sustainability is smart business (events industry)
DESCRIPTION
The business case for sustainability for event industry leaders. Directed at destinations, hotels, venues and industry influencers, the points here help show that sustainable practices are fundamental, integral and benficial to business. Prepared in collaboration with Mariela McIwraith of MeetingChange, these slides were presented to the World Meetings Forum on behalf of the Green Meetings Industry Council.TRANSCRIPT
Sustainability is Smart Business Michael Luehrs Sustainability Advisor, President, Green Meeting Industry Council
Mariela McIlwraith, CMP, CMM, MBAExecutive Director, GMIC Sustainable Meetings FoundationPresident, Meeting Change
Our Agenda
X About GMIC
Sustainability & Smart Business
X
How we will work towards sustainability
About GMIC
Who is the GMIC?
The GMIC is the premier
global meetings community solely dedicated to sustainability not only through education
but also by spearheading research, policy and standards for the meetings and event
industry. We inspire industry leaders of all levels to
make meetings better through sustainability.
GMIC Current Initiatives:
• GMIC/IMEX Green Awards• Standards Development
– APEX/ASTM, ISO 20121, GRI
• Education, Training & Annual Conference • Global Network: Chapters & Supporting
Business Partners www.imex-frankfurt.com/greenawards.html
GMIC’s Vision Using TNS
Enfuse scientific principles
Develop Vision of Success
Catalyze industry collaboration
Research, Communicate & Educate
Develop standards, tools and systems
Why is Sustainability Smart Business?
“Highly sustainable companies significantly outperform their counterparts”
Eccels, Serafim, Harvard UniversityIannou, London School of BusinessSept 2012
• 70%: sustainability permanent part of the agenda
• “necessary to being competitive”
• 1/3: “contributes to profitability”
• 68% have increased commitments
• “Business cannot survive in a society that fails””
• The need for companies to play a more active role is very transparent”– Paul Polman
• Share price has doubled since 2010 when plan was launched
Return on Investment
66% customers prefer to buy from companies that give back to society
62% want to work for these companies
59% want to invest in these companiesNeilsen Survey, 2012
Meetings Industry Statistics
66% of attendees would pay more for products that are ethically and socially responsible.
30% more than 30% of buyers give precedence to suppliers that use externally accredited sustainability certification, only 12% have it
70% of attendees want to see CSR activities reported on websites, only 58% of meeting businesses do this.
MPI Research, 2012
The Business Case for Sustainability
• Operational efficiency• Stakeholder relations• Public relations• Business benefits• Employee morale• Risk mitigation• Decision-making ability
Operational Efficiency
• Streamlined use of resources– Less paper use, fewer shipping miles, less materials
brought on site, which reduces waste and recycling streams.
• Green meetings programs address many operational inefficiencies in terms of purchasing, resources, waste, and energy.
• APEX/ASTM green meetings standards directly target operational inefficiencies
Stakeholder Relations
• A focus on supporting the community improves trust and strengthens relationships,
• Relationship management is a core competency of many meeting professionals.
• Benefits of working with value chains include cost-effectiveness and buy-in, saving event professionals time and money.
Public Relations
• A comprehensive sustainability program that has successfully built trust and enhanced brand and reputation in the community will help counteract negative publicity.
• Improve your reputation
Business benefits
• Customers and stakeholders are increasingly looking for organizations that demonstrate a link to their own values.– Example, if an organization is shopping for a
supplier, all other things being equal, they may use CSR as a tie breaker.
Employee morale
• Employees want to work for organizations that share their values. A CSR program that involves its employees in their initiatives can enhance retention and improve morale. – Coro Strandberg, The Business Case for
Sustainability, Strandberg Consulting (2009). http://www.corostrandberg.com/pdfs/Business_Case_for_Sustainability_21.pdf.
Risk Mitigation
• CSR helps build brand, organizational and even industry reputation.
• By having a policy and program in place, it is less likely that the industry will face regulation and can help mitigate poor public opinion.
Decision-making ability
• Having a sustainability policy helps guide actions of employees, volunteers, speakers, consultants, and suppliers.
• By providing guidance, it assists decision-making ability in a variety of situations.
How will we implement sustainability?
• 27 kg waste (2 at home)• 3200 l water (976 at home)
1 event, 15,000 participants:• 127000 t C02• 8.5 t / pp*• Each participant –in 3 days- emitted more than
twice what a person in Mexico emits in a year
Typical Event participant
Overview of Standards
ISO 20121Provides information required for creating an event management system
APEX/ASTM Sustainable Meeting StandardsCollects data required for planner and supplier standards compliance in 8 areas, across 9 sectors
GRI Event Organizer Sector SupplementIdentifies data required for GRI criteria
Vision
Strategy
Actions
Results
Exhibits Food & Beverage Onsite Office
Transportation A/V & Production Communication
Meeting Venue Destinations Accommodations
APEX/ASTM Standards
EnergyWaterWasteAir QualityProcurementCommunityStaff ManagementCommunication
The cost of sustainability
Case Study
• 8 different NGO’s directly benefit from event
• Supplier Collaboration• Exhibitor incentive• Sustainable event assessment• No added costs
IMEX America
• Impact measurement• Collaboration with partners• Social Responsibility
– Shade Tree– Opportunity Village– Clean the World
• No additional cost
Oracle
• 46,000 people• Measurement & Communication• $1.5 Million saved since 2007
–Eliminating bottled water–Reduced fuel use–Reduced waste
Get Started
Policies
Request for proposals
Contracts
Reports
Sustainability & Contracts
What it is matters
How it is grown matters
How it is moved matters
Waste generated matters
Working environment matters
Food & Beverage
Do you give back to the community?
Do you have a list of NGO’sWith whom you partner?
How will you measure?
Community Service: Getting Started
CSR Projects: MAUDE Framework
MAUDE Frameworks is from Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Meetings and Events Industry by Elizabeth Henderson and Mariela McIlwraith. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Tell Your Story
• Measure and report • Social Media• Articles • Apply for awards
http://bit.ly/JjkJo6
Resources
• Green Meeting Industry Council www.gmicglobal.com
• Convention Industry Council http://www.conventionindustry.org/StandardsPractices/APEXASTM.aspx
Thank You!
[email protected]@michaelluehrswww.fightinggoodfights.com
[email protected] @meetingchangewww.meetingchange.com