Frankfurt, May 21 2014 – Global Initiatives, organisers of the Responsible Business Forum, Singapore, were awarded the IMEX Green Meeting Award at the show’s annual Gala Dinner in Frankfurt last night following the judges’ decision that the September 2013 Forum represented a “showcase sustainability event.”
The Award was presented to Roger Simons, MCI Group’s Sustainability Manager who accepted it on behalf of Tony Gourlay, CEO of Global Initiatives.
MCI and Global Initiatives, both thought leaders in responsible business and drivers of innovation in the sustainability industry worked together alongside leading sustainable event venue Marina Bay Sands to produce the Responsible Business Forum held in Singapore in September.
On collecting the award, Simons said: “As this project was in Asia, a region with a number of sustainability challenges, it demonstrates how responsible event practices need to and can evolve in rapidly developing economies, and that through bold leadership and close collaboration we can accelerate sustainability and deliver better business results.
” Speaking later, Global Initiative’s Gourlay added: “This is a wonderful achievement for us but without the support of the Marina Bay Sands we wouldn’t have achieved a large number of the goals that resulted in this industry award. They too are to be congratulated for their part in this wonderful win tonight.”
The IMEX-GMIC Green Meeting Award is presented annually in partnership with the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). It recognises innovative efforts to significantly minimise the environmental impact of a meeting or conference, highlighting the opportunities that now exist to stage business tourism events in ‘green-minded’ venues.
The award judges applicants on a variety of success measures such as energy efficiency, air and water quality, water conservation, waste minimisation and environmental purchasing criteria.
Judges deemed the Responsible Business Forum a “showcase sustainability event.” Under the banner of “Transformation, Growth and the Green Economy” the event attracted 430 leading business leaders, NGOs and policy-makers from around the world to accelerate the development of business solutions and policy frameworks for a more sustainable world.
The Forum took place at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. The Forum was also commended for several other achievements which included implementing a strong event management system guided by ISO20121 and being the first event to use the new Singapore Sustainability Guidelines for the meetings and events industry.
