In
planning and hosting IMEX America 2012 a major goal for show
organizers, Regent Exhibitions, was to strike a healthy balance
between trade show growth, event quality and a responsibility to the
environment and the local Las Vegas community.
With
this in mind, the IMEX Group has today announced its audited
sustainability results from IMEX America 2012, which have been
compiled by its sustainability partner, MeetGreen®. They show that
IMEX America 2012 achieved 63% compliance with the APEX/ASTM
Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards, Level 1*.
Meant
to serve as a benchmark for future IMEX America shows and provide a
highly transparent, leading example of what the exhibition and events
industry can do to positively change sustainability and CSR
practices, the report shows strong performance in several key areas
including:
•
87.5%
of exhibit waste from the Sands Expo and Convention Center diverted
from landfills. 72% in total diverted when combined with show-related
events and meetings held at The Venetian® l The Palazzo®
• 40%
of food served at The Venetian®|The Palazzo® and the Sands Expo and
Convention Center met sustainability criteria
•
12
metric tons of organics and service waste was composted by The
Venetian® l The Palazzo® and the Sands Expo and Convention Center
•
94
% of the total carpet on show floor was reused from previous events
•
63
staff and attendee volunteer hours donated to serve Las Vegas
non-profits – Clean the World, Opportunity Village and Shade Tree.
$5,000 also raised for Opportunity Village and Shade Tree through the
IMEX Badge Back Program
•
1,861
kilograms of show food and exposition materials donated to local
charities
•
Working
with Clean the World, attendees sorted used hotel soaps & bottled
amenities for recycling and donation - 300 hygiene kits donated to
The Shade Tree.
Behind
the Numbers – Strategy + Supplier Teamwork
Working
closely with partners MeetGreen®, IMEX America’s sustainability
efforts were the result of a solid strategy brought to life by close
teamwork and a shared commitment between IMEX and its suppliers,
especially the teams at the trade show’s venue, the Sands Expo and
Convention Center and its host hotels, The Venetian® l The
Palazzo®.
The
strategic approach was based on six key areas guided by ISO 20121 and
the APEX/ASTM standards. These included a clearly defined vision &
mobilized team; specific, measurable and time-bound goals to define
success; clear targets to enable continuous improvement; engagement
of key stakeholders; understanding of issues and risks; controls to
communicate expectations and facilitate feedback.
“Creating
a more sustainable show is a long road but a worthwhile one,” said
Carina Bauer CEO of the IMEX Group. “It takes plans and processes
but most importantly people across every role, job and vested
organization to make change happen. Learning and bumps are all part
of the experience, as sustainability is never truly “finished.”
It’s exciting to see our industry working towards stronger
stewardship and to be a part of such progressive action. We’re keen
to share our experiences in an open and transparent way so that
others can learn from them.”
Jenny
Yu, Director of Global Sustainability for the Las Vegas Sands
Corporation further commented on the IMEX America 2012 sustainability
effort by saying: “Partnership between suppliers and planners is
essential. Working with IMEX America is a rewarding experience for us
because it helps us expand our Sands ECO 360o Meetings Program.
Together, we have achieved extraordinary milestones in areas such as
recycling, sustainable food purchase, attendee education and CSR
activities. And, we’re looking forward to going even further for
IMEX America 2013.”
Examples
of Success
The
unique desert landscape of Las Vegas presented a challenge to the
organizers’ intent to serve locally-sourced food. However, a
collaboration with the caterer expanded the definition of ‘local’
to products grown within 400 miles of Las Vegas, instead of the 100
miles suggested in the standard.
Where
necessary The Sands Expo and Convention Center and The Venetian® l
The Palazzo® & Lunas Recycling brought in extra staff for the
recycling and composting parts of the show’s waste management plan
in order to reach the landfill diversion targets sought by IMEX. The
Sands Expo and the team from Lunas were in constant communication
during the show to discuss how the waste stream was running
successfully and to highlight what needed to be adjusted each day for
added efficiency and effectiveness. Internal communication within the
Sands team was also enhanced to ensure that everyone working towards
the new sustainability goals understood the importance of their
individual role in achieving success; this included staff at all
levels, from the hands-on cleaning staff to managers and directors.
Measuring
Against the APEX Standards
All
of the moving parts and data points of the show -- over 300 -- were
factored into the APEX/ASTM standards through an in-depth review of
criteria categories. These criteria categories or sectors included
System and Policy, Destination, Venue, Food and Beverage, Exhibits,
Transportation, Onsite, Communication and Audio Visual.
“This
was an interesting process as APEX is obviously a new standard and
IMEX selected the event destination and list of suppliers long before
the standards were available. That meant that IMEX’s ability to
meet some criteria for year one was limited,” said Michael Luehrs,
Sustainable Business Advisor, MeetGreen®. “That being said, we
really saw a highly motivated team evolve and work together, bringing
the plans, talent and leadership needed to create some very exciting
results. At future IMEX America shows we’ll be working even harder
to improve performance against the APEX standards.”
Going
Forward
In
consultation with MeetGreen®, new benchmarks and targets have now
been agreed to for the next edition of IMEX America, which starts on
Smart Monday, Oct 14, 2013 at the Sands Expo.
These
include: increasing communication with delegates prior to the show to
ensure they are aware of what they can do to help reach the show’s
sustainability goals; reviewing all supplier contracts and adding any
new sustainable measures and continuing to work closely with The
Venetian® l The Palazzo® and the Sands Expo to increase the amount
of sustainable food options available at the show.
IMEX
is already working with The Venetian® l The Palazzo® to align
sustainability measures with the APEX/ASTM Level 1 for accommodations
and hopes to bring more Las Vegas hosted buyer hotels on board in the
next few months.
An
IMEX case history of IMEX America’s multi-partner sustainability
efforts will be available later this summer.
*
The APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards for
Accommodations were not released in time for this event and were not
considered in the audit of the standards.
