Mélanie Delaplanche is the Sustainability Services Director for the MCI Group. Her role is to provide specific solutions to MCI offices all over the world in order to help them to integrate holistic sustainability strategies and build stakeholder engagement for their corporate and association clients. Mélanie works very closely with the internal sustainability team based in Geneva, which is responsible for the MCI Group's internal sustainability programme. She is also Director of the GDS-Index, the collaborative platform founded by the ICCA, IMEX, ECM and MCI; whose objective is to drive responsible practices in the business tourism and events industry.

 

So who better to ask about sustainability and the MICE industry than one of the world's leading experts on the subject?

 

SE: Sustainable meetings and events are currently the fastest growing segment of the MICE industry. Yet many service providers aren't yet endorsing them as an official initiative; opting rather to supply such services only upon request. Do you think that we might one day see sustainable meetings and events becoming the norm, and what more can be done to help a shift in general awareness and perception of green events to occur in the meanwhile?

 

MD: It’s true that after years of hesitation, we see a growing interest for more sustainable events. At a time when most organisations now have sound CSR policies in place, it only makes sense that their events, which also represent a growing part of their communication mix, also integrate the sustainability dimension. A sustainable event is not only about minimising negative environmental and social impacts, it also brings about the inspiring dimension that people will remember.

 

Yet sustainable events are far from being the norm, as they require changing practices, and take time and effort in an industry where resources can often be stretched. They also require specific technical knowledge when it comes to calculating the carbon emissions of an event, for example. Sustainability is also about communication, and in a lot of cases, suppliers will tend to focus on delivering rather than talking about their initiatives.

 

I believe the shift will happen when the end client (i.e. corporations and associations) will request that their agencies and suppliers integrate sustainable practices as part of their service offering, turning it into a prominent decision-making aspect, whilst ensuring that this can be delivered by setting KPIs and evaluating performance. In the meanwhile, communication and appropriate training protocols are key.

 

SE: The Events Industry Council's (EIC) APEX Standard is the first standard to provide comprehensive performance requirements for environmentally sustainable meetings. Can you please tell us a little bit more about the standard and specifically about how MCI are supporting the initiative?

 

MD: Well, I am fortunate to have been involved in two major initiatives launched by the EIC: I was delighted to be invited to the first industry Event Sustainability Forum at IMEX in Frankfurt in May of 2018; where together with other major event sustainability players from all over the world, we discussed and exchanged best practices in order to set up the very first event sustainability principles. MCI is a proud signatory of the Sustainable Events Principles, which will be announced and published in the coming weeks, so watch this space!

 

The second initiative I have been involved in was as a member of the re-write committee of the APEX standard for CVB and Destinations. The objective of the re-write committee was to ensure that all suggested performance indicators were still up-to-date, and most importantly, that the end goal would in effect simplify the requirements (without compromising the requested levels of performance, of course). As the Programme Director for the GDS-Index (a collaborative initiative created to help Destinations, Convention Bureaux, event planners and MICE suppliers drive the adoption, promotion and recognition of responsible practices in the business tourism and events industry), I was able to share my expertise on sustainability requirements for CVBs and Destinations, and had a great experience sharing and exchanging ideas with my knowledgeable peers.

 

SE: What are some of the main benefits you've seen companies gain from adopting voluntary standards and processes into their events?

 

MD: There are multiple advantages:

 

1. It allows companies to understand where their positive and negative impacts lie and to be able to start addressing them. By adopting a standard, or simply adhering to the requirements of a standard; a company will be able to implement the easy actions to begin with. For example, to communicate about public transport means to reach the event venue, or to cut down on red meat and plastic bottles. A standard provides a framework and more specific guidance on the main aspects to address first.
   
   
2. It fosters collaboration and engagement between all of the event stakeholders, from the event project team to the suppliers and the local community; integrating sustainability practices is inspirational as it gives a different and positive perspective to the event.
   
   
3. It helps with leveraging brand value as companies can communicate about CSR activities, their performance and engagement. When I say performance, it doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be genuine, and a standard will help them to achieve recognition from the industry.

 

When it comes to standards, my only advice would be to go for third-party certified, voluntary standards.

 

SE: Conversely, what would be some of the main challenges that businesses face when trying to implement sustainable practices?

 

MD: The lack of time or resources and the impression it is too big of a task. In many cases, it is a matter of rethinking the event and questioning the status quo, it takes some efforts to do things differently but it is worth it; sustainability is a fantastic engagement tool!

 

I also notice that in general clients do not want to pay for the extra amount of work required to put a thorough and holistic event sustainability strategy in place. Events agencies need to rethink the way they integrate sustainability solutions into their service offerings.

SE: We seem to be hearing a lot about the ISO 20121: Event sustainability management systems. How can MCI help organisations interested in consolidating this particular voluntary management system into their events?

 

MD: MCI Sustainability Services support organisations in implementing the ISO 20121 Management system. I am currently working for a very well-established financial institution which wants to secure the certification for their events in their New York and London offices, with a view to extending it to their Asian operations next year. It is very encouraging to see market leaders now setting the pace on sustainability matters.

 

At MCI, we are able to assist during all stages of the process that will usually last from six months to one year. Standards can seem daunting, and this is why our role is to facilitate the establishment of a transparent system that fits the organisation (and not the other way around!). As we know the events world inside out, we make it easier to turn this into a user-friendly tool.

 

SE: And finally, what would be your advice to event organisers who are interested in going down the sustainable route, but simply don't know where to begin?

 

MD: Start by reducing whatever can be reduced: plastic and other waste, for example. Recycling is good but the ideal scenario is always to limit the amount of waste which needs to be recycled.

 

Then there are small actions such as not using PVC for your signage, or selecting more vegetarian/vegan options for your menu. Collaborate and engage with your team and with your suppliers, who will often have sustainable options available or ones to propose - suppliers are the main leverage to more sustainable events. Don’t forget the local community and how you can leave a positive legacy. Again local suppliers or the destination’s convention bureau will be able to recommend organisations or charities you can engage with (like donating flowers or food leftovers). Destinations that are participating to the GDS-Index are more likely to be able to provide such information.

 

And most importantly, tell the story: it will inspire your event’s attendees and they’ll go away remembering the event as a special and meaningful one. By telling the story, you are also helping your client build their reputation for the longer-term, and this is invaluable.

 

And lastly, try to remember that it is about improvement, not perfection.