Convention International I MICE News und Trends aus der MICE – Branche
In what is believed to be a MICE industry first, representatives from various UN bodies will attend IBTM World this year, with the intention of learning about the meetings and events industry and sharing with delegates the context for an increasing global demand for a sustainable event industry. The initiative comes on the back of IBTM’s ongoing partnership with Positive Impact. Positive Impact recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with certain United Nation bodies with the intention of creating a sustainable events industry and telling the story of the power of events to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
During the event in Barcelona, UN representatives will participate in two education sessions as well as question and answer sessions on the show floor where visitors can find out more about sustainability. Positive Impact will host Ambassador meet ups and launch its latest sustainability report which will highlight the importance of collaboration and taking action to understand your own sustainability challenges as the first step in making optimal business decisions.
Positive Impact CEO, Fiona Pelham, said: “We are pleased to be facilitating collaboration between the UN, the global events industry and IBTM World. Positive Impact is a not for profit which exists to provide education and collaboration to create a sustainable event industry and tell the story of the power of events. At IBTM World we are ensuring there is the opportunity for our industry to be having conversations about what our next action steps in sustainability could be and how this makes business sense.
“Harvard Business Review quoted the business opportunity for sustainability to be worth over $26 trillion by 2030 and to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, events that bring people together are essential. IBTM World and the collaboration with UN bodies provides us with an opportunity to explore what this all means for event industry, as well as what the opportunities and risks are.”
David Thompson, Exhibition Director, IBTM World, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome the UN representatives to IBTM World. With sustainability being such an important issue for our industry, giving our visitors the opportunity to learn directly from some of the leaders in this field is of vital importance. As an organisation we are committed to playing a leading role in supporting and inspiring the industry to take a sustainable approach to business and events.”
Dennis Winkler, UNFCCC Lead for the Sustainable Organisation of UN Climate Change Conferences, commented: “I am happy to be attending IBTM for the first time this year with Positive Impact Events. It is a good opportunity to see and hear what is happening throughout the industry and exchange good practices for the sustainable organisation of conferences.”
With the support of Positive Impact and to help raise awareness of the sustainability challenges the industry faces when it comes to sustainability, IBTM has released a webinar and questionnaire to support exhibitors with understanding how to measure the environmental impact they have at an event.
IBTM World 2018 takes place from 27 – 29 November at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. This year the event will welcome around 3,000 exhibiting companies from over 150 countries, over 3,500 buyers and thousands of visitors for a packed schedule of meetings, networking and educational sessions. In 2017, over 74,000 pre-scheduled meetings between exhibitors and buyers were arranged over the three days.
www.ibtmworld.com
