NEW INSIGHTS: BCD Meetings & Events has released its 2024 Global Sustainability Guide, which looks at best practices and challenges for adopting sustainable event solutions. The 20-page report encourages green-meeting initiatives with advice on thinking about the big picture, as well as ideas for breaking down efforts into manageable actions.
“The scale of this challenge can, at times, be overwhelming,” says Bruce Morgan, global president, BCD M&E. “By thinking forward and embracing the myriad best practices available to our industry, we not only mitigate risks but also unlock significant opportunities for positive change.”
Also of interest, BCD M&E’s parent company BCD Travel released its 2024 Sustainability Report in July, which looks at the company’s progress against key performance indicators in 2023.
HUGE COMMITMENT: ASM Global has officially signed the Net-Zero Carbon Events pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. With its network of more than 400 venues around the world, ASM Global's commitment to sustainability means progress for the environment—and the growth of the coalition that NZCE has built over the past few years. NZCE has attracted hundreds of signatories to the pledge since its launch in 2021, and has produced several resources to help organizations reach their goals, including seven best-practices and methodology documents.
SOURCING FACTOR: A recent study by Amadeus, Salesforce, and Meeting Professionals International looked at shifting customer preferences in the business-events space. Among the six key trends noted in the resulting Hotel Sales Stars: The Ultimate Strategy Playbook is a growing customer focus on sustainability as a purchasing-decision factor.
The report cites customer interest in local sourcing, carbon and resource usage, renewable materials, and community engagement. “Forward-thinking hotels are implementing tools and rewards that demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and give customers tangible data about an event’s carbon footprint,” according to the study.
FOOD-RECOVERY INITIATIVE: Ottawa Tourism has launched a partnership with La Tablée des Chefs, a nonprofit organization that has been fighting food insecurity in Canada for more than 20 years. The partnership, the first between La Tablée des Chefs and a destination management organization, will work to equip venues hosting large events and international congresses with the tools for a safe and organized food-recovery process.
FRESH FORUM: Convene 4 Climate, a sustainability-strategies conference for the meetings and events industry, launches in Barcelona, Spain, on October 2 and 3. The Professional Convention Management Association, in collaboration with The National Convention Bureau of Europe, will host the event at the Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona directly following its three-day Convening EMEA event.
MAKE A STATEMENT: This summer, Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals put its commitment to sustainability into words with its new Sustainability and Social Impact Statement. FICP’s message builds off its existing DEI statement and aligns with the Events Industry Council's industry guidance.
Outlining the association’s goals and guiding principles, the opening statement says that “sustainability and social impact, including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), are core values to our association and its community of meetings professionals and hospitality partners and permeate every aspect of FICP. We recognize that events have a tremendous opportunity to make an impact on the sustainability and social wellbeing of the world, and FICP strives to make it a positive impact.”
