To encourage the provision of sustainable meetings inGermany, in 2012 the GCB German Convention Bureau is offering a total of six seminars for meeting planners. The one-and-a-half-day courses impart the theory and practicals of organising and staging sustainable conventions, meetings and events.
The first seminar kicks off on May 2 and 3 at the Maritim Hotel in Frankfurt, with further events planned inCologne,Hamburg,BerlinandMunich. The training courses form part of a GCB project supported by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), one ofEurope’s largest foundations promoting environmental projects, to reduce the carbon footprint of meetings and events. The GCB project is being conducted in consultation with the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).
Topics at the one-and-a-half-day seminars include the definition of sustainability in ecological, economic and social respects and an overview of the certificates available in this field. In addition, the latest statistics and future trends in supply and demand will be described and the market opportunities and competitive advantages discussed that can result from offering sustainable meetings. The seminars are given a very practical, hands-on focus with the presentation of case studies and individual measures ranging from environmentally friendly travel to and from a meeting through the reduction of printed matter to socially compatible HR management.
The courses are designed for up to 20 participants in each case. For an introductory price of EUR 390 per person the organisers are offering the first seminar in Frankfurt. Those interested can register in advance by email at green(at)gcb.de.
Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB German Convention Bureau, stresses how important this project is for the German meetings industry: “The high standards that the German meetings sector sets for Green Meetings give it a significant competitive edge. Going forward, we aim to keep emphasising the environmental aspect and to enhance the meeting sector’s economic and social competence. Thanks to the DBU’s financial support, in the coming years we will be able to train around 500 consultants at the new seminars, and they in turn will pass on their comprehensive sustainability expertise in their companies. This way we will help to further reinforceGermany’s prominent position in the sphere of Green Meetings and, as a result, to secure German suppliers’ success in the competitive global market on a lasting basis.”
The DBU-sponsored project is a further element of the GCB and EVVC’s joint commitment to sustainability. Yet another import area of activity is the second greenmeetings and events conference on February 26 and 27, 2013 at the darmstadtium science and congress centre inDarmstadt.
