Serving up circularity: LTA transforms old buffet counters at the HSBC Championships

When planning a world-class sporting event, sustainability is increasingly becoming the Centre Court focus. For  the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, this year’s HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club presented a unique opportunity to turn past event infrastructure into future event items and social impact at the same time.

As one of the most popular and longest-running grass court tennis events on the calendar, held at the historic Queen’s Club in West Kensington every June, the tournament draws incredible crowds. But behind the scenes, the LTA wanted to do things differently. Instead of letting the timber from old buffet counters used in player areas from the previous tournament, sit in storage or head to a skip, the LTA partnered with Arena and Event Cycle to serve up a creative upcycling solution for this years’ service. 

This initiative is just one example of how the LTA are making their grass court season events more environmentally friendly, other actions taken this year included:

• Using over 50% of all tournament fleet vehicles across LTA events being fully electric models, thanks to a partnership with Lexus. 

• Donating more than three tonnes of leftover food to local charities, reducing food waste and providing over 7,500 meals for those in need.

• Using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to power temporary generators on-site, resulting in 90% less emissions than standard fuels 

• Removing a further 200,000 single-use plastic bottles across events in partnership with BRITA

• New this year, the onsite stringers worked with Hubba on an initiative called ‘Circularstring’, collecting used racket strings, which will then be recycled and transformed into high performance, sustainable sportswear.

  
  

From buffet counters to the dining table

As an organisation dedicated to promoting the "physical, social, and mental rewards of tennis both on and off the court," the LTA wanted a tangible way to showcase circularity directly inside the tournament’s premium spaces.

Event Cycle worked closely with the LTA and the event's catering supplier to workshop different concepts for the rescued timber, exploring everything from custom serving trays to display boxes. Ultimately, the team aced the perfect idea: bespoke, HSBC logo shaped menu holders for the prestigious HSBC Championships player dining areas.

To bring this vision to life, the LTA and Event Cycle collaborated with the REMO Charitable Trust, a community-focused social enterprise based in Cambridgeshire that specialises in resource reuse and providing skill-building opportunities for people facing barriers to employment.

Using their precision CNC cutters, the talented team at REMO carefully processed the LTA’s salvaged wood into artistically designed menu holders, giving the timber a high-profile second life right back where it started.

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Cultivating the Next Lifecycle

And, of course, the circular story didn't stop there. The remaining timber offcuts and materials kept at REMO are already being funnelled into a brand-new community project. REMO is repurposing the leftover wood to build custom garden planters for their local site. Next month, these planters will be used for a dedicated family volunteer initiative. Local families and children will come together to plant sunflower seeds, providing a hands-on outdoor activity that teaches younger generations about sustainability while directly boosting biodiversity and feeding local bird populations.

A Match Winning Formula

It’s not just timber, at this year’s HSBC Championships, all internal temporary signs were made from 'displayboard', a recyclable material, that can go in normal paper/card waste streams and reusable ice towels were offered to players to trial. By planning for the lifecycle of their event materials well in advance, the LTA proved that event sustainability can be creative. What started as old buffet counters became menu holders and community garden planters.

When national governing bodies and local social enterprises team up, a single piece of timber can make a lasting impact long after the crowds leave West Kensington.

Is your organisation looking to build real social value and circular design into your next event? Let's talk about how we can upcycle your past materials into your next big asset. Get in touch at hello@eventcycle.org.