Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is leading by example in its drive to promote sustainable practices in the global meetings and events industry. MPI officially formalized its commitment to sustainable meeting practices when it became the first industry association to sign the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate citizenship initiative, concerned with exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of businesses and markets. MPI’s most recent success in its corporate social responsibility commitment is becoming the first organization in the meetings and events industry to achieve the new certification of British Standard 8901 (BSi8901) at their European Meetings and Events Conference at London ExCeL this past April.

The certification is the world’s first sustainable event standard, developed to guide the planning of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. In partnership with VisitLondon, ExCel London and the local Host Committee, the MPI event focused specifically on sustainability in the areas of economic, environmental and social. Working with Organise This, MPI implemented an onsite sustainable event management system, which included a community project and a team of volunteers. The management system was also supported in part by the MPI Foundation Europe and The Rezidor Hotel Group.

“Our European Meetings and Events Conference in London was organized and managed with a key focus on sustainability,” said Bruce MacMillan, president and CEO of MPI. “MPI is committed to being at the forefront of a sustainable meetings industry by implementing sustainable practices globally.”

“MPI is intent on being a global leader in creating and propagating sustainable events. We have demonstrated, in conjunction with our partners, that changing your way of working and sharing knowledge can positively encourage the ways we all consider our environment, economy and community,” MacMillan added.

ExCeL London’s Head of Corporate Sales, Jane Hague explains: “The MPI event was a great opportunity for ExCeL London to showcase the many existing sustainable initiatives already in place at the venue. Waste produced at the event was recycled using ExCeL London’s own onsite materials recycling facility and commercial wormery - which is the largest in the country, and where food waste is converted into compost.”

The BSi8901 standard sets a generic framework that manages sustainability implementation for events, venues or suppliers of any size. This framework creates a way of working that considers economic, environmental and social impacts. Implementing the BSi8901 standard consists of 3 phases:

• Phase 1: Planning pre-event
• Phase 2: Implementation during the event
• Phase 3: Review post-event

Each phase is separately certified. The standard is following the path to become an internationally recognized standard under the International Standard Organization (ISO).

Recently, MPI released the case study on the European Meetings and Events Conference. Through this case study, MPI provides a practical guide for industry professionals seeking to create and implement sustainable events. The study is part of MPI’s commitment to provide thought leadership, best practice guidelines, and sustainable design education that members can use to elevate their success in conducting sustainable meetings.

MPI Corporate Social Responsibility Webinar Series
This September, MPI will present a series of four global webinars on corporate social responsibility as a benefit of membership. The webinars will begin with a discussion of: What is CSR? and a scan of current marketing tools, presented by Mike Wallace, President of Wallace Partners. Management of sustainability implementation will be discussed and its relevance to meeting and event planners and suppliers. The webinars are free of charge for MPI members. Following, are three sessions on incorporating CSR in meetings and events through the elements of destination selection, contracts and food and beverage strategies, delivered by pioneers in environmentally sustainable meetings - Amy Spatrisano, Nancy Wilson, and Shawna McKinley of Meeting Strategies Worldwide. The dates of the webinars are September 24th, October 1st, 8th and 15th.