastonbury and Coldplay to London’s Frieze art fair. Bryonie, a live event lead, helps clients manage their energy consumption and implement green initiatives to clean up their act. 

Speaking to us about her role, Bryonie said: “It’s rewarding – it feels like you’re making a difference. Many events are proactive about their environmental impact; we’re ahead of the game compared to a lot of industries. There’s a huge variety of green initiatives and I’m learning so much, such as carbon accounting. I’m sometimes office-based, working on things like reports, sustainable policies and contractor guides, but I’m often on-site running waste management and recycling schemes.” 

The sustainability lens at Falmouth and the skills I learned there definitely gave me the upper hand. I’m where I expected to be three years from now.

Studying Sustainable Festival Management BA(Hons) at Falmouth University provided Bryonie with a number of opportunities to prepare herself for industry, while her freelance production assistant role at the Eden Project positioned her as a standout candidate in her field. 

“The sustainability lens at Falmouth and the practical and critical thinking skills I learned there definitely gave me the upper hand with my CV,” adds Bryonie. “I’m where I expected to be three years from now.” 

On what advice she’d give to others looking to break into the industry, Bryonie said: “Always reach out, email, take opportunities in different jobs, even if it's not a particularly sustainable event, you’ll learn how not to do it next time.  

“It’s all learning. I worked in catering for ages, then got one décor job, that led to five or six more and then my freelance work suddenly got really interesting. If there’s a company, festival or person you’re interested in working with, email them.” 

Interested in becoming a confident, resilient festival manager with the ability to affect positive change? Discover BA(Hons) Sustainable Festival Management at Falmouth now.