HQ46

HEADQUARTERS E U R O P E , M I D D L E - E A S T, A F R I C A

the EMEA Magazine for Association Executives Supported by ESAE, European Society of Association Executives, and UIA, Union of International Associations, Brussels

46

Meeting Media Company Meetings Industry Publishers (Belgium) Afgiftekantoor 2800 Mechelen 1 Bureau de D茅p么t 2800 Malines 1 Published 5 times a year: March, April, June, September & November Edition September 2011 - P3A9029

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HQ > CONTENTS

Colophon HQ or Headquarters is a niche publication for European and international associations headquartered in Brussels and all major European cities dealing with the organization OF worldwide congresses. It is published 5 times a year. Circulation is 5000 copies.

Subscriptions Subscription amounts to 65 EUR (all incl.) in Belgium, 75 EUR (all incl.) in the EU and 95 EUR (all incl.) in the rest of the world.

The subscription entails 5 editions of HQ per year including the special edition Meeting Trends, as well as an online access to the website.

To subscribe: www.headquartersmagazine.com Editor in Chief Marcel A.M.Vissers T: +32 (0)3 226 88 81 marcel@headquartersmagazine.com Managing Director Cécile Caiati-Koch T: +32 (0)2 761 70 52 cecile@headquartersmagazine.com Account Manager - International Sales Kelvin Lu T: +32(0)761 70 59 kelvin@headquartersmagazine.com Managing Editor Rémi Dévé T: +32 (0)2 761 70 58 remi@headquartersmagazine.com Design WALLRUS, Kortrijk T: +32 (0)56 24 94 44 info@wallrus.be Print Cartim - Destelbergen Supported by ESAE and UIA Address 59, rue René Declercq B - 1150 Brussels (Belgium) T: +32 (0)2 761 70 50 F: +32 (0)2 761 70 51 www.headquartersmagazine.com Responsible Publisher Meeting Media Company Marcel A.M. Vissers Mechelseplein 23, bus 1 B - 2000 Antwerpen (Belgium)

Marcel A.M. Vissers Editor in Chief

m a r c e l’ s c o m m e n t A forgotten continent I meet so few African friends at meetings and congresses around the world. That’s truly a shame.

The ones I do meet are always interesting, because they can react so specifically to facts and events. Our industry knows little about congresses in Africa as well (except for South Africa).

I think it’s the responsibility of a professional magazine to write about this.

The last congress I attended was the AIPC one in San Diego. There were no more than six African delegates attending on a total of more than a hundred participants. During the presentation of the 2011 AIPC Member Trends & Outlook Survey, all continents were addressed proportionally except for Africa. Not a single word about it at all to be precise. Which led an African delegate to ask if they were irrelevant.

During the annual ICCA congresses there are few African representatives as well. What I miss the most during professional association congresses are African speakers. It’s not a question of color, but of point of view. Ideas from Africa can add so much to our view of the world. There was a time we missed Asian brothers and sisters as well during these events, but that has changed in the last few years.

And sure, there will be readers saying: it’s our (European) fault we almost never include Africa.

Doesn’t Africa need to prove itself on the international meetings map? Of course they do, but that shouldn’t prevent us from creating a platform at every congress that African delegates and potential speakers can use to work on their knowledge of the industry. From UIA statistics we learn that countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and Namibia are already organizing a good number of international congresses. And just look at all the opportunities in North Africa: Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt are waiting to be discovered. I, for one, am already looking forward to my visit to the ICCA Africa Chapter workshop in Nairobi. www.headquartersmagazine.com / marcelsblog.typepad.com

Cécile Caiati-Koch

Rémi Dévé

CONTENTS General News ICCA European Cities Marketing Association Portrait Viparis ESAE UIA

HQ magazine sets great store by sustainable development and therefore chose responsible FSC® certified paper which comes from a controlled source.

More info: www.fsc.org ® FSC, A.C. FSC-SECR-0045

Destinations 7 9 11 12 14 18 24

Meeting Trends ICCA & UIA Satistics for 2010

15

Durban Berlin Geneva Zürich World Forum, The Hague Ottawa Malaysia Taiwan Copenhagen Stockholm

27 28 31 33 35 36 38 40 43 46

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HQ IN 2011 HQ EMEA HEADQUARTERS

HAP HEADQUARTERS

HQ EMEA stands for Headquarters Europe Middle East Africa, the magazine for EMEA-based associations.

HAP stands for Headquarters Asia-Pacific, the magazine for Asia-Pacific-based associations.

PROFILE HQ EMEA

PROFILE HAP

Distribution + HQ Magazine is the EMEA magazine for international associations + Circulation: 5,000 copies + Published 5 times a year + Distribution in Europe, Middle East and Africa

Distribution + HAP is an Asian-Pacific magazine + Circulation: 2,500 copies + Published 4 times a year + 14 Asian-Pacific countries

Readership + International associations organizing international congresses in EMEA and other continents (94%) + Members of ESAE, the European Society of Association Executives (1%) + the EMEA meetings industry PCO’s, AMC’s, members of 1% 5% EFAPCO, IAPCO (5%)

94%

Readership The readers of HAP consists of 3 important groups: + the Asian-Pacific associations organising congresses in the region: 65% + the internationanl associations organizing international congresses: 30% 5% + the Asian-Pacifc meetings industry, international agencies (PCO’s, AMC’s, members of IAPCO): 5% 30% 65%

HeadQuarters magazine, The EMEA Magazine for Association Executives

PLANNING HQ EMEA Print Issue # Publication Booking Date deadline Topics HQ43 March 2011 7 Jan. Practical issues (insurance, visas, customs, exchanges, rates, etc.)

HQ44 April 2011 22 March Alternative types of events venues HQ45 June 2011 18 April Conference hotels Technology (social media, design, new software, etc.)

HQ46 Sept. 2011 22 June Sustainability HQ47

Nov. 2011

3 Oct.

Each issue includes a cover interview, a special feature and destination reports.

HEADQUARTERS magazine, The Asia-Pacific Magazine for Association Executives

PLANNING HAP

Additional Distribution EMIF GIBTM IMEX AIBTM ASAE Annual Meeting CIBTM IMEX America ESAE Annual Congress EIBTM

Alliances and partnerships of destinations, venues, etc.: how it is beneficial to associations

Online HQ publishes a Global E-Zine, in which where can choose to promote your activities in one or several of the following sections: meetings professional, events and fairs, destinations, venues, hotels. HQ Global E-Zine is sent out to professional association planners.

Print Issue # HAP 5 HAP 6

Publication Date April 2011 July 2011

Booking deadline 25 Febr.

26 May

HAP 7

Oct. 2011

26 Aug.

HAP 8

Dec. 2011

28 Oct.

Magazine Publicity Size 2/1 1/1 1/2

Magazine Publicity Size 2/1 1/1 1/2

Covers include a surcharge of 15%

Destination reports Within the magazine Loose supplement

8 pages 12,500€* 14,500€

EIBTM

Publicity 4,500€ 2,950€ 1,750€

Advertorial 5,100€ 3,550€ 1,950€

Covers include a surcharge of 15%

12 pages 16,500€* 18,500€

16 pages 20,500€* 22,500€

*with cover picture of the destination

Online Small banner Big banner Preferred partners Emailing Your logo and URL in HQ E-Zine Special feature in HQ E-Zine

IT&CMA and CTW ITB Asia

Online HQ publishes a Global E-Zine, in which where can choose to promote your activities in one or several of the following sections: meetings professional, events and fairs, destinations, venues, hotels. HQ Global E-Zine is sent out to professional association planners.

RATES HAP

Advertorial 6,250€ 4,000€ 2,750€

Cultural experiences for association delegates

Additional Distribution IMEX CIBTM

Each issue includes a cover interview, a special feature and destination reports.

RATES HQ EMEA Publicity 5,500€ 3,750€ 2,500€

Topics Sustainability Alternative types of events venues The services of Convention Bureaus to associations

Destination reports 4 pages 6 pages 8 pages 12 pages 16 pages Within the magazine 7,000€* 8,500€* 10,000€* 13,000€* 16,000€* Loose supplement / / 12,000€ 14,000€ 18,000€ *with cover picture of the destination

400€ / month 600€ / month 350€ / month 3,500€ 650€ 1,600€

Online Small banner 300€ / month Big banner 500€ / month Preferred partners 250€ / month Emailing 2,500€ Your logo and URL in HQ E-Zine 450€ Special feature in HQ E-Zine 1,300€

Want to know where to send your press releases? press@headquartersmagazine.com

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Where else can you find state-of-the-art conference facilities and cutting edge professionalism amongst a young and vibrant population?

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Where 100,000 welcomes and our enviable passion for life always ensure an enjoyable experience for both event organisers and delegates alike.

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HQ

> headquarters news

EUR Congressi Roma in Baltimore

Hawaii Convention Center

Busy months ahead at Hawaii Convention Center Hawaii Convention Center will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC meetings taking place November 6 - 13, 2011, and the Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo from September 12 - 15, 2011. The 2011 Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo will provide a forum for international leaders and energy experts to network, while keeping current with the global clean energy movement. Approximately 1,500 people from 14 countries are expected to attend this year. www.hawaiiconvention.com

Discover CroatiaMeetings.com CroatiaMeetings.com is the first specialized online guide promoting Croatian congress and MICE capacities. Being a sort of informative ‘one stop shop’ with complete and detailed overview over the offer of congress capacities, specialized agencies and related services, CroatiaMeetings was recognized and is being supported by leading Croatian specialized institutions (Croatian Ministry of Tourism, Croatian Tourist Board and Zagreb Tourist Board). www.CroatiaMeetings.com

2011 Meetings Industry Fairs Worldwide: Make Your Choice!

CIBTM // 31 August - 1 September 2011, Beijing // www.cibtm.com IT&CMA // 4-6 October 2011, Bangkok // www.itcma.com.sg IMEX America // 11-13 October 2011, Las Vegas // www.imexamerica.com ITB Asia // 19-21 October 2011, Singapore // sme-itb-asia.com EIBTM // 29 November-1 December // www.eibtm.com

After participating to the main European industry exhibitions and to the Shanghai World Expo 2010, EUR Congress Roma was back on the international scene, participating, in collaboration with the Convention Bureau Italia and ENIT (Italian National Tourist Board), to AIBTM in Baltimore. The EUR Congressi Roma facilities, with their prestigious architecture, are characterized by multifunctionality, elegance and high standards.

They all stand in EUR, a monumental district, near to the historic center, well served by buses and metro and directly connected to airports, railway hubs and motorways. www.romaeur.it

2011 JMIC Unity Award Goes to Luc Maene Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) President Leigh Harry announced the winner of the 2011 JMIC Unity Award as Luc Maene, Director General, International Fertilizer Industry Association and President, European Society of Association Executives. The Unity Award is made annually to an individual who represents the best qualities of Meetings Industry Leadership and who has devoted major efforts to creating stronger relationships and a greater cohesion for the industry. www.themeetingsindustry.org

Suntec Singapore Wins AIPC Innovation Award After more than 10 months of development and testing of Suntec Singapore’s interactive information and way-finding system called ‘TouchPoint’, the venue won the AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres) Innovation Members Choice Award at the organisation’s global conference in San Diego, California. The system is a mobile interactive display way finding tool that gives the user instantaneous access to the convention centre’s facilities, ongoing events and on-demand information such as news feed, location of services, world time and its primary function as a location aware way finding system - all with a touch of a finger. www.suntecsingapore.com

EIBTM and sustainability EIBTM works closely with industry professionals and governing bodies to excel standards in sustainability. The transparency of these actions are seen through involvement with BS8901, the British Standard for Sustainable Event Management. EIBTM 2010 also introduced the ‘Sustainable Stand’ award encouraging exhibitors to adopt an environmentally conscious attitude.

This same award will feature in the 2011 show and EIBTM are working hard with the show venue Fira Gran Via, to continue the sustainable actions put in motion last year.

For EIBTM 2011, among many other things, the team plans to: + With continuing guidance from Sustainable Events Ltd introduce five new sustainability initiatives to educate and involve attendees and suppliers. + In the longer term switch to ISO:20121 accreditation and roll out CSR initiatives across the IBTM Portfolio. + Develop the Green Room education programme and update the sessions to represent changes in the industries approach to sustainability. + Increase exhibitor participation in the 20 Sustainable Actions initiative. + Provide a stronger organiser presence at the exhibition through the Sustainable Events Corner.

www.eibtm.com

More news on www.headquartersmagazine.com

HEADQUARTERS 7

The Global Meetings & Events Exhibition 29 November – 1 December 2011 Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain

Five star business opportunities for the meetings and events industry • International exhibition of over 3000 companies • Discover new destinations, products and services • Build and develop business contacts through a variety of networking events • Keep up-to-date with industry trends • Make purchasing decisions • Develop professional knowledge • Connect with the global Meetings & Events community

“

“

If you only go to one show a year this is an annual must attend event without a doubt.

Tim Procter – Air Charter Ltd.

Find out more at www.eibtm.com/MIM EIBTM is part of the Reed Travel Exhibitions Meetings and Events Portfolio

organised by

HQ > ICCA

ICCA’s 50th Congress in Leipzig

The 5th Dress to Impress Awards As the meetings industry as a whole is preparing for the ICCA Congress 22-26 October in Leipzig, let’s have a look at what the association has in store for us.

ICCA’s President Arnaldo Nardone said it himself: ‘This will almost certainly be ICCA’s largestever congress with representatives from more countries than ever before. But in itself, big is not automatically best! We are therefore working overtime to ensure that the large anticipated numbers don’t prevent us from delivering a highly personalised, friendly experience - that means more investment in networking tools to make it easy to meet the right delegates, more educational content so that session attendances don’t get too big for interaction, and more online appointments and business exchanges...’ Here we can definitely add: ‘… and a great dress to impress night to bring people together in an impressive way!’

What will be going on Tuesday 25 October

Gala Dinner at the Glass Hall

Dress to Impress 2011: 1920’s Cabaret style!

Sponsored by Headquarters Magazine This year’s Gala evening dress code follows a ‘retro’ theme - smart and chic, glamorous

5th anniversary of the Dress to Impress Awards The Dress to Impress Awards started very spontaneously in Pattaya, Thailand in 2007, when a few brave delegates decorated themselves with shiny golden accessories and Headquarters, together with some enthusiasts, scanned the crowd to see who stood out. Prizes were then awarded to the best dressed people in the form of Belgian chocolates. It’s continued in a informal manner since then. Last year in Hyderabad it was such a dress up party that special clothing is now mandatory during gala dinners. The Dress to Impress Awards have evolved into a valuable sponsoring formula over a five year period.

Leipziger Messe, Glashalle

Sponsored by the Free State of Saxony The Gala dinner will take place in the Glass Hall, a breathtaking barrel vault-shaped steel-and-glass construction, the landmark of the new Leipziger Messe Exhibition and Convention Centre. Look forward to an evening with culinary delights, cultural highlights in a prestigious venue also dressed up to the nine for the occasion.

Arnaldo Nardone

and sleek, elegant-yet-fun, silk scarves and feather boas, spiced up with a little late-night decadence perhaps. Once more we invite ICCA delegates to show off their creative side by inventing their own interpretation of our theme. Josephine Baker’s bananas, gangsterstyle suits, Great Gatsby-type daywear, and some of the oriental themes that were very fashionable back then… anything’s possible!

Dress to Impress’ themes through the years: 2007 in Pattaya, Thailand: A touch of gold 2008 in Victoria, Canada: Canada Fresh 2009 in Florence, Italy: Designer Catwalk 2010 in Hyderabad, India: Indian Memories 2011 in Leipzig, Germany: 1920’s Cabaret Style

HEADQUARTERS 9

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HQ > ECM

European Cities Marketing in Lyon

Healthy food at meetings When the conference takes place in Lyon and the main theme of the event is: ‘Cuisine and destination identity’, few of us will think twice before participating. This includes myself: that’s why I took the TGV for a direct trip from Brussels to Lyon. Report Marcel A.M. Vissers

Food as a tourist attraction This year, European Cities Marketing’s (ECM) Annual Conference was held in Lyon in early June. Its theme was food as a tourist attraction and the extent to which it can act as a competitive advantage in the marketing of a city. The event brought together 160 participants (with a small number of delegates from the meetings industry).

Food (and wine) can be an important factor to attract visitors. But for the meetings industry, things are different. A congress organizer isn’t going to book a venue in Graz or Brussels because these cities are good at marketing food and wine festivals. But still, both are important during a congress and for event catering. Especially healthy food is viewed very positively by organizers. And maybe it was precisely this link that the conference missed, as healthy food as such was not specifically dealt with at the conference.

Gastronomy as marketing strategy It is well known that cities recognized as gastronomic gems tend to attract a lot of visitors. That’s why one of the conference’s first speakers scored big points. Peter Kreiner, of the reknown noma, gave the delegates a fascinating insider’s perspective on the development of the award-winning restaurant in Copenhagen. The idea of local Danish food and traditional recipes presented in a simple and modern way had initially been greeted with cynicism by many, but it

went on to confound the critics. Peter Rømer Hansen, Senior Director of Business Development at Wonderful Copenhagen, outlined the significance of noma to the city as a whole, showing how it formed an integral part of city marketing strategies and initiatives.

Speakers went on to give their differing perspectives on how to attract tourists to a particular city through its culinary heritage.

Others exemplified the role TV programmes play in promoting cities as sought-after gastronomic destinations. A great part of the seminar illustrated best-practice examples of how four ECM member cities were promoting cuisine to good effect - Graz, Brussels, Dijon and Valencia.

European Cities Marketing’s new Vice President and Board Member At the General Assembly of European Cities Marketing held in Lyon, Heike Mahmoud, Director, Conventions, at VisitBerlin, was elected as the Association’s new Vice President.

She said: ‘My focus will be on specific content, trends and new activities relating to the meetings sector, and on giving added value to our members’. No doubt ECM will take yet another dimension with Heike’s election.

Healthy food, healthy living But during the conference, there was little talk about healthy food - especially about the new trends in congress food. Maybe the scientific study carried out by the School of Public Health (University of Minnesota) could have been of help here. They developed a set of guidelines for healthy food for conferences and event catering. Perhaps we’ll broach this subject next time.

more info ECM (European Cities Marketing) is the leading European association of city tourism offices and convention bureaus, representing 125 members across 100 major cities in 32 countries. Its aim is to improve the performance and maintain the competitiveness of its members through the exchange of best practice and information.

Marie Kuklova T. +33 380 56 59 51 press@europeancitiesmarketing.com www.europeancitiesmarketing.com www.nmbs-europe.com

HEADQUARTERS 11

HQ

> A ssociation portrait

The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) aims to ensure that bicycle use achieves its fullest potential so as to bring about sustainable mobility and public well-being. To do so, they lobby and organize events. Raimund Stabauer, Velocity Series Assistant and Event Manager, tells us more about the organization.

European Cyclists’ Federation A talk with Raimund Stabauer HQ: Could you briefly present the ECF? Raimund Stabauer: The ECF started back in 1983, founded by 12 bicycle user associations and his since grown to 66 associations Raimund Stabauer across almost 40 countries. It was originally based around organizing the Velo-city Conference where policy planners, bicycle advocates, politicians, etc. could meet to discuss, plan and advocate for improved everyday cycling. Now, its responsibilities have grown: it lobbies at the EU and international level, provides cycling expertise through EuroVelo, the trans-European Cycle path network and participates in a number of EU funded projects. The number of full time staff has increased dramatically in the past few years, and it’s becoming quite the influential player in Europe and globally.

HEADQUARTERS 12

HQ: What kind of challenges has the association overcome in recent years?

Raimund Stabauer: In recent years we have had to deal with the consequences of the global financial crisis. This can affect so many parts of conference planning, especially because we’re often in partnerships with local governments when organizing our conferences. It’s been a challenge overcoming reduced budgets and altered political agendas.

Another big challenge we’ve been facing is going global. Obviously, if we want to make sure cycling is taken seriously, getting the developing giants like China on board is essential. We’re now trying to place our roots not only in Europe but abroad, and this is much easier said than done.

HQ: What kind of events do you organize?

Raimund Stabauer: ECF organizes the premier cycle planning conference - it’s called Velo-city. As mentioned earlier, Velo-city series of conferences is widely considered as the premier international planning

conferences on cycling. These events are designed to encourage cycling as part of daily transport and recreation.

Velo-city began in 1980 in Bremen, Germany with deep ties in the founding of the European Cyclists’ Federation. Since then conferences have been held in cities including Copenhagen, Brussels, Barcelona and Montreal. Velo-city conferences are now attracting about 1,000 delegates. They bring together those involved in policy, promotion and the provision of cycling facilities and programs. Engineers, planners, architects, social marketers, academic researchers, environmentalists, business, and industry representatives join forces with government at all levels ranging from municipal politicians, policy makers and educators in knowledge sharing in order to build effective trans-national partnerships to deliver benefits worldwide.

Answering the growing demand for expertise in cycling from cities, ECF has decided to hold an annual Velo-city conference as of 2010.

In any case a Velo-city are held in every odd numbered year in Europe. The Global edition (Velo-city Global) of the conference series is held in every even numbered year on one of the six continents.

There is a clear trend to hold more sustainable conferences; this means that there has to be more efficient energy use in the conference centre, reduction of printed material and other environmentally friendly choices HQ: What is the association’s decision process concerning the organization of a conference? How do you decide where to go?

Raimund Stabauer: ECF organizes an open call for applications to host the Velo-city conference. At this moment the application for 2013 and 2014 is open until the end of August 2011. After this deadline the ECF Board will shortlist several applications and give these selected cities another chance to give a more detailed presentation. The final decision is then made by the ECF board.

HQ: What kind of venues do you need and what criteria must they satisfy?

Raimund Stabauer: Velo-city conferences are known for their participatory nature, providing opportunities to take part in workshop sessions, go on technical visits to cycle facilities and talk to the officials involved in planning. It is also important to plan informal sessions during the day, and social events in the evening where it is possible for delegates to meet and talk to each other. Formal plenary sessions are used for presentations by the host city, national and international politicians as well as policy presentations of other

best-practices. Workshop sessions with one or more presentations are predominant, with up to seven workshops running simultaneously throughout the conference timetable.

The proposed facilities must be able to cater for this, and this is an important factor in selecting a venue. The bidding city should include an exhibition in the conference. The exhibition should be held during the same days as the conference. The possibilities and ideas for the exhibition are an important part of the bid.

HQ: Do you work with a PCO or a DMC? Why? What do you expect of them?

Raimund Stabauer: The contract partner for the Velo-city conference is the host city. The city therefore can choose which PCO or DMC they want to contract.

Past and future Velo-city conferences 2001 Glasgow / Edinburgh 2003 Paris 2005 Dublin 2007 Munich 2009 Brussels 2010 Copenhagen 2011 Seville 2012 Vancouver

HQ: How would you summarize new trends in the association congress world?

Raimund Stabauer: There is a clear trend to hold more sustainable conferences; this means that there has to be more efficient energy use in the conference centre, reduction of printed material and other environmentally friendly choices (e.g. no plastic cups for provided water, as much recycling as possible, etc.)

HQ: Any memorable destinations for one of your events? If yes, why?

Raimund Stabauer: Of course every Velocity conference and its host city have a very unique touch - every host city is chosen for a number of very good reasons! Nevertheless, Copenhagen in the year 2010 was a very memorable destination. Last year was indeed the first edition of the Velo-city Global concept - which city would have been better to celebrate this than ‘the city of cyclists’?

www.ecf.com

Raimund Stabauer is the Velo-city Series Assistant and Event Manager for the European Cyclists’ Federation. He was born in Austria, and studied Sport Culture and Event Management in Kufstein, Tyrol. He came to Belgium to help organize the world’s biggest bicycle planning conference.

HEADQUARTERS 13

HQ © Laurence Prat

> viparis

Viparis group incorporates ten event venues in Paris Ile de France, including Palais des Congrès de Paris, Cnit Paris La Défense, Palais des Congrès de Versailles, and Le Palais des Congrès d’Issy, where more than 125 conventions are hosted every year.

© Sofiacome

Palais des Congrès de Paris

Sustainable Viparis development action plan (energy-efficient solutions, audits, abnormality detection operations, optimisation of equipment programming, etc.).

As a key player in the events industry, and more particularly conventions, Viparis is keen to play a leading role in reconciling sustainable economic development with the conventions, events and shows they host.

+ the Palais des Congrès de Paris has developed an innovative response to the management of waste generated by events. In fact, it has set up its own management system to sort out and recycle waste (particularly plastic, wood and paper waste). Thanks to this service, the handling of waste management is no longer handled by the conventions themselves. In addition, the Palais des Congrès de Paris is equipped with trash bins allowing visitors to sort out waste they generate.

Practical steps

For the people

As part of their commitment, they have taken the following practical steps:

Viparis is also committed to improving facilities for visitors and particularly for persons with disabilities. They have launched two major projects in this area.

Inside the Palais des Congrès de Paris

+ the construction of the new Paris Nord Villepinte HEQ (High Environmental Quality) hall + the development of a calculator (available to all clients) to measure the carbon footprints of events. This tool provides the organiser with an action plan, in line with the results, to reduce their footprint. + the reducing of energy consumption by monitoring installations, leading to the development of a dedicated sustainable

HEADQUARTERS 14

In 2009 and 2010, they performed an accessibility evaluation in compliance with the French law of 11 February 2005, at all of their sites, with the support of Bureau Veritas. These audits formed the basis for a programme of multi-annual investment plans to ensure the compliance of all of exhibition spaces.

They also perform trials in partnership with disabled people (with physical and visual

disabilities) to identify the practical obstacles they potentially face during their visit.

Project partners include the Association des Paralysés de France and Association Valentin Haüy, which enable Viparis to meet the needs of persons with disabilities as best as possible.

In this regard, Viparis just implemented an innovative programme at the Palais des Congrès de Paris: the fitting of terminals at the entrance to the site to allow visually impaired persons, using their everyday devices (detection device or mobile phone), to identify the building and the entrance, and to obtain directions to help them move around the site. What’s more, the lifts are equipped with Braille numbers and an audio information system to facilitate the movement of disabled people. Headphones are also available at the entrances to the amphitheatres to amplify the sound during talks. Lastly, the teams at the Palais are available to guide visitors on request.

A best practices guide is also being prepared to help organisers provide the best possible welcome to persons with disabilities.

more info +33 (0)1 40 68 22 22 commercial@viparis.com www.viparis.com www.venuesinparis.com

HQ

> M eetings T rends

Meeting Trends for 2010 Every June and July HQ gets bombarded with meetings statistics. We call it the ‘ICCA and UIA thunderstorms’.

Of course they have a right to exist, as they clearly indicate trends. We like the reactions of countries or cities doing well, but share a little of the pain of destinations who didn’t get a pat on the back at the same time.

As Christian Mutschlechner, of Vienna Convention Bureau, puts it: ‘A lot has been said about ICCA and UIA statistics but definitely one thing you can not argue anymore - as they are done every year by the same criteria, both of them are becoming “trendbarometres”.’ We couldn’t say it in a better way.

ICCA’s Top Association Meetings Destinations in 2010 According to the ICCA country and city rankings 2010, the number of international association meetings continue to increase significantly. The city and country rankings of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) cover meetings organised by international associations which take place on a regular basis and which rotate between a minimum of three countries, with at least 50 participants. The data represents a ‘snapshot’ of qualifying events in the ICCA Association Database as sampled on 9 May 2011.

ICCA’s Association Database is designed as a sales and marketing resource for its members to target future international association meetings, which is why it does not include one-off events or those which do not move between locations.

This year the ICCA Data researchers have identified 9,120 events which took place in 2010, 826 events more than were identified last year and an all-time record. Partly this reflects the strength of the association meetings market despite the recent economic

downturn; partly it is thanks to a record number of ICCA members sending us their calendar information to help identify new events.

ICCA CEO Martin Sirk says: ‘Some of this significant increase in numbers of association meetings in 2010 is certainly due to our continued investment in research and the great feedback from ICCA members, but it seems clear to me that we’re in the midst of an extended period of astonishing dynamism: 2009 and 2008 were similarly buoyant in terms of new association event creation.

HEADQUARTERS 15

> M eeting T rends This surely has to be driven by the acceleration of new scientific and technological developments, and the need to discuss these complex changes face-to-face. Anyone who wants to understand what the Information Revolution really looks like just needs to consider how the association meetings sector is evolving.’

As has been the case since 2004, USA and Germany are the number one and two countries respectively measured by the number of international meetings organised in 2010.

However, if comparing the United States to the European Union, counting only the top 6 European countries (Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Switzerland),

Number of meetings per country

Number of meetings per city

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Country

# Meetings

USA Germany Spain United Kingdom France Italy Japan China-P.R. Brazil Swizerland Australia Canada Netherlands Austria Portugal Sweden Republic of Korea Argentina Belgium Turkey

623 542 451 399 371 341 305 282 275 244 239 229 219 212 194 192 186 172 164 160

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

City

# Meetings

Vienna Barcelona Paris Berlin Singapore Madrid Istanbul Lisbon Amsterdam Sydney Taipei Beijing Buenos Aires London Copenhagen Seoul Stockholm Budapest Prague Hong Kong

154 148 147 138 136 114 109 106 104 102 99 98 98 97 92 91 89 87 85 82

Europe leads by 2,348 to 623 - explaining why no US city is mentioned in the top 20 city ranking.

The gap between the USA and Germany is shrinking from 137 to 81 meetings, compared to the 2009 figures. Spain, third country in the ranking since 2007, remains third. The United Kingdom and France both climb one place to respectively fourth and fifth at the cost of Italy, which now ranks sixth. Japan and China-P.R. both also climb one place and Brazil drops two places and is now ninth.

Switzerland is a newcomer in the top 10.

The top 5 cities are the same as in the 2009 ranking. For the sixth year in a row, Vienna is the most popular city, even though it organized 6 meetings less compared to 2009, which means other cities are gaining ground on Vienna. Like last year, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Singapore make up the top 5 cities. Remarkable climbers are Madrid (jumps from 13 to 6), Istanbul (from 17 to 7), Sydney (from 27 to 10) and Taipei (from 25 to 11).

Copenhagen and Stockholm dropped out of the top 10 and Bangkok dropped out of the top 20. For Bangkok political unrest can clearly be appointed as a cause for this drop.

When creating a city ranking measured by total number of participants hosted at all meetings in 2010, Stockholm is third, which means it has hosted less but bigger meetings. www.iccaworld.com

UIA’s International Meetings Statistics for the Year 2010 For the past 62 years, the Union of International Associations (UIA) has undertaken, for the benefit of its members, statistical studies on the preceding year’s international meetings. As in previous years, the report is also available for sale to the public following a period of three months’ exclusive use by UIA Associate Members.

The statistics are based on information systematically collected by the UIA Congress Depart-

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ment and selected according to strict criteria maintained over the years, thus enabling meaningful comparison from year to year.

Meetings taken into consideration include those organized and/or sponsored by the international organizations which appear in the Yearbook of International Organizations and in the International Congress Calendar, i.e.: the sittings of their principal organs, congresses, conventions, symposia, regional ses-

sions grouping several countries, as well as some national meetings with international participation organized by national branches of international associations.

Not included are purely national meetings as well as those of an exclusively religious, didactic, political, commercial, or sporting nature, and corporate and incentive meetings, the survey of these specific markets not being within the scope of activities of the UIA.

> M eeting T rends Top international meeting cities in 2010

UIA’s hard figures for 2010 Total number of meetings in the UIA database 359,673 # of those answering the criteria for inclusion in this report 316,534 # of those taking place prior to the reporting year 297,724 # of those taking place in the reporting year 12,015 # of those scheduled to take place after the reporting year 6,795 # of countries represented for all years 256 # of cities represented for all years 11,047 # of countries represented for the reporting year only 181 # of cities represented for the reporting year only 1,573

More prominence has been given to presenting data which, due to the passage of time, can be considered to have stabilized. The editors emphasize that the number of meetings for the current reporting year (2010) is expected to be around 80 percent of that extracted from the database five years hence.

Since the 2008 edition of this report (published in 2009), the UIA meetings database has been enriched by connecting it more closely to its sister database on international organizations, the source of the Yearbook of International Organizations.

Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

This enhances the data available across the time scale and in particular enables historical surveys of international organization meeting activity as far back as 1850. It has also affected the rate of change in data.

Criteria UIA divides meetings in 3 categories: meetings of international organizations, 3-day other international meetings and 2-day other international meetings.

Meetings of interntional organizations are organized or sponsored by ‘international organizations’ included in the UIA’s Yearbook of International Organizations, with at least 50 participants. 3-day other international meetings are not organized or sponsored by ‘international organizations’ but nonetheless of significant international character, with at least 40% of participants who are from countries other than the host country, with at least 5 different nationalities, lasting at least 3 days, with either a concurrent exhibition or at least 300 participants.

2-day other international meetings are not organized or sponsored by ‘international organizations’ but nonetheless of significant international character, with at least 40% of participants who are from countries other than the host country, with at least 5 different nationalities, lasting at least 2 days, with either a concurrent exhibition or at least 250 participants. www.uia.org

City

# Meetings

Singapore Brussels Paris Vienna Seoul Barcelona Tokyo Geneva Madrid Berlin London Budapest Sydney Amsterdam New York Copenhagen Busan The Hague Melbourne Stockholm Lisbon Istanbul Rome

725 486 394 257 201 193 190 189 175 165 164 144 137 131 127 102 89 93 85 92 91 86

Top international meeting countries in 2010 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Country

# Meetings

USA Japan Singapore France Belgium Spain Germany Korea Rep. UK Austria Italy Australia Netherlands Switzerland China Canada Hungary Norway India Sweden

936 741 725 686 597 572 499 464 375 362 357 356 329 322 236 221 181 172 164 161

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Building a sustainable future When I was asked to write a column on the meaning of sustainability in the association sector, my first reaction was: Why beat a dead horse? Indeed, we have been living with the sustainability concept for quite some time.

Text Luc Maene, President of ESAE and Director General of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA)

I checked the article I wrote for the February 2009 issue of HQ on sustainable development and felt that everything mentioned there is still very much valid. The commodity price escalation we experienced in 2008, and the global financial crisis which started

in late 2008, had brought into focus how important the sustainability concept is for future economic development.

It is important for associations to adopt innovation and the efficient use of resources in developing their strategies to shape a sustainable future

e

en Luc Ma

Since we are now in full swing preparing for next year’s summit on the subject, namely Rio 2012, there are some additional thoughts I would like to share. While the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 clearly placed the environment at the centre of global concerns, subsequent meetings focused on society and its place in natural and economic development.

Increasingly, we have become aware of the need to adapt to a rapidly changing economic and social environment if we want

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to build a sustainable future. Therefore, if we want to be relevant in the future, we will have to be innovative, open to cooperation with all stakeholders through partnerships and alliances, and use the fast-evolving communication tools at our disposal.

Personally, I am a great believer in technological innovation. We only need to look back at previous centuries to understand the power of new technologies to improve human lives. This should not lead to complacency, but it should be an encouragement to respond to the challenges we face. We are conscious that, invariably, the growing population impacts our global environment and this should bring home the message that we need to optimize the use of finite resources.

It is important for associations to adopt innovation and the efficient use of resources in developing their strategies to shape a sustainable future. Rather than considering innovative ideas as threats to our organization, we should turn them to our advantage and seize the opportunities they offer. We live in a global community, and associations have a key role to play in placing the knowledge and intelligence of the sector they represent at the disposal of members, policymakers and regulators and setting an example of how to be relevant while also being resourceefficient and sustainability conscious.

www.esae.org

Sustainability: the building block of successful associations Ask not what your association can do to be sustainable but what sustainability can do for your association. Text Guy Bigwood, MCI Sustainability Director

In today’s rapidly evolving world, associations must regularly review their mission, core purpose and value proposition to ensure their continuing relevance to the industry and members they serve.

Nowhere is this more clear than with issues surrounding sustainability. Sustainability is perhaps the defining business and social issue of this century. This was underscored by the recent survey conducted by Accenture for the United Nations in which 93% of Corporate CEOs interviewed said that sustainability is ‘critical to their future success’.

Sustainability is a broad concept that includes governance, ethics and anticorruption, human rights, diversity, financial viability and many more issues that go far beyond the traditional concept of ‘green’.

When integrated in an organisations’ strategy, sustainability delivers reduced costs and reduced employee turnover while delivering increases in market share and in stakeholder trust in the brand. Sustainability today is about smart and responsible business practices designed not only for short term gains but for long term relevance and durability in the market.

Hubert Mandery, Director General, Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council) says: ‘Sustainable development is now the #1 paradigm for politicians, society and industry.

An opportunity for industry to provide innovative products and services - more

eco-efficient, more resource-efficient. For us it’s changing the ‘business as usual’ policies.’

Defining the sustainable association A sustainable association is an organisation that generates growth, profitability and member value by integrating principles of sustainable development throughout the association.

Profitability — It is essential that all associations, although ‘not-for-profit’ organisations, generate surpluses which can be reinvested in initiatives, programmes and services designed to fulfil the organisation’s mission as well as reinforce value and relevance to members.

Growth — A sustainable business model allows for viable long term growth. This model must be based on social responsibility

principles: good governance, staff empowerment, sustainability reporting and efficient management of resources used (energy, waste, water) which will have the added advantage of cutting costs in the shortterm and changing behaviour to embrace sustainability.

Member Value — Associations can help their members to understand the business case and stay ahead of the trends through industry research. They can increase revenues and member value by providing innovative services and tools such as measurement and reporting systems.

Sustainability: A framework to support organisation growth and member value In a recent whitepaper produced by our MCI colleagues in the Association Management and Consulting practice, eight strategies

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were identified for increasing association growth and security over the long term.

First among those was the need to ‘Set a sustainable framework’.

Many organizational leaders feel that sustainability is important but do not understand how to integrate sustainable business principles into their organisations. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), also known as The Natural Step Framework (www.thenaturalstep.org) serves as a good example of a resource available to organisations seeking practical approaches to integrating sustainability.

The United Nations Global Compact (www.unglobalcompact.org) is the world’s largest sustainability initiative with over 7,000 organisations supporting its 10 universal principles. Their management approach developed with Deloitte is another good resource.

Reporting as an accelerator of change Increasing numbers of organizations are documenting their performance in sustainability reports and are using standardized reporting formats, namely the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. In the wake of the financial crisis, the BP oil spill, climate change and an interest in preventing mal-

feasance where possible, many governments are now writing legislation requiring private and public organizations to report their sustainability performance. A recent report produced by the GRI in partnership with the UNEP and KPMG found that 142 unique regulatory instruments addressed sustainability reporting in 30 separate countries (including mandatory reporting in Spain, Norway, Denmark, UK and others).

Disclosure is a key area where associations can help their members to develop industry specific reporting frameworks, implementation guidance and initiatives. One example is the International Coalition of Mining and Metals (ICMM), a London-based trade organization of 18 major corporations and 30 mining and global-commodity associations that has committed to address the sector’s core sustainability challenges and publicly report on progress.

ICMM worked with GRI staff in 2006 to create the first standards specific to the mining and minerals sector. Now after a two-year transition period, all but one new member now report at GRI levels. The industry can now see how public reporting is improving performance based on the stronger engagement of leaders with ICMM and their improved human-rights and community-relations programs.

Taking the lead It is an exciting time for associations that embrace sustainability as a framework to address new challenges not as barriers to success but as opportunities for innovation and growth, and to enhance member value.

Association management teams must take the lead in guiding members toward sustainable practices and by updating dated processes and paradigms to more accurately reflect the dynamic business landscape in which they now operate. This is even more important when considering the next generation (Y) of business professionals who have greater expectation for more transparent, ethical and responsible business practices.

Looking around the world at associations implementing a strategic approach to greening and social responsibility we have seen that ‘sustainability’ enhances member value, creates a healthier more connected community and improves economic results.

www.mci-group.com/associations www.lessconversationmoreaction.com

Guy Bigwood is the Sustainability Director of MCI and President of the Green Meeting Industry Council.

He provides strategic guidance and consulting advice to associations and institutions about sustainable business.

Sustainability impact areas and example strategies Governance

Talent

Event & Office Operations

• Develop vision and strategy • Establish leadership and empowerment • Define objectives and metrics • Ensure accountability and performance • Implement & maintain good business ethics • Produce a sustainability report

• Engage & communicate sustainability strategies to employees • Promote employee wellness, health and safety • Promote diversity & labour rights • Ensure human rights

• Reduce energy & water consumption • Increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy • Reduce waste management, resource usage & recycling • Improve technology efficiency • Use IT systems to manage sustainability

Products and Services

Education

Communication

• Create and offer services to help members implement sustainability • Provide measurement and reporting tools & advice • Offer consulting services

• Develop leadership education • Implement official training programs • Create and provide guides and reports

• Engage with leadership & raise awareness of business case • Engage with government bodies.

Advocate change & influence legislation • Share best & next practices

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Are you bored with this topic? Do you think it has been done to death in every magazine and at every meetings industry conference in the last few years? Is anything happening as a result of all the hullaballoo? Well yes it is, but not enough - we need to keeping banging on the drum until it is second-nature.

Another article on sustainability And it takes a number of drums to make up the full drum kit. There is social and economic responsibility; there is the workplace, the office, the home and, in our instance, the conference. It is the responsibility of all individuals to practice and support sustainability through their CSR practices and develop sustainable practices. In the world of conference organisers it is not only the client and organiser who need to adopt sustainable principles but attendees who need to support, adopt and apply those principles to their individual practices.

The ‘Green Meetings’ element stretches across the whole gambit of the meeting: + The destination and venue + Accommodation and transport + Food and beverage + The exhibition + Production + Marketing & communications + Congress materials Everyone is talking about it, and in general most are doing something about it… but are they doing enough?

Taking Food & Beverage as an example: think about the scenario of 2,500 delegates across a 5 day conference using 62,500 plates, 87,500 napkins, 75,000 glasses and cups, and 90,000 can or bottles, not to mention the Greenhouse emissions from travel along with paper and plastic waste materials from the conference.

If you consider that IAPCO members alone in

2010 produced over 6,000 conferences with over 2.2 million participants it is easy to see how important sustainable practices are within the meetings and events industry.

According to the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), a green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations throughout all stages in order to minimise its negative impact on the environment. So what kind of sustainability practices can the meetings industry adopt?

Conference Organisers are able to choose meeting facilities and venues that have a Green Globe accreditation where possible and have achieved an International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) Gold quality standard.

Sound food and beverage management can assist in reducing conference costs and environmental waste. Considerate organisers use local products and minimise packaging where possible. The use of a food bank will ensure that excess food is not wasted and food safety practices are adhered to. Organisers and managers of catering companies will calculate catering numbers very carefully to avoid excess waste - and create budget savings as well! Inevitably there will be wasted food and in many countries it is not possible to implement a programme of redistribution to community projects, but the compost heap is always an alternative! In addition, organisers might consider providing delegates with water bottles that they can refill.

Choosing hotel options for accommodation that are within walking distance to the meeting venue will ensure that delegates use less transport and emissions are reduced, if this is not possible promote the use of public transport to reduce emissions or use green efficient transport.

Printed conference materials are now minimised where possible with the use of electronic marketing and web resources.

With the introduction of the smart phone and ‘app’ developments many delegates do not need a printed copy of the program book or registration brochure. For materials that must be printed on paper, organisers have the choice of vegetable inks, recycled paper and printing double-sided to minimise paper use. And organisers could use web-based portals and teleconferencing facilities to communicate with clients with a view to reducing travel associated with administrative face-to-face meetings.

Production companies could be selected on the basis of their sustainable practices, where materials which are still usable, and equipment, are donated to the community, and where equipment is turned off or switched to eco-mode as a matter of course.

Exhibitors and sponsors are fully briefed and abide by the conferences environmental policies. Exhibitors are encouraged where possible to repackage reusable materials instead of creating landfill. Exhibition

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organisers need to take a look at minimising lighting outside exhibition hours and carefully consider the need for excess carpeting taking into account tiles, second lay or providing disposal carpet (first lay) to an external venue such as hostels. And of course providing facilities for easy division of recycling materials.

Whilst it is accepted that sponsors frequently provide the financial backing for conferences, it is important that organisers create packages that are eco-friendly, and that items contained within ‘shopping lists’ do not contravene the event’s sustainable policy. Via electronic marketing alert your delegates and attendees to the conference policies on sustainability. By making delegates and attendees aware of the sustainable practices and providing them with hints and tips, conference organisers can ensure that everyone is

doing their part towards achieving a green meeting. Community activities for delegates and attendees can also be a fun way to experience different cultures and support social responsibilities. Planting a copse of trees or fundraising for an industry specific community green project can be a way to leave a positive lasting legacy from the conference to the community. There are a range of carbon offset programs to offer to delegates and exhibitors.

Most importantly conference organisers must ensure that all actions are practical, affordable and viable for the conference.

Conference organisers can adopt best practice principles for green meetings by referring to resources such as International Standardization Organization (ISO) and British Standards Institution (BSI).

Further comprehensive standards for

environmentally sustainable meetings are being created through a partnership of The Convention Industry Council (CIC)’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative and ASTM International. Standards will be composed of nine sectors within the planning process and will go a long way to assist organisers through education and reporting materials to manage certified green events, with appropriate reporting structures.

This article was provided by the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers.

IAPCO members organise in excess of 6100 meetings annually, totaling some 2.24 million delegates. info@iacpo.org / www.iapco.org

meet. understand. network. experience. contribute. excite. convene. present. motivate. interact. participate. exhibit. create. inspire. connect. exchange. select. succeed. meet in Vienna.

www.messecongress.at www.vienna.convention.at

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Talking Sustainability with Congrex CEO David Wade-Smith

According to MPI (Meeting Professionals International), ‘93% of all CEO’s say that sustainability will become critical to the success of their business’. Obviously issues of sustainability are not just related to our industry, but while the strategic issues are the same with regards to sustainability, every industry must face its own tactical challenges.

Historically, associations have been slower in applying cross-industry practices but that is changing. Perhaps there are important lessons to learn from others who have gone through learning curves and embraced change. We asked Congrex’s, the international management experts for meetings, events, conferences, association management, travel and accommodations, new CEO David Wade-Smith, who has cross-industry experience with this issue, to discuss some of his ideas for implementing sustainability in the association’s world.

HQ: Some of your background involved the retail industry - one of the first to have to deal with sustainability issues. What are the lessons in sustainability that associations might learn there?

David Wade-Smith: Much of what went on in the retail industry in the early days around the issue of sustainability was initiated by crisis points - and was due initially to a lack of awareness. You could say that much of what we learned was a process of trial-and-error because we are talking about 5 or 10 years ago and the mindset wasn’t fully there yet.

But this has changed.

Especially my background in working with cities in the UK has shown me that this area is moving forward rapidly.

When I was part of the team heading up the ‘Year of Environment’ in Liverpool, part of the communication strategy was

David Wade-Smith

engaging residents concerning environmental issues and the feedback was very positive.

It has shown me there really is a hunger for the ‘CO2 agenda’.

Today we have at our disposal a great deal of information and processes of standardisation to help us along. For associations this means they have access to a wealth of information on how to best design and manage sustainable practices. The know-how is out there and professional management companies have access to this information, competencies and the necessary skills on how to support the implementation of this and streamline such practices into organisations. The biggest lesson is to be pro-active - and always seek improvement and quality. Ultimately, if an organisation is to be profitable in the long-term it must also be able to do so at a sustainable level.

HQ: How can conferences positively impact participants and local communities alike?

David Wade-Smith: You’ve got to look at the big picture and then create tie-ins that benefit many different stakeholders. It is important to include the greatest number and in this way more people will benefit. We have to be imaginative and think outside the box - take a good look, who our audience is; where they are holding the event; work locally on the ground to understand how we can achieve an organiser’s objectives while maximising local resources. When we create efficient and creative solutions, there is a multiple win that includes the people and the planet.

HQ: Why is supply chain so important when designing a conference or event?

David Wade-Smith: Supply chain is extremely important because it touches on every aspect of delivery. That means we must think about the full chain of events to deliver our products and services. In other words, when we plan our tactical or operational plans, we should be assessing what it actually has taken to make something happen. If it means something that originated somewhere on the other side of the planet that we could have sourced locally, then we really need to reconsider the basis for our decisions.

HQ: What is your take on the wider CSR conversation - now and in the future?

David Wade-Smith: Like everything else the conversation has widened, become refined, and most important, is work in progress.

Congrex operate internationally, but it is vital that we ‘act local’ and meet the demands of each customer, city and venue that we work with. An every day example is that our offices in Scandinavia report more and more increased demand for environmentally friendly and secure venues for events. Congrex Nordic encourages all partner members to work actively on these issues by applying for the eco-label from 2012. Congrex Nordic will also host an Environmental and Safety Forum in November where ideas will be exchanged. Importantly, while CSR may have been a ‘nice to have’ in the past, today it’s a ‘must do’ - because it is the sensible and right thing to do.

www.congrex.com

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UIA ı Union of International Associations

‘Responsible’ events?

It’s no secret that many organizations, and indeed businesses, are increasingly switching from face-to-face meetings to video and internet conferencing. Good reasons are to save money (of course), to save time (in airplanes, airports, taxis and… hotels). Other good reasons are ecological: this switch gives us an opportunity to reduce our use of natural resources, and reduce CO2 emissions. And, as many or most of us now experience, resource and CO2 reporting are increasingly expected by members and other stakeholders.

Text Marilyn Mehlmann (GAP) and Marc Bontemps (Ecolife)

Marc Bontemps

Marilyn Mehlmann

This increased interest relates partly to the spread of international standards such as ISO 14001 and EMAS, intended to reduce environmental harm. They have now been joined by a new standard, ISO 26001, intended to improve ‘social responsibility’.

Nevertheless, we expect that physical meetings will continue to flourish. People need to meet people. ‘Virtual’ meetings

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are most successful when most of the participants have already met in real life.

In finding a new balance between ‘virtual’ and real-life meetings, the quality of the alternatives will play an important role: the quality of video and audio meetings has still to be improved, and indeed new improvements are announced almost monthly. Higher quality of physical events will be a future trend too, and a challenge for the event industry. In the light of current trends, we expect that event organizers will not only focus on further upgrading the quality outcome of their activities: there is also room for steep improvements regarding the environmental impact of our activities and the increasing need to justify our events as regards resource use and social responsibility.

This in turn puts pressure on venues. Beyond the little bathroom notices asking for saving water and towels, a broader view is emerging of ‘SRE’ - Socially Responsible Events. How ‘green’ and ‘responsible’ is your venue? Can it be proved? And can it be improved?

Measures of ‘green’ and ‘responsible’ Corporate Social Responsibility, business ethics, ISO14001, ISO26000... in and across different businesses there are industry standards. In the events industry standards are in preparation: the London Olympics will foster the new ISO20121 (for sustainability in event management). We suppose you will soon hear more and more about this standard. But also Green Key, EMAS, different Ecolabels and national incentives

3.

will increasingly be on offer. Where to start, how to build up a step-by-step approach is an obvious question - both for venue managers, and for their clients.

Printing and web hosting (did you know that internet servers account for as much CO2 emissions, worldwide as the whole aviation sector?)

A good starter is always to take a benchmark: to measure where you are. One measure of resource use and emissions, increasingly used in many sectors, is the ecological footprint. Different calculators are available.

One can also focus on specific issues like carbon, water or material footprints. Ideally this is a measure that can be used for comparison - with other organizations, or to demonstrate improvements over time.

You may already be using it in your own association, and can reasonably expect some such measurement from your venue.

4.

Ways to improve

A good starter is always to take a benchmark: to measure where you are

Fortunately, there is a big range of actions that can be taken by a hotel or conference/ congress centre to improve performance in these areas. And a correspondingly big opportunity for an event organizer to ask pertinent questions when selecting a venue. Some things you can check in advance. Others, you will certainly notice on site. Remember to give the management feedback on your observations!

Here are some major areas in which most venues could probably become more ‘green’:

1.

Catering: a leading expert says that food is the biggest single contributor to global warming - and the sector with the biggest potential for improvements. Event venues can contribute by using locally grown food, organic and/or fair trade products, reducing waste, composting unused vegetables, by including tasty and high quality vegetarian dishes on the menu.

2.

Heating/cooling, lighting and other energy use: often a first point of attention because a lot of money can be saved by investing in new applications - and by engaging staff and guests, empowering them to behave differently.

Office, conference, exhibition and maintenance supplies (reducing waste and useless gadgets can save money and ecological impact). Even visitors’ badges can be bio-degradable these days, towel and other textiles can be fair trade…

5.

Transportation: how accessible is the venue by public transport? How are car parks planned and maintained? Is your staff already ‘eco-driving’?

Some other factors that may have either a high or a low environmental impact: + the cleaning of the venue, laundry, and services to the guests + furniture, furnishings and building materials (including paint for instance) Social responsibility also, importantly, includes ‘access for all’: both standards of accessibility for people with different kinds of handicap; and staff ability to cope with the needs of such guests.

‘Responsible’ employees are indeed a critical factor: at all levels in the venue, staff should be aware of what can be done to reduce environmental impact and act more responsibly. Education plays an equally important role as physical investments and communication. Empowering staff on these issues increases team spirit and good feeling, and creates a positive environment for guests: you’ll soon notice!

Social responsibility is usually also taken to include factors that can be more difficult for you as a client or guest to assess. It includes things like equal opportunity for employees - regardless of race, gender, age, etc.; working with the entire supply chain to meet high ethical and environmental standards; contributing to the local community.

Top management: the key The values, priorities, and behaviour of the top management team are the key to success.

This is as true now as when W. Edwards Deming pointed it out in the 1940s, and as true in the events sector as anywhere else.

A team that truly values ‘green’ and ‘responsible’ performance is not just ‘greenwashing’. It’s committed to improvements and constantly looking for better ways to do things.

A team that prioritizes improved performance constantly communicates this to all employees, clients, and other stakeholders; and invites evaluation by including ‘green’ and ‘responsible’ factors in, for instance, the annual report. The top management team communicates most effectively by example. Do it! Expect to be noticed.

And, most of all: guests will love to come to a place where things that matter really count.

www.uia.org

Marilyn Mehlmann is a Vice-President of the Union of International Associations (UIA). She is, since 1995, the General Secretary of Global Action Plan International, a network of organizations working for a common goal: empowering people to live and work increasingly sustainably. She is also a Member of the Advisory Boards of People-Centered Development Forum, Seattle, and of Gaia University, Germany and Mexico.

Marc Bontemps (1953) is Director of Ecolife, the Belgian member of Global Action Plan.

Ecolife developed different footprint calculators for events and venues. Marc has worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers as well as for different development agencies and a CSR-rating bureau.

HEADQUARTERS 25

HQ

> south africa

Durban

Fusion in your meetings Situated at the heart of KwaZulu-Natal, known for its particularly good weather all year round, Durban is a sophisticated cosmopolitan coastal city, a fusion of East, West and African culture, offering cultural diversity and multi-cultural traditions, sophistication and style.

Fascinating with a wealth of influences, Durban caters to every taste. There you can sample the unique vibrancy of urban township life and traditional Zulu culture, the finest curries outside India and a calendar filled with thrilling events. From Durban, it takes a mere few hours drive to a choice of two World Heritage sites, game reserves, coral reefs and historic battlefields, all ideal destinations for pre- and post conference tours.

Diverse choice

When it comes to conferences, Durban offers a diverse choice of meeting venues totaling more than 19,000 cinema-style seats.

Its award-winning International Convention Centre Durban (ICC Durban) - the biggest in Africa - is centrally located, and adjoins the Durban Exhibition Centre, which together can cater for up to 18,000 delegates.

A purpose-built centre, ICC Durban boasts three convention halls that are interlinked but separate, where moveable walls allow for a number of different venue configurations. No wonder the city has played host to numerous international conventions, such as COP17 or the International Satistical Institute conference, especially since ICC Durban has won the title of Africa’s Leading Convention Centre by the World Travel Awards for the past nine consecutive years.

There is also a range of business hotels, boutique establishments, and guest houses that offer meeting facilities as well as a good selection of stand-alone conference venues.

Hotels like the Hilton Durban, located near the ICC Durban, offer first-rate meeting venues, as do the Sibaya Casino & Entertaiment World, the Suncoast Conference Centre, and Makaranga Garden Lodge & Conference Centre - just a few of hundreds of meeting venues located in and around the city. Another option for large conferences is the Olive Convention Centre located close to the beachfront, its main auditorium has the capacity of seating up to 1,400 delegates.

The hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a spectacular success, and saw the Moses Mabhida Stadium and its surroundings developed in a majestic manner. Now the Stadium can serve as a stylish new venue, as well as a tourist attraction with its arch and panoramic views of the city, with a fair number of meeting options.

Golden mile

The Southern Sun Elangeni, located on Durban’s ‘golden mile’, offers a variety of meeting rooms catering for gatherings of all types, accommodating between 10 and 500 persons.

Durban has a vast selection of accommodation of a very high standard, ranging from

luxurious 5-star establishments, beachfront self-catering apartments with sweeping views of the ocean to intimate guest house and boutique hotels. With many of these being located along, or with easy access to the beachfront, activities and events that revolve around the ocean are never out of reach...

Let’s also mention the Signature Life Docklands Hotel located on Durban’s Point Waterfront. It’s a trendy hotel with three large conference venues able to host small groups to large conferences and banquets able to seat up to 600 delegates and guests.

Makaranga Garden Lodge in Kloof caters for a range of disabilities, with its wheelchair friendliness, and offers conference facilities for up to 100 delegates.

Contact + South African Tourism Tina Herold, Business Tourism Manager Europe tina@afriquedusud-tourisme.fr www.southafrica.net + ICC Durban www.icc.co.za mktg@icc.co.za + Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau James Seymour, CEO james@durbankzncb.co.za www.durbankzncb.co.za

HEADQUARTERS 27

HQ > berlin

© Bjoern Stuellein

Berlin

A dream come true

Moskau

Berlin could well be a dream come true for any demanding meeting planner: the choice of special locations ranges from the 368 metre high television tower to the hangar of former Tempelhof Airport accommodating 5,000 guests. Berlin’s modern hotel landscape also offers a unique diversity at favourable rates. To put it in a nutshell: the German capital convinces as a perfect meeting and convention host.

Twenty years after the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was reunited Berlin has established itself as a young, dynamic and cosmopolitan city at the heart of Europe. The unique appeal of Germany’s capital lies not only in the fact that the restaurants, bars and clubs have no official closing time; 175 museums, including the recently reopened Neues Museum on the Museum Island, over 130 stages in opera houses and theatres, as well as seven major symphony orchestras offer a diverse programme of top-class social events.

I could personally experience it during Meeting Place Berlin, a prestigious event Berlin Convention Office organizes every two years for planners from all over the world. I had been in Berlin two years ago and, this time again, I was amazed to see how much the

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city had changed. Maybe the only busy but laid-back metropolis, Berlin is a dream come true when it comes to get together, as it seems as if everywhere you go there’s an old, usually post-War or industrial venue that has been transformed to meet the needs of the most demanding planners.

According to the latest ICCA figures, Berlin ranks among the top four key destinations for association congresses in the world. As a matter of fact, ICCA will host its 50th congress in Leipzig this year, and for a pre- or a postconference tour, Berlin could well be the place to be (see sidebar). The German capital also boasts Europe’s most modern hotels and more than 115,000 hotel beds. And the city is home to Europe‘s largest conference centre, the International Congress Centrum Berlin (ICC Berlin).

Text Rémi Dévé

Berlin: Future-proof event location In the past years, the German capital has gained attractiveness as a location for large-scale events. By the end of 2013 a new congress and trade fair centre will be built on the site of the former Deutschland Halle.

Between 2014 and 2016 it will replace the International Congress Centrum ICC Berlin, which will be completely closed and refurbished during that time. With the re-opening of the ICC Berlin, Messe Berlin will then have almost doubled its convention capacities.

The capital’s new airport, Berlin Brandenburg International BBI, which is due to open in June 2012, will give a further boost to the city’s already successful development. It is currently built on the site of Schönefeld

> berlin

Happy 10th birthday visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office!

Since July 1, 2001 the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office (BCO) of Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH has been offering competent support at the organisation of conventions, meetings and incentives. Customers benefit from the experienced team, a broad network of contacts and the free-of-charge reservation services for hotel allotments.

In time for the anniversary BCO now informs with a completely revamped Internet presence on Berlin as an event metropolis. On www.convention.visitBerlin.de Germany’s leading congress destination is presented in a comprehensive, structured and interactive manner. Event planners are provided, for instance, with ideas for framework programmes, participants get information on the tourism offering of Germany’s capital.

Airport. The latter will be replaced by the BBI Airport in the same way as Tegel Airport and the already closed Tempelhof Airport. The opening of the new airport is scheduled for 3 June 2012. In addition, a shuttle service will be provided between BBI and the Berlin main station. It will take passengers every 20 minutes to the airport and/or the city centre.

During Meeting Place Berlin, we had a dinner right at the construction site and everything looks big, impressive, and most importantly, on schedule!

Impressions of a city It feels like everything is changing at the speed of light in Berlin. The organizers of Meeting Place Berlin had done their job right.

In the two days I was there, I could catch a glimpse of what is at stake. My personal favourites definitely include two venues: Moskau and the Berlinische Galerie.

With an original Russian sputnik on the roof and a beautiful façade mosaic by the main entrance, the Moskau is a perfect combination of history and modernism. A popular restaurant in East Berlin before the Wall came down, it’s been totally renovated and now offers 4,000 m2 multifunctional event areas equipped with best infrastructure and premium materials.

The Berlinische Galerie is one of the newest museums in the German capital and collects art from Berlin dating from 1870 to the present day - with both a local and international focus. It offers a representative ambiance for events of any kind and you may book special opening hours of the museum as well as professional guided tours! Predominantly the auditorium is available for events (capacity: 300 people), but the exhibition rooms may also be rented upon consultation as well.

What to do in Berlin prior the ICCA Congress? + Pre-Convention Tour: 1-day programme This exclusive Berlin tour takes you through the checkered history of the city and provides fascinating insights into the extraordinary diversity of arts, culture, music and entertainment with which the vibrant lifestyle metropolis enthralls its visitors from all over the world. A programme highlight is the visit to the New Museum, reopened in 2009. Apart from the Pergamon Altar and the countless valuable art treasures, the world-famous bust of Nefertiti is exhibited there. Furthermore, Europe’s largest convention centre - the ICC Berlin - opens its doors for you. It was recently presented for the sixth time in a row with the World Travel Award as ‘Leading Conference & Convention Centre’.

+ Pre-Convention Tour: 2-day programme 1st day: same as above 2nd day: Berlin as a convention destination is equally convincing for organisers and participants thanks to its outstanding offering of special event venues and Europe’s most modern hotel landscape. Today you will be presented with a small selection of facilities, among which the Estrel Hotel and Convention Centre Berlin, Europe’s largest convention, entertainment and hotel complex. You will also enjoy an exclusive guided tour of a fascinating top location close to the Brandenburg Gate: the axica Congress and Convention Centre, with its expressive architecture by Frank O. Gehry. This will be followed by a special highlight: you will have privileged access to the Reichstag, the seat of the Bundestag, the German Parliament. A visit to the Reichstag dome and the rooftop garden restaurant will offer unique views of the Berlin government district and the surrounding sights.

© Bjoern Stuellein

Meeting Place Berlin at the Bode Museum

Inside Berlinische Galerie

Berlinische Galerie

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Experience the joie de vivre of Montréal, the only city in the world to embrace North American efficiency and a laid-back European mindset. In Montréal, we’ve got all the nuts and bolts to help you plan a successful event—like our ultramodern convention centre, the Palais des congrès (with more than 50,000 m2 of meeting space), over 26,500 downtown hotel rooms and Team Montréal, always on hand to make sure your event runs flawlessly. We’ll bring artfully creative, customized solutions to craft that extra touch of magic your attendees will never forget. tourisme-montreal.org/meet

THERE’S

SOMETHING

different

ABOUT

MONTRÉAL.

HQ > geneva

Geneva has been at the forefront of sustainable development since 1987, when the groundbreaking report of the Brundtland Commission, ‘Our Common Future’, popularized the concept. Mankind, that

Cleantech in Geneva

report warned, must either curtail growth or develop new technology able to balance development with environmental limitations.

Leading the way

Since then Geneva has led the way.

‘Cleantech’ stands for ‘clean technologies’.

With this concept, Geneva has been initiating a fascinating array of sustainable, ‘green’ technology and ideas that are already hitting the market. For international associations looking for added values in a destination, that could definitely be an important one.

And for those wanting to gather to discuss the subject, Geneva could well be the place to be, especially since Geneva Tourism & Conventions is there to make it a resounding success and to help you get connected with the right people in the field.

The Lake Geneva Region is positioned to have a privileged corner on the development of cleantech. First, Geneva is a major economic hub of a nation that itself has an enviable position. Some 160,000 Swiss are already active in cleantech and Switzerland has a reputation for both performance and innovation.

Second, any new industry needs money and cleantech needs more than most. Geneva is fortunate in that the Swiss have a track record in sustainable and cleantech investing. Geneva-based private bankers Lombard Odier Darier Henstch and Pictet et Cie. were among the first banks to offer socially responsible investment funds.

Third, the Lake Geneva Region has top research universities and labs and innovative companies that can bring their findings to market. ‘Geneva has the concentration of knowledge to develop a cluster with key players like Dupont and ABB Secheron, innovative new companies like SRB Energy Research Sàrl, an excellent R&D base and the stimulus of public and private projects,’ says Daniel Loeffler, Director of the Geneva Economic Development Office.

Fourth, Geneva is a hub of research, lobbying and planning concerning the environment and sustainability-related issues. Such international organizations, NGOs and innovation/ trade actors as the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Emissions Trading Association, the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, and the WWF all have headquarters or major offices here. In short: it all makes sense.

Geneva also has political will to make the most of its assets. Over the past year, public authorities have made their support clear for the development of a cleantech cluster.

A federal Master Plan for developing Switzerland’s cleantech industry is under development; the Western Switzerland region has launched the Cleantech Alps cluster; and the Geneva Department of Regional Affairs, Economy and Health mandated an independent analysis by Claude Béglé, General Director of SymbioSwiss, that calls for the creation of a cleantech ‘catalyser’ including an incubator and an international center for corporate policy on cleantech. He says: ‘Geneva is at the crossroads that led us to launch an innovative strategy in clean technologies. With a strong political will, leading private corporations and a prestigious academinc and financial past, Geneva has everything it needs to become a leader in sustainability.’

Contact Aline Christen Project Coordinator, Association Meetings Geneva Tourism & Conventions T. +41 22 909 70 64 christen@geneva-tourism.ch www.genevaconventionbureau.ch

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The 1st Education and Inspiration Meeting & Event Planners Forum

Square, Brussels September 29th, 2011 From 8.30am until 6.30pm

By giving people the power to share, you're making the world more transparent.

Mark Zuckerberg: co-founder Facebook

Objectives?

Meetopolis, first cross-industry training and inspiration platform for corporate and association meeting & event planners, will approach all of the needs and issues that you meet in your day-to-day tasks…

Organised according to an original and innovating approach, without any direct selling, Meetopolis has been designed to be the meeting, education and inspiration place where you will be able to exchange and share information, ideas, knowledge and experiences with your peers of the associative and corporate worlds, with no competition whatsoever.

Why the Forum?

Association & Corporate planners more often work in isolation in their sector and rarely have the opportunity to share experiences with their peers (from other sector).

With Meetopolis, delegates will learn about the latest trends in conference management and how to leverage educational content; get engaged in high level strategic discussions; and participate in roundtable discussions on key topics answering to their needs, issues and questions (see preliminary programme by clicking below).

Concept?

The Meetopolis concepts engage participants actively and have a new creative approach to a far more flexible use of conference facilities.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn and network with your colleagues/peers from the association and corporate worlds. Register now !

The concepts will help planners to transform the traditional one-way communication standards into a creative forum, in which the participants are actively involved in obtaining the tools and knowledge they need to strengthen their companies’ or associations’ overall objectives and strategies.

This is not a how-to session. Instead you will engage in an interactive discussion on the application of the topics/themes and what it means for your day-to-day work.

Who should attend?

Meetopolis, open exclusively to Senior as well as Junior corporate and association meeting & event planners… and all the pleople involved in conferences, conventions, seminars, incentive events, training sessions, team building activities, events, business travels and meetings of every variety in Belgium and further afield.

Advantages and benefits?

These are: > a unique opportunity close to you to meet and share one whole day with 250 to 300 people doing the same planner job as you > the possibility to discover new ways to work and answers to your needs, issues and questions > the opportunity to compare your practices and experiences with fellow members > the guarantee to find new and creative ideas for your meetings & events > a chance to make many new contacts with your peers > the occasion to pick up the new main market trends > high degree education programme to learn about several key subjects > study and practice new animation and networking techniques > with no competition and without any direct selling > immediately transposable in your day-to-day tasks

To get the special pre-register rate and do as your many planner colleagues, please register on-line before 16 September 2011! You want to come with colleagues or friends also involved in the Meetings & Events Industry, please discover also on-line the advantage rates for you all

Final Program - Registration Form - More info on www.meetopolis.be

where ideas take off

HQ > Z ü rich

Zürich, lifestyle capital on the water

Zürich

Zürich offers the unique mix of discovery, pleasure, nature and culture. The finest culinary highlights, unlimited shopping pleasure, over 50 museums and more than 100 galleries, Switzerland’s liveliest nightlife, numerous events and countless green oases in the centre of the city tempt guests to linger and enjoy. Centrally located and safe Zürich is also the ideal host region for meetings, conventions and seminars.

IFLA World Congress

48th IFLA World Congress (International Federation of Landscape Architects) Held 27-29 June 2011 in Zürich, the 48th IFLA World Congress was a spectacular convention. Instead of the expected 600 participants more than 1,300 landscape architects from as many as 74 countries attended the event. The topic was ‘Scales of Nature’.

A few facts and figures. Several pre-congress meetings of the IFLA World Council and the Committees of IFLA, three conference days in the Kongresshaus Zürich with eight key note speeches in the mornings, 116 presentations that took place in parallel in five session rooms in the afternoons… But

that’s not all. There were also 220 posters on display, two round tables, an exposition with 15 exhibitors, a student competition with an unprecedented number of 360 entries, 36 technical visits, an open firm evening, and a platform of current research presented by a number of different universities and research institutes. The inaugural meeting presented the initiative ‘Green City Switzerland’, the welcome reception took place in a huge tent at the lakeside, there were a festive gala dinner, a farewell party which nobody will ever forget, and finally several post-congress tours showing Switzerland’s multifaceted landscapes.

This somehow complex event was carried out by the Federation of Swiss Landscape Architects and the City of Zürich’s Office of Parks and Open Spaces with the help and guidance by the team of Zürich Tourism assisting the organizing committee with regard to the selection of the PCO and during the whole project.

The response amongst the participants, the exhibitors and guests was overwhelming.

One could not imagine a better calling card for Switzerland, the beauty of its countryside and the people living here.

Services of the Zürich Convention Bureau The Convention Bureau of Zürich Tourism provides a wide range of complimentary services to conference organisers including: venue location and reservation, preparation of bid documents, accommodation booking service, organisation of site inspections, arranging social events and many more.

Contact + for Zürich Romy Brändli Convention Bureau Zürich Tourism T. +41 (0)44 215 40 73 romy.braendli@zuerich.com www.zuerich.com/meetings

+ for Switzerland Myriam Winnepenninckx Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau T. +32 (0)2 345 83 57 myriam.winnepenninckx@switerland.com www.myswitzerland.com/meetings

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© Rubiano Soto

Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau presents

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HQ

> world forum

Digging deeper into CSR

World Forum in The Hague The World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague (The Netherlands) is possibly one of the smallest members of the United Nations Global Compact. However, being internationally oriented as they are, they definitely can still make an impact.

The World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague still sees major challenges in the ‘people’ aspect of the corporate social responsibility policy. Without neglecting the environmental angle of their policy, they now want to dig deeper into this essential aspect of responsible entrepreneurship. They consider the subject of a structural policy, which places all the necessary attention on their stakeholders.

One size fits all One of the Forum’s main points of focus are its clients. They respond to every single need and work to come up with an appropriate solution. They indeed have found that the international association meetings market expects a tailor-made proposal when it comes to its congresses. Keeping this in mind, they decided to take a big step by transforming the largest auditorium of The Netherlands into the ideal plenary room with a maximum capacity of 770 seats. This optional construction, which will be available from September 2011, is the answer par excellence to the needs of the market by saying ‘one size fits all’.

Along with many breakout rooms and 2,500 m2 of exhibition space, they offer the possibility to transform the entire building in order to suit the association’s personal wishes and branding. With this, they provide complete exclusivity, in words as well as in deeds. The perfect accessibility with several means of alternative transportation - such as bicycles and electric cabs - encourage clients to get closer to nature with the beach shore at a mere ten minutes away from the venue.

With more than 700 high quality hotel rooms within five minutes walking distance and a narrow collaboration with the city, they also ensure that even the social events surrounding the conference are done responsibly by selecting from The Hague’s Sustainable and Good & Green guides.

World Forum Ethical Program is to promote corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship at a micro level.

To do so, they have developed a Green Events Checklist full of practical tips an organiser can use to assist in putting on a socially responsible event on a climate neutral basis.

It is indeed important to consider the ‘people’ aspect of CRS in its entirety. By introducing the option of a downsized theatre they have definitely made a good step towards responding adequately to the demands of the client.

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.

Contact

Striving forward Most importantly, they want to pass on the ‘green bug’ to their stakeholders and challenge their clients to be more socially conscious in their own events. Furthermore they challenge their regular partners, vendors and the industry. The objective of the

World Forum Churchillplein 10 2517 JW The Hague The Netherlands info@worldforum.nl www.worldforum.nl T. +31 70 3066 228

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HQ > O ttawa

At a glance A bold, modern design, a bright naturally-lit interior, magnificent views... the all-new Ottawa Convention Centre offers unparalleled, environmentally-responsible setting and support for Ottawa conventions, conferences, meetings and exhibits – large and small. Its 7-storey high sweeping window façade faces the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site.

New in Canada

Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC)

Ottawa experienced the biggest opening event of the year when Canada’s Meeting Place, the new Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC), opened its doors on April 13, 2011. The excitement was not just about an important happening on the Ottawa social calendar; it heralds a surge in economic activity for the Canada’s Capital Region.

A spectacular host venue OCC is already acting as a catalyst for positive change in the downtown core of the Canada’s Capital and is fast becoming the talk of the global meetings industry as a spectacular host venue for conventions and a broad range of events. With its multi-level design and flexible configuration options, the OCC can accommodate a greater variety of groups of all sizes. And it isn’t just size, but volume as well.

‘In the past, there were many mediumsized conventions with set dates that we had to turn away because they overlapped with others that we had booked,’ said president Patrick Kelly. ‘Now we have the facilities to handle both at the same time.

This has allowed us to book many conventions that we would have previously had to pass up.’

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Demand for the new facility has been extremely encouraging; 95 conventions have already confirmed space at Canada’s Meeting Place it its first five years of operation A metaphor for Ottawa The new facility is about much more than interior space. The physical design, by local architectural firm BBB, is a metaphor for Ottawa. The shape of its striking glass facade is analogous to a ship’s hull, while the Wall of three Rivers that runs through all four levels is made from 150–200 year old logs that were reclaimed from the Ottawa River.

• 192,000 sq. ft. / 17,837 sq. m. of usable space • 28 meeting rooms in maximum configuration • 56,000 sq. ft. / 5,203 sq. m. multipurpose hall with capacity 6,260 theatre-style, 4,600 banquet style • 21,300 sq. ft. / 1,979 sq. m. ballroom with view of the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill

Built to stringent environmental standards, the OCC includes building materials salvaged from the old structure, an energy-efficient design that reduces water use and greenhouse emissions, and accessibility that meets the highest North-American standards. This commitment to sustainable development continues through to operations with an integrated green housekeeping program and lifecycle and evergreen programs that will maintain the facility at an optimal level for decades to come.

Demand for the new facility has been extremely encouraging; 95 conventions have already confirmed space at Canada’s Meeting Place it its first five years of operation. Patrick Kelly says: ‘The new Ottawa Convention Centre will host organizations that have never been able to come to Ottawa because we could not accommodate their needs or their numbers.’

Some of those organizations attract an international delegate base, which represents a new market for Ottawa as a meeting destination. In this sense, the M&C sector acts as ambassador for the city, province and country.

www.ottawaconventioncentre.com

HQ > M ala y sia

Malaysia: A Champion Among Emerging Economies Key to Bid Success

Strategically located in the heart of South East Asia between the two booming economies of China and India coupled with its multi-cultural diversity and excellent value for money, Malaysia offers a compelling proposition for international associations headquartered in Europe who aim to connect with Asia and increase their profile in the world’s most populous region.

Excellent transportation system

© Danny Sek

2010 World Congress of Accountants

Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

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Malaysia’s strength in engaging with new and emerging economic centres lies in its rich historical links with China, India and the Middle-East while simultaneously enhancing ties with the West.

Zulkefli Hj Sharif, Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) said: ‘Our recent success in securing international meetings is supported by Malaysia’s positioning as a role model among emerging economies and as Asia’s education hub. Hosting a meeting in Malaysia meant international associations can use the opportunity to engage with their Asian counterparts, raise their association profile and create interest in their respective fields in this region of four billion people.’

‘As outlined in the national Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), Malaysia aims to become a high income and developed nation by year 2020. Investments in key economic areas including medical sciences, technology, oil and gas and education are expediting progress and advancements for the country in the respective fields. This has provided us with the perfect opportunity to strengthen our international networks and

engagements - which is vital through conferences,’ Zulkefli continued.

As Anouk Rey, Conference Director of International AIDS Society based in Geneva, attested, ‘We are very impressed by the Malaysian government’s commitment to provide free HIV treatment to all Malaysians in need of antiretroviral therapy. It underscores our interest in bringing the conference to Malaysia so that our colleagues from around the world can learn from such best practice.’ Malaysia will be hosting the 7th International Aids Society (IAS) HIV Conference in Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention with 5,000 delegates. ‘Hosting the IAS HIV conference in Malaysia in 2013 will not only be attractive to our delegates in terms of destination (touristic aspects, value for money) but it is also centrally located in Asia to attract HIV professionals from neighbouring countries,’ said Rey. The 7th IAS HIV Conference was the first large scale event secured under the Malaysian government’s Economic Transformation Programme.

In addition, the prestigious annual Human Genome Meeting (HGM) organised by the international Human Genome Organisation

> CONTINUED

Kuala Lumpur City Centre Convention Precinct of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

(HUGO) will be held for the first time in Kuala Lumpur in the year 2015. To be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the HGM 2015 is expected to attract 1,000 delegates comprising researchers, academicians, clinicians, students and others in science and human genome industry to Malaysia. ‘Malaysia is rising in South East Asia in investment and quality of genomic and genetic sciences. Their hosting of HGM 2015 is a mark of international recognition of these advances. We look forward to partnering with Universiti Sains Malaysia in making HGM 2015 a celebration of genomic sciences in the region,’ remarked Professor Edison T Liu, President of HUGO. The decision to host the HGM 2015 in Kuala Lumpur is also supported by the positioning of Malaysia as a role model amongst developing nations; an economically prosperous

PETRONAS Twin Towers

moderate Islamic country which encourages dialogue within the society and the government. The event will play an instrumental role in promoting Malaysia as a leader on the global bioinformatics and genomics research industry, expediting scientific breakthroughs in the medical, agricultural and industrial sectors. The meeting will be an excellent opportunity for the country to showcase its genomic research capabilities taking into account the 12 genomic centres located all over Malaysia.

Further strengthening the country’s profile as the choice destination for international associations, Malaysia was the proud host of the 70th Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Conference in July 2011. A first in Asia since the IIA’s incorporation in 1941, the conference was expecting an estimated 3,000 delegates and contribute over e4.6 million in economic

Highlights of Malaysia’s business events calendar for 2011 • KL Vision 2011 - 10th International Conference on Low Vision - 1,000 delegates • 22nd Pacific Science Congress - 1,000 delegates • The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) 2011 International Conference - 3,000 delegates • 21st Asia Pacific Cancer Conference - 2,000 delegates • 18th Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology - 3,000 delegates • ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA) Conference - 2,500 delegates • Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE) World Cup - 1,500 delegates • ASEAN Australian Engineering Congress (AAEC) - 1,000 delegates • Automechanika Malaysia 2011 - 5,000 visitors • 8th International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) - 36,000 visitors • Oil & Gas Asia Exhibition - 25,000 visitors

impact for Malaysia. ‘With members in 165 countries, Malaysia’s diversity and cultural richness provides a perfect background for our conference. Malaysia is an affordable - yet still a world-class destination in the middle of a growing Asian market, which makes it very attractive to conference of our size,’ said Augusto Baeta, Manager of Global Professional Development, the IIA, based in USA. Malaysia leaped a notable three spots to the 28th position in the latest ICCA, International Congress and Convention Association country rankings. The number of meetings hosted grew 24 percent, from 96 meetings (2009) to 119 meetings (2010). Malaysia retained its position as one of the top 10 meeting destinations in Asia Pacific. In 2010, Malaysia grew its business tourism arrivals to 1.3 million from 1.2 million in the previous year (2009).

This is in line with the country’s vision to achieve 2.9 million in international business tourism arrivals by year 2020 and to position the country as one of the Top 5 destinations in Asia Pacific for international meetings.

Contact Zulkefli Hj Sharif Chief Executive Officer Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau T. +603 2034 2090 F. +603 2034 2091 info@myceb.com.my www.myceb.com.my

HEADQUARTERS 39

HQ > taiwan

Taiwan

Even more on the international map Taipei 101

Higher than ever in the ICCA rankings, developing its MICE infrastructure at the speed of light or using prestigious venues in a ‘meetings’ purpose, Taiwan is surely becoming a leader not only in Asia-Pacific but globally as well.

Let’s review what’s new and specially newsworthy in Taiwan.

Moving up in ICCA rankings Overall, Taiwan’s country ranking according to the ICCA statistics has risen significantly over the past year. In 2010, Taiwan played host to a total of 138 international association meetings, ranking it 23rd globally and taking 5th place in both the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. That’s 9 rankings higher than last year globally - which says a lot about Taiwan’s efforts in the MICE industry. With 99 international association conferences held in Taipei City in 2010, Taipei

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occupied the 11th spot worldwide and 2nd place in Asia - way better than last year as well!

As with Taiwan, there has been a marked improvement in Taipei City’s overall global and regional rankings.

Since the launch of the Taiwan MICE Advancement Program and ‘MEET TAIWAN’, there has been a marked improvement in various key indicators with regard to international association conferences held in Taiwan and Taiwan’s overall rankings. It goes without

saying that MEET TAIWAN’s active involvement in international MICE trade shows and expos has borne fruit.

Taiwan’s improved infrastructures Following the global trend on sustainability, Taiwan has recently taken a few steps showing that the local MICE industry does take this issue very seriously. Taiwan’s MICE hardware infrastructure improvement consists of the on-going expansion of its existing exhibition

© Neng-You Wang

> taiwan

© Chi-Ming Lin

Expo Dome

Expo Dome

space and the smart re-cycling of display stands or structures initially built for international expos or trade shows. Such measures as adopted by cities like Taipei and Hsinchu are expected to further increase their respective MICE competitive advantages.

In 2010, Taiwan played host to a total of 138 international association meetings, ranking it 23rd globally, according to the ICCA rankings During its half-year duration from November 6th, 2010 to April 25th, 2011, the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition attracted nearly 9 million visitors, breaking the records for attendance of events in Taiwan. To leverage its practical functionality and fully realize its value, the venues and facilities of

the exposition will either be continuously used as what they are or converted for other uses. In this regard, the EXPO Dome will be turned into a convention and exhibition centre. Other structures to be preserved or converted will be the Fine Arts Park Area, EXPO Hall, Pavilion of Aroma of Flowers inside the Yuanshan Park Area, the Pavilion of Future, and the Pavilion of Dreams. The Pavilion of Angel Life in the Xinsheng Park Area will also be retained. Thus the Flora Exposition will remain in Taipei as the Flora Expo Park, which will ensure the appeal and beauty of the Expo will be preserved for a long time to come.

The World Expo-Taiwan Pavilion is also moving to Hsinchu and will be in operation in March 2012. Significantly, the city has appeared for the first time in the ICCA rankings. This may be considered the outcome of Hsinchu City’s long effort to promote and develop its MICE industry - Hsinchu is also the technology hub, the Silicon Valley of Taiwan. The city’s effort will be furthered by the ‘OT Program’ and ‘the BOT Project of Hsinchu International Science and Technology Commercial Exhibition Center’ (or BOT Project), which aims to rejuvenate the whole area, starting with the evaluation and construction of a science and exhibition centre situated at the western side of the Industrial Innovation Park.

The ‘OT Program’ will consist of the 2010 World Expo Taiwan Pavilion and Fengcheng Culture Centre. It will include the rezoning of an urban area and alignment of eight landmark buildings, with commercial technology offices and the municipal government centre along the two sides.

Contact Tess Yang PR Manager T. +886 2 2514 2532 marcom@meettaiwan.com www.meettaiwan.com

case study Parkinson’s Disease Congress The 3rd Asian and Oceanian Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Congress (AOPMC) was held from March 25th to 27th, 2011 at the Taipei International Convention Centre. Experts and academic researchers in the field of Parkinson’s disease attended the congress, and an unprecedentedly large number of Parkinson’s disease sufferers had also been specially invited. The 3rd event attracted a total of 1,082 medical professionals and patients, of whom about 450, or about 40%, hailed from 30 foreign countries.

Dr. Louis Tan, of Singapore’s National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), said: ‘The Congress was absolutely world-class both in terms of the scientific component of the Congress and the organizers’ supreme operational capacity.’ Richard Ko, CEO of the appointed professional organizer Round Table PCO, told us that during the preparation period, to ensure a faultless performance in the delivery of comprehensive support and care to special-needs participants, they had carried out numerous drills or mock exercises to achieve perfection.

Parkinson’s Disease Congress

Considering that the patients would require easy access and travel routes, additional manpower and shuttle buses were deployed during the congress to facilitate movement. A significant challenge for Round Table stemmed from the need to strike a balance in ensuring both the smooth running of the congress and the comfort of the patients.

Just prior to the congress, Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami. There was widespread concern about the nuclear plant incident and possible exposure to radiation since Taiwan is Japan’s close neighbor. To alleviate attendees’ worries, the organizer gave detailed information while answering a large number of inquiries online or via telephone. As a result of the earthquake, the Japanese delegates could not make it to Taiwan, so the organizers immediately worked with the Congress Host Committee to work out a crisis management solution to replace the absent guests, many of whom were scheduled presenters, with other suitable candidates.

HEADQUARTERS 41

www.itcmchina.com IT&CM China 2012

17 - 19 April 2012 | 2012年4月17-19日

Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center 上海世博展览馆(世博主题馆)

Advancing MICE

and

Business Minds

推动商业意识与中国MICE产业共赢 Bringing Together Chinese and International MICE Exhibitors & Buyers In One Dynamic Marketplace

Quality Leads

86% of 2011 exhibitors expect to receive orders over the next 6-12 months

质量领先

86%2011年大会展商预计在接下来的6到12个月内收到来自大会买家 的订单

汇聚全球以及中国MICE供应商和买家共同打造一个瞬息万变的市场

“The networking sessions were very constructive. I made several potential business contacts.”

Chong Yong Fee I Singapore Alive Pte. Ltd., Singapore

New Participants

参加了三届中国（上海）国际奖励旅游大会，感觉都 非常不错，很实用。了解到了很多需要的信息，并 与很多卖家展开了合作。谢谢为我们构建 了一个平 台！

50% of the buyers were new to the show

新的参会者

肖羽 | 商务会议部经理 | 四川省中国国际旅行社

50%的买家首次参展

The Right Choice

“I met my objectives. Very well-focused show! The appointments were almost all good matches.”

Exhibitors choose IT&CM China to • Generate New Sales Leads • Promote company, products and services • Network • Stay Competitive And IT&CM China delivers!

Kevin Mead I IGAF Worldwide, United States of America

非常感谢这次展会为我们提供了一个开拓业务并与买家 沟通的良好契机，期待在未来的一段时间内大会给我们 带来的显著效果与收益。

正确的选择

展商选择参加中国（上海）国际奖励旅游及大会博览会的目的： • 增加销售 • 推广公司、产品和服务 • 拓展社交网络 • 保持竞争力 一切期待尽在中国（上海）国际奖励旅游及大会博览会中得以实现！

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HQ > denmar k

Green as it gets with the Danish

With the COP15 legacy and the greening of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the line of fire, green meetings are easy to arrange.

I could personally experience it during the MIND fam-event this June

An

ja

Ha

rtu

ng

Sf yr la

Organizing a sustainable meeting in Copenhagen and Denmark seems natural.

where activities were organized around the Meetovation concept, of which sustainability is a major part. Now Anja Hartung Sfyrla, International Marketing Manager, Business Tourism at VisitDenmark, tells us more about the Danish added value when it comes to green meetings. Interview Rémi Dévé

HQ: Every destination now says they’re sustainable. What makes Copenhagen/ Denmark different?

Anja Hartung Sfyrla: A number of things has made it easy for us to ‘walk the green path’.

First because Denmark is flat and cars are quite dear here, we were born in a biking culture - it’s been a long time since we’re sustainable and we didn’t even know it! There are also great weather conditions for wind power, but, most importantly, we live in a very functional society that understands what it means to promote a healthy lifestyle, green solutions and sustainability.

The greening of COP15 has made it possible to incorporate some of these values into the meetings industry. As a matter of fact, the event partly transformed, or, at least pushed the greening process in the Copenhagen meetings industry: we have a far more green meeting product today than before COP15.

For example, Bella Center had a greening plan already before COP15, but decided to speed up the process - they reduced their CO2 footprint by 20% in the two years leading to the event and worked out a solution on how to serve organic food at reasonable prices. Likewise, many hotels got some kind

of ‘green’ certification and to this day this number is still rising (see sidebar).

All of this shows it’s much easier to ask for and get a sustainable meeting in Copenhagen compared to other destinations. Here, you might even end up having a sustainable meeting without knowing it!

HQ:How do the Danish ‘EnergyTours’ fit into sustainability? What are they exactly?

Anja Hartung Sfyrla: EnergyTours offer a unique opportunity to come and experience Danish clean technologies and climatefriendly solutions. During those special tours, we invite planners to take advantage of the lessons already learned by Danish companies and institutions on how to fight climate change. An EnergyTour will be relevant to top, technical and commercial management in leading energy companies and other companies committed to the energy agenda, such as developers, technology providers and consulting engineers.

We give people the opportunity to meet Danish environmental frontrunners, including company leaders, politicians and experts.

The groups using this service come as

HEADQUARTERS 43

> denmar k to increase the effectiveness of a meeting and even sometimes decrease the cost of the meeting. Sustainable thinking is everything from using the excellent Danish tap water in jugs to using the ‘Walk and talk’ technique for a discussion session where you send participants out of the meeting room to a get some fresh air on a 20-minute walking trip so they can brainstorm in a different way.

Another example is the organiser contributing to rescuing trees in the rainforest instead of buying gifts which many delegates don’t bring home anyway to making all conference material available electronically, etc.

VM building

delegations to Denmark for a study trip, but very often EnergyTours are ‘natural’ pre- and post- tours in connection with the many conferences Denmark host within the field of energy and sustainabillity (www.energytours.com).

HQ: One of Meetovation’s key concepts is how to incorporate sustainability into your meetings. Can you expand a little bit on that?

Anja Hartung Sfyrla: In Denmark we are passionate about meeting design! We higly believe in identifying the purpose of a meeting and then designing it according to this.

Of course this will result in a better outcome and therefore a higher Return on Meeting Investment (RoMI) for the company organizing the meeting.

Meetovation is our recipe for designing the best meetings. This concept offers five design principles and sustainabillity is one of them. We do believe that taking good care of the environment and our world is very important today; a company demonstrating this kind of awareness in the way they organise meetings can obtain motivation and a positive attitude in connection with the other messages they want to convey to either internal or external stakeholders.

Integrating a sustainable thinking in the way the meeting is organised can also be a way

HEADQUARTERS 44

HQ: I find that being sustainable is not every planner’s primary concern. It’s just an added value, but not a necessity after all.

What do you say to those people?

Anja Hartung Sfyrla: As sustainability is an integrated part of our society and of our meeting product we don’t really need to convince clients who don’t see sustainability as a priority. We do believe that responsible thinking can increase the positive experience for the participant of the meeting as well as it can often help reduce costs. Those arguments are often most important to potential clients.

HQ: Is there still room for improvement when it comes to Copenhagen/Denmark being sustainable?

Anja Hartung Sfyrla: There is always room for improvement! A group of hotels are planning to come together and buy wind power energy for their hotels. Denmark will also host the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2012. As a result, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise over 100 meetings of various sizes, attracting more than 15,000 participants visiting Copenhagen and the city of Horsens in central Jutland. At this very moment, key private and public stakeholders affiliated with the Danish meetings industry are uniting and creating an ambitious national sustainability project named the ‘Danish Sustainable Events Initiative’ (DSEI) to ensure that Danish sustainability leadership in action is advanced, showcased and shared.

www.visitdenmark.com/meetings www.meetincopenhagen.com www.meetovation.com

Copenhagen, the capital of sustainable meetings + Green hotels Copenhagen has a pioneering status when it comes to sustainable meetings.

This status is underlined by the fact that 60% of the city’s hotel rooms now hold one of the official eco-certificates available for hotels.

+ A biking culture 35 % of all Copenhageners commute by bike, and in total Copenhageners cycle 1.2 million kilometers a year equivalent to travelling to the moon and back, twice. So delegates wanting to go to their meeting on a bike are more than welcome!

+ CO2 neutral by 2025

Today Copenhagen’s CO2 emissions are less than 2.5 million tons, and the ambition is, that in 2025 the city’s CO2 emission should be 1,1 million tons.

This will be achieved thanks to a wind mill project reducing CO2 emissions by 375.000 tons, a grand electric and hydrogen car project reducing emissions by 50.000 plant woods and a number of other initiatives.

Open for Great Meetings

Feel free to bring your next meeting to Copenhagen - the Capital of Sustainable Meetings and the greenest major city in Europe. Copenhagen is a vibrant metropolis with a unique art & design scene, plenty of cultural attractions and many Michelin-starred restaurants.

Denmark is easy to reach from anywhere in the world, offers high value for money and has excellent hotels and ultra-modern meeting facilities. Copenhagen and Denmark is open for great meetings.

Open for Great Meetings

For Copenhagen enquiries: +45 3325 7400 kongres@woco.dk meetincopenhagen.com For the rest of Denmark: +45 3288 9937 conferencesales@visitdenmark.com visitdenmark.com

Stockholm

– leading the way in sustainability

A broader definition of sustainability Sustainability is undoubtedly the word ”de jour” of the world’s meeting industry, with more and more destinations offering so called “green meetings”. But real sustainability can’t be achieved by focusing on the meetings themselves.

Not even if factors such as accommodations and transports are factored in.

Actual sustainability can only result

from a much more holistic approach where every aspect of environmental, economic and social impact is part of the equation. That’s why factors such as freedom from corruption, equality and labour legislation are equally important to consider when choosing a meeting destination. Then, and only then, can the true meaning of sustainability, and indeed green meetings, be realized.

Welcome to the first-ever European Green Capital Stockholm was the first-ever city to be designated European Green Capital by the EU Commission in 2010. The main reason cited for the award was Stockholm’s integrated administrative system, which guarantees that environmental aspects are considered in budgets, operational planning, reporting and monitoring.

photo: jEnS ASSur

In a world where green is the new black, the temptation to gloss over the real environmental issues with superficial or cosmetic sustainability efforts can prove almost irresistible. But real sustainability is not a quick fix. At least not in the first ever European Green Capital.

At the cutting edge of urban development Sustainability starts at home. Stockholm’s much-publicized sustainable city concept, Hammarby Sjöstad, has come to serve as a role model for urban development projects all around the world. For the next project area, Stockholm Royal Seaport, the requirements will be even more stringent!

with respect to emissions from its own operations. In continuing efforts to optimize the whole transport chain, there will be a new commuter train connection, taking passengers directly [and swiftly] from the airport to Stockholm International Fairs, beginning December 2012. This is in addition to the already existing Arlanda Express high-speed rail link (travel time from airport terminal to Stockholm Central: 20 min). And once in Stockholm, you can take advantage of the extensive local transport system that ranks among the best in Europe.

Sustainable transportation There is no getting away from the fact that traveling to and from your chosen meeting venue has some environmental impact. Therefore you’ll be pleased to hear that Stockholm-Arlanda Airport was the first airport to meet the requirements for the highest level [3+] in the assessment of environmental impact of airports in 2009. This level requires that the airport is entirely climate-neutral

the city for everyone The vision for Stockholm in 2030 is that of a world-class city, accessible to everyone – disabled or not. To this end, a systematic endeavor to make Stockholm the world’s most accessible capital city was launched in 1999. Every year since, MSEK 100 have been earmarked for the Easy Access Project which is aimed at making Stockholm’s streets, squares, restaurants, cultural institu-

Or in other words: just about everything that happens in Stockholm does so with sustainability in mind.

photo: louISE BIllGErt

photo: johAn töpEl

Did you know that there is a duplicate of Stockholm’s sustainable city concept, Hammarby Sjöstad, in China? (Tianjin Eco City 500,000 residents)

Food and drink – check. Accommodations – check. Meeting facilities – check. You’ve gone through your green meetings checklist and everything seems to be in order. But is your meeting destination REALLY living up to its sustainability claims?

tions and the City’s own properties, accessible and serviceable to all.

We are here for you Stockholm Convention Bureau is here to make things easier for organizers. As a part of Stockholm Visitors Board, we provide a free-of-charge service offering all the support you need to plan a successful meeting. If you want to know more about what we offer and why companies and organizations keep coming back to Stockholm, don’t hesitate to get in contact.

For more information, send us an e-mail or give us a call!

Stockholm Visitors Board Stockholm Convention Bureau Phone: +46 8 508 28 500 conventionbureau@stockholm.se stockholmconventionbureau.com

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