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  • Posted by Jessie States at
    12:00AM 04/14/2011 • 0 Comments

    Sustainable Events: Get Heard

    The public comment period for ISO 20121 (the international event sustainability management system) will continue through Sept. 11. So what are you waiting for? Apply your knowledge to a standard that will positively affect the growth and sustainability of the meeting industry for the foreseeable future.

    The standard will be applicable to all event industry organizations and will take a management-systems approach, requiring identification of key sustainability issues relevant to the standard user. ISO 20121 is expected to be finalized in 2012 to coincide with the London Olympics. 

    "Everyone is encouraged to engage with their national standards body or one of the liaison bodies and share their feedback," says Fiona Pelham of Sustainable Events Ltd, the chairwoman of the ISO technical committee (ISO/PC 250) that is developing the standard. "Now is an opportunity for everyone to get involved with the development of sustainability within the event industry." 

    Twenty-nine participating countries, nice observing countries and six liaison bodies comprise the working group for ISO 20121. Recent meetings held in Tokyo and San Francisco included representation from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., the U.S. and liaison bodies such as MPI and The Green Meetings Industry Council. 

    MPI is the only global association with one representative (Roger Simons) actively engaged in standards development with ISO, GRI and APEX providing a direct connection from our 23,000 members world-wide to the decision making process around these standards that will directly affect future operations of our industry. MPI is committed to this level of engagement as part of our larger Environmental and Social Responsibility thought leadership initiatives funded by the MPI Foundation and in large part by IHG Intercontinental Hotel Groups.

    To locate your national standards body, email U.K. Secretariat Jose Alcorta or contact any of the liaison bodies below.

    MPI (email Roger Simons)

    International Association of Convention Centres  
    European Federation of the Association of Professional Congress Organisers 
    Green Meeting Industry Council  
    Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes Europe  
     The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry  
    The Global Reporting Initiative

    Download frequently asked questions and answers here.



  • Posted by Theresa Davis at
    12:00AM 11/02/2010 • 0 Comments

    Just a bit of Alphabet Soup

    Before coming into the meeting and event industry, I was in travel, and before that in healthcare.  And in each iteration of my career I thought - wow we speak in a lot of acronyms.  But I have to say, so far in my experience this industry takes the C-A-K-E.  So as we collaborated with partner associations on developing the Sustainable Event Measurement Tool (released at WEC 2010) we had some fun poking fun at ourselves and all the acronyms we've grown to develop a love/hate relationship with.

    So without further ado, I present to you our Engage readers, the debut of the SEMT brought to you by MPI and GMIC - asap.

     



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 09/14/2010 • 0 Comments

    Shiny, New and "Green"

    Tyler Brûlé, editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine, wrote something recently for the Financial Times that has caused a pensive mood in me concerning CSR and the whole "green" movement. 

    "I will never claim to be the biggest eco-warrior and am not attempting to leap atop any high horse, but I bristle at the environmental tokenism that most hotels are using as a sales hook to woo guests and create corporate social responsibility stories for their annual reports," he wrote. "If hoteliers want to do something truly meaningful to clear their consciences, make guests feel better, cut emissions and even improve balance sheets, they need to end the constant cycle of overhauling cheaply made hotel rooms."

    I believe Brûlé makes a great point, and it's one that I rarely see discussed in the meeting and events industry. Probably because what's shiny, new and "green" is a much sexier story than longevity and grandness. Perhaps you have an opinion? 



  • Posted by Jessie States at
    12:00AM 07/27/2010 • 0 Comments

    MPI CSR Tool

    MPI launched the industry’s most comprehensive sustainable event measurement tool yesterday at the World Education Congress following months of research and design.

    The application pilots planners and suppliers through the green event process—from energy-efficient audiovisual to water use and transportation—presenting a system that reports carbon emissions, tracks ongoing improvements over time and reduces overall environmental footprints. Basically, the new application provides a consistent way to measure sustainable results—something the industry has been long lacking.

    The tool comes courtesy of IHG, which contributed US$500,000 to the MPI Foundation expressly for an ongoing CSR initiative. The tool’s history traces back to the U.S.-based Convention Industry Council, which tasked MPI with the creation of a sustainable event application in 2008. MPI commissioned the job to the Triple Bottom Line Alliance—a team comprised of leaders from MCI, the Carbon Consultancy and Meeting Strategies Worldwide.

    Triple Bottom Line designed the tool to comply with and tie to a bevy of industry standards including the Accepted Practices Exchange’s Green Meetings and Events Standards, British Standard 8901, the Global Reporting Initiative and the upcoming International Organization for Standardization 20121—all of which address the industry’s growing interest in sustainable meetings. 

    “We are experiencing a major shift in expectations around sustainability and CSR, increasing regulation and scrutiny and stakeholder influence. If these are not visible in supplier RFPs currently, then it’s a matter of when, not if,” says Roger Simons, CMP, CSR and sustainable events manager for MPI. “We have a duty to ensure our members—and the industry itself—are prepared and equipped for these developments.”




  • Posted by Jessie States at
    12:00AM 07/19/2010 • 0 Comments

    Sustainable IMEX

    As IMEX looks to launch its Americas edition in October 2011, the group has renewed its pledge for environmental sustainability and hired Portland-based MeetGreen as official sustainability consultant. MeetGreen will focus on environmental objectives and green standards for transportation, food and beverage and venue in particular. 

    Earlier this year the Las Vegas Sands Corporation unveiled environmental initiative Eco 360. And with the recent LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) of the Venetian and its conference center, the combined properties now comprise the largest adjoined LEED-certified building in the world. 

    Upon its launch eight years ago, the IMEX Group set out to establish new standards for environmental best practice in the exhibition industry. This year, IMEX in Frankfurt reduced its total year-over-year waste output by 30 tons, paper usage by 8 tons and cardboard by 7.5 tons. The company also sets yearly environmental goals for the recycling and reuse of a wide range of other materials including carpeting and visitor badges. 

    “Las Vegas is not usually top of mind when you think of sustainable destinations yet there are great strides being made by Las Vegas venues," says Amy Spatrisano, principal of MeetGreen. "We’re looking forward to this tremendous opportunity in working with IMEX America to support their commitment to produce a sustainable trade show by using a progressive approach with Las Vegas venues and vendors to elevate the level of sustainable practices being implemented.”   

    Spatrisano says that her company works with global organizations to integrate sustainable practices and produce conferences and events that deliver targeted business results. Since the company's founding in 1994, she says, MeetGreen has pursued its vision to continuously transform the global meetings industry through leadership, innovation, education and performance. 

    IMEX America’s model will welcome 2,000 hosted buyers from the association, corporate and agency sectors—some 80 percent from North America and 20 percent from the rest of the world. All will place business internationally as well as in the U.S. and all will benefit from exclusive access to the IMEX online appointment and diary messaging tools, which this year generated more than 57,000 group and individual business appointments between buyers and exhibitors at IMEX in Frankfurt. 

    Meanwhile, MPI continues to work with IMEX as its exclusive strategic partner and educational provider. MPI will run high-level seminars each morning and dedicate a full day to education before the event opens. The popular MPI Foundation Rendezvous party will also be showcased. From 2011, MPI will no longer operate its marketplace tradeshow alongside the World Education Congress, but will instead encourage members to make IMEX America their annual show of choice. MPI and IMEX America will launch a series of six high-level webinars in autumn 2010, underlining the strategic partnership and the major education role of MPI while creating momentum for the inaugural event.



  • Posted by David Basler at
    12:00AM 07/13/2010 • 0 Comments

    Starwood Rolls Out CSR Program

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has rolled out a system of sustainable-meeting guidelines at all of its North American properties and plans to extend the Sustainable Meeting Practices program globally in 2011. The program addresses five core components, including paperless-meeting planning, sustainable-meeting services, sustainable food and beverage practices, impact-assessment tools and socially conscious activities. It features 18 sustainable practices, including digital signage and sustainable menu choices.