New green initiatives for IMEX 2008

Greening IMEX: Pampering Zone. The popular pampering zone will e back at IMEX 2008 on the Leading Hotels of the World stand, offering visitors the chance to experience a little bit of Leading Spa style pampering at the show. The popular pampering zone will be back at IMEX 2008 on the Leading Hotels of the World stand, offering visitors the chance to experience a little bit of Leading Spa style pampering at the show.

New green initiatives for IMEX 2008 include:
u Reusable recyclable bags made from polypropylene, with dedicated recycling points u Show catalogues printed on 50% recycled paper u Pocket guides printed on 100% recycled paper u Use of bio diesel coaches for hosted buyer transfers u Anti-idling policy in place for all bus transfers u Marketing materials printed on recycled or sustainable source paper And as last year all IMEX participants are encouraged to carbon offset their travel to Frankfurt.

Messe Frankfurt’s green mission Noted for their sound environmental policies, the team at Messe Frankfurt are continuously looking at ways to reduce the environmental impact of the exhibitions held at the venue.
Initiatives include:
u Using rainwater for flushing toilets u Treating waste water to break down cooking fats u Introducing adjustable energysaving hall lighting systems u Reusing the energy produced by incinerating food waste u Recycling all carpeting Messe Frankfurt are working closely with the IMEX organising team for long-term environmental improvements to IMEX such as using shuttle buses that run on gas rather than diesel – and using carpet made from cornstarch. Trials are currently underway to test whether the cornstarch carpet can stand up to three very busy days at IMEX!

Congress centres respond to green debate Mark Twain once said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”. The same might be said about sustainability where the level of discussion appears to exceed action. However, a recent survey of AIPC congress centres has clearly demonstrated that centres are well in front on this one. 68% of centres indicated that they already had comprehensive environmental policies in place and an amazing 71% indicated that they had put new sustainability measures in place
within the past three years! “Actively encourage and support clients in holding more sustainable events”
Clearly, the recent spike in environmental concern has yet to translate itself into action for many organisations. But equally clear is the fact that it is only a matter of time before this shift occurs. In fact, the same survey showed that over 90% of centres anticipate a rise in environmental interest amongst clients.
The next big wave in centre programming will be to develop programmes that actually support clients in holding more sustainable events. By putting waste management, recycling, paper reduction and energy management in place, clients will have all the resources they need to meet their environmental goals.
Sustainability has long been a hot topic at IMEX and we hope this continues in the future. Keeping the issue in the spotlight helps create demand amongst planners – and when that happens, congress centres will be ready!

IMEX will provide a central focus for a special IAPCO anniversary this year -40 Years of Quality.
The ‘40’ theme will come through loud and strong for IAPCO at this year’s IMEX. Each day there will be an activity at 4pm and 4.40pm. On Tuesday 22nd April 40 Meeting Industry Terminology Dictionaries will be given away free of charge.
The following day, the Wolfsberg Alumni Gathering will draw together up to 1,500 students who have passed through the IAPCO Wolfsberg ‘Academy’ from 1975-2007 in a celebration of international friendship and shared learning. Come Thursday there will be a free draw offering a 40% discount on Wolfsberg 2009 registration fees.
Other activities during the 40th Anniversary Year focus on “Turning Green into Gold”. They include Wolfsberg students producing 60 top tips of practical and innovative ways in which PCOs can turn their meetings green. 40 of these will be selected and presented with further discussions taking place at the Annual Meeting to finalise the IAPCO Guidelines for Going Green.
40 trees will also be planted in Auckland during the IAPCO General Assembly in February.

Greening the hospitality industry
IMEX environmental partners GMIC (Green Meeting Industry Council) will hold their annual Greening the Hospitality Industry conference in Vancouver next month. Meeting planners will be able to learn from leaders in the field on how to take an environmentally friendly approach to venue selection, registration, marketing and exhibiting. The aim of the conference is to inspire and equip meetings industry professionals to create meetings that care for the Earth while achieving added value, cost minimization and increased competitiveness.For the first time an IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Forum will take place in conjunction with the conference, taking the green meetings message to students about to enter the meetings industry.