Big Tech Meets Event Sustainability: How Event Cyc's New Partnership with Lenovo Will Fast-Track Event Social Impact

We have some massive news to share, and no we haven’t traded our hi-vis jackets and de-rig clipboards for corporate suits.

Event Cycle has been selected as one of just 12 small businesses worldwide to partner with global technology leader Lenovo as part of their Backing Every Business initiative. Out of thousands of applications globally, we were chosen alongside 11 other incredible entrepreneurs to form six cross-border business "twins".  

To kick off the partnership, one of our Co-Founders Chantal, was flown to Seattle for four intensive days of strategy, tech exploration at the Microsoft Innovation Hub, and an incredible group stage match at the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

An event sustainability and social impact consultancy backed by one of the biggest tech infrastructure companies in the world might not look like an obvious pairing on paper. But for our clients, our partners, and the charities we support, this tech injection is going to change the game.

What Does This Mean for Our Clients and Charity Network?

As a small, remote team, our biggest challenge has never been finding passion or world class clients to work with, it's been processign all the data behind what we do. Lenovo will be working with us to design bespoke technical support and deploy AI-enabled technology tailored directly to how Event Cycle operates.

For anyone planning an event with us, this means:

• Faster Charity Matching: We will be using Lenovo's AI tools to dramatically cut down the time it takes to screen local charity groups and map their specific material needs, getting surplus materials into the right hands faster.

  
  

• Smarter Impact Tracking: Advanced processing will allow us to measure, verify, and report the precise carbon savings and fair-market social value of your event's redirected assets with much greater accuracy and quicker too. Getting you the data you need for your ESG reports sooner.

  
  

• Earlier Intervention: Upgraded digital workspace systems will make it seamless to help event organisers build environmental and social impact into the early layout and procurement stages of a project, rather than waiting for the final de-rig.

  
  

Alongside this direct tech support, the program provides a $10,000 grant to fuel our operational growth, alongside business mentorship from Lenovo and actress/entrepreneur

Eva Longoria.  

Better Together: The Power of Business "Twinning"

The core philosophy of the Backing Every Business program is "Twinning", pairing founders across completely different industries and geographies to act as a 1-to-1 sounding board. It’s based on the simple idea that a problem shared is a problem halved.  

Spending four days in Seattle with the other 11 founders, swapping stories about scaling up small businesses, learning from tech leaders, and getting to know our official program twin, made one thing incredibly clear: the future of sustainability has to be collaborative.

We want to say a massive thank you to the teams at Lenovo and Zeno Group for hosting us so brilliantly.

This partnership marks a huge milestone for Event Cycle. We’re returning from Seattle with the funding, the global mentorship, and the heavy-duty tech backing required to prove that the events industry can leave behind a lasting social legacy instead of a massive landfill footprint.

The future of circular events is data-driven, and we’re ready to scale things up.

Want to find out how our newly upgraded, tech-driven network can maximise the social value of your next event? Drop us a line at hello@eventcycle.org.