Frankfurt, 27 May 2010 – Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau (SCIB) has scooped the Green Exhibitor Award at this year’s IMEX in Frankfurt. Offering a strong case for environmental sustainability, SCIB fended off competition for this coveted award by implementing an impressive number of carbon reduction measures throughout the show, which impressed the judging panel.
The SCIB was awarded the IMEX Green Exhibitor Award 2010 in recognition of its widespread use of Swiss wood in its stand construction. The wood is a renewable resource and net remover of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. All promotional material used at IMEX was printed carbon-neutral. In addition, all Switzerland Tourism staff, including the stand builders, travelled to Frankfurt by train to reduce carbon emissions. For the transport of materials, SCIB also used trucks booked via the “truck market” to avoid empty runs between Switzerland and Germany. All stand material and printed material was organised to require just one transport run. The stand also made the most of low energy lighting, minimal electricity and locally sourced organic food and beverages.
The IMEX Green Exhibitor Award is designed to highlight the ease with which exhibitors can make their stands, marketing materials and the entire process of exhibiting at IMEX more environmentally-friendly and sustainable. The award is intended to encourage all exhibitors to contribute to IMEX’s waste reduction policies, aiding the IMEX organisers in making the show as environmentally friendly as possible.
Barbra Albrecht, managing director of Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau, accepted the Green Exhibitor Award at the Gala Dinner on Wednesday 26th May from IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom. Barbra commented: “This is a fantastic recognition of all the initiatives that Switzerland as a country has taken towards sustainability as well as the environmentally friendly attitude within the activities of Switzerland Tourism and its Convention Bureau.”
Nominations for the IMEX Green Awards are judged by a panel of industry experts and audited externally. The panel includes: Elizabeth Henderson of Elizabeth Henderson Consulting; Hugo Kimber, CEO, The Carbon Consultancy and co founder, Sustainability Intelligence; Amy Spatrisano, Principal, MeetGreen and President of the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC); Tamara Kennedy-Hill, Executive Director, GMIC; Louise Hall Reider, Owner, Louise Hall Reider & Company and Amanda Gourgue, Chief Meeting Revolutionist, Meeting Revolution.
The Green Exhibitor Award was developed in partnership with the Green Meeting Industry Council and launched four years ago. Since then IMEX has extended its own knowledge and reputation as an environmentally-aware trade show and works to encourage all exhibitors, visitors and staff to implement CSR practices wherever possible. Previous winners of this award include Estoril Congress Centre, Malta Tourism Authority, Visit London, the Sri Lankan Convention Bureau and Expoforce GmbH.
The IMEX Group consistently aims to improve the environmental credentials of its show through a variety of initiatives. These include a waste reduction programme, the use of recycled materials in visitor badges, bags and even carpets as well as using hydro-electricity throughout the exhibition – the first trade guest tradeshow at Messe Frankfurt to do so and to offer the option to exhibitors.
