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IMEX America 2018: A Sustainable Event

IMEX America has always been run with sustainability in mind. This time around, sustainability education will feature throughout, attendees are urged to bring a reusable water bottle to the show, and IMEX America will also continue to beat the drum about the positive impact of giving back to destination communities. From the Event…

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Convene Presents and Celebrates: Getting Better 2018

Opinions has already published Convene’s annual Best in Show list, celebrating industry excellence. But Convene also invited notables from across the sector to reflect on how the business of events is getting better. Nineteen contributed, among them Gregg Talley of the Talley Management Group and SoolNua and SITE’s Pádraic Gilligan. From PCMA Convene…

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Energy Disruptors Unite Challenges Industry Assumptions

The inaugural edition of Energy Disruptors Unite in Calgary, Canada, joined together oil and gas leaders with the brightest minds of the renewable energy industry. With a diverse speaker lineup that included Sir Richard Branson, initial success indicates the event could become a driving force in solving the world’s big energy issues. From PCMA…

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Greener Coffee… or Enjoying Caffeine with Less Carbon

Coffee in copious quantity sustains much of the meetings industry. Yet disposable coffee cups are in of themselves a major sustainability issue. As the sector aims to reduce its carbon footprint, one organiser successfully avoided the mountains of cups often left behind at events, while also helping fund clean water projects around the world. From PCMA…

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Making the Business Case for Holding Sustainable Events

Holding sustainable events can be hard work, and involve a variety of quite different challenges. The Vice President of Marketing for Oracle, Paul Salinger, discussed how to navigate the business aspects of sustainability during the Sustainable Brands 2018 conference recently held in Vancouver. Here are the four takeaways of his session. From PCMA Convene…

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Vegetarian Only Meetings: Further Sustainability Questions

When about 2,000 meeting delegates sat down for lunch at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Annual Conference, they were fed all plant-based food all conference long. In addition to the conference’s first-ever all-vegetarian menu, the organiser made another big move in 2017 by eliminating breakfast from the menu. From PCMA…

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Sustainable Meetings: Six Areas to Shine a Light Upon

With an ever-increasing focus on the environment and growing demand for sustainable practice, green event and conference planning is now an established trend within the global meetings industry. Here are six areas to consider for a greener approach: the venue, carbon offsetting, the accommodation, the catering, technology and lighting, and the materials used. From the Event…

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Vegetarian and Pescatarian Meetings: The Sustainability Question

In the GDS-Index white paper The Iceberg just published in Research, Finland’s Visit Espoo is committing to serve only locally-produced vegetarian food and sustainable fish to association delegates. Would you ever serve only vegetables and fish to your event attendees? Would they accept such a proposal? From editor’s blog at Association Meetings International…

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The Huntington Convention Center’s “Real FarmVille”

The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland is the latest venue to be farming produce onsite for the consumption of its visitors. The project, called “The Real FarmVille”, grows tomatoes, corn, mesclun and peppers. There are also chickens, pigs and even bees, not just for honey but for scientific study as well. From PCMA…

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Community Advocate of the Year Jeff Chase: Greener Waste

Jeff Chase is Vice President of Sustainability at Freeman and the PCMA Education Foundation’s 2018 Community Advocate of the Year. He’s a fierce champion of lowering the amount of waste major events send to landfill and getting the sector committed to recycling. Green-minded clients now make up $400 million of Freeman’s business. From PCMA…

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Cape Town Water Legacies: “Never Waste a Good Crisis”

Despite being a coastal city, Cape Town is fighting the worst drought in its history and has come close to actually running out of water. But even before the problem turned critical, water-related conferences were identifying opportunities for creating legacies in the destination. “Never waste a good crisis” has become the apt motto. From Boardroom…

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IMEX 2018: Five Themes for the Meetings Industry

IMEX 2018 is currently underway in Frankfurt. One of the greatest meetings industry exhibitions, the event also showcases key trends and advancements in the sector. The Iceberg’s favourite topic, legacy, is the main theme this year, but also making headlines are: event tech, wellness, live and experiential, and CSR and sustainability. From tmf dialogue marketing…

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Meeting and Event Greening: Myths and Truths

It is quite likely you have already heard a lot about meeting and event greening, but how much of what you know is actually true? As with all new things, there can be confusion and misinformation. The Event Greening Forum unpacks some common myths about sector greening and sets the record straight. From the Event…

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Waste: Such a Waste

Following an interview with Positive Impact’s Fiona Pelham, Meetpie.com’s editor has been contemplating the volume of waste visible during the average daily commute. But events are now discarding bad practice, and great strides in sustainability are being made and recognised across the sector. Contribute with the hastag #Shareapositiveimpact. From the editor’s blog at Meetpie.com…

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Industry Millennials Driving Sustainability

Fiona Pelham – founder of Iceberg partner Positive Impact – says younger industry professionals are spearheading sustainability and making it part of normal practice. Positive Impact is currently promoting events sustainability in tandem with the United Nations Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The sector can get involved by sharing best practice with the hashtag #Shareapositiveimpact. From Meetpie.com…

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Dubai Expo 2020’s Legacy Plans

  Dubai’s hosting of the next World Expo – which will bring together 180 nations and perhaps 25 million visitors – is of course right at the centre of its event planning. But the emirate isn’t just thinking about what will be taking place between October 2020 and April 2021. It is also planning what will be happening after the Expo is over….

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