Inaugural Sustainable Event Industry Forum Held

Several of the event and tourism industry’s leading voices in sustainability came together at the inaugural Sustainable Event Industry Forum to identify the criteria and standards which could be harnessed to advance a more unified approach to global sustainable event practices.

Convened and hosted by the Events Industry Council on May 14, 2018, in Frankfurt, this ground-breaking event was designed as a full-day working session to explore, assess, deliberate and prioritize the potential of this effort and address possible barriers. Extensive discussion and debate among eighteen representatives of some of the world’s most prominent organizations working towards responsible event and tourism management resulted in drafting a proposed definition and four guiding principles that the participants believe should underpin any sustainable event standards:

• That sustainability is a shared responsibility between event organizers and suppliers for implementing and communicating sustainable practices.
• Key environmental practices must be standard.
• Primary social considerations are critical.
• Sustainable events support thriving economic practices.

These four principles will undergo further vetting and development before becoming part of a wider industry outreach and collaboration.

The Forum included participation from eight different countries. Key contributors included the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, UFI, the Events Industry Council Sustainability Committee, Global Destination Sustainability Index and the Austrian Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism.

The event was made possible through the generous support of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the Salt Lake Green Team Committee (Salt Palace Convention Center, Mountain America Exposition Center, Visit Salt Lake, Utah Food Services, and PSAV).

Visit: Events Industry Council