ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Convention Industry Council (CIC) announced that the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) will become a council of CIC with specific charter & mandate to advocate and educate around sustainability in the MICE industry operating under the direction of its board.
In a bold move designed to demonstrate the importance of collaboration in a crowded marketplace, the merger will allow the GMIC to reach a wider audience and open its doors and assets to the full industry with the aim to have a deeper impact.
The Convention Industry Council is the preeminent organization representing all segments of the meetings and events industry. As such, GMIC, under the umbrella of CIC, will be the go-to source for neutral and credible resources, information, and community to advance sustainable practices for the broader event industry.
“GMIC is the meetings industry’s most respected authority on sustainability, and the Board of Directors has been working tirelessly over the last several months to finalize an exciting new partnership to take GMIC to new heights,” said Karen Kotowski, CMP, CEO of the Convention Industry Council. “CIC is looking forward to not only helping GMIC return to its roots as a council leading the conversation on sustainability in the meeting and events industry, but also to support it by expanding its reach through the CIC members and CMP communities to drive the industry towards these practices.”
The concept of sustainability is reaching a pivotal point in the general consumer landscape with businesses paying particular attention to the newly unveiled UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. In order to ensure that GMIC and CIC are driving the conversation through collaboration, a volunteer committee will be appointed to focus on the critical role of developing content, research, and education, and implementing initiatives to push the cause forward.
With the governance council under CIC, GMIC volunteers can be readily engaged to support the APEX/ASTM Sustainable Meetings Standards continued maintenance and development which both organizations were instrumental in developing.
The collaboration of the two organizations provides both CIC and GMIC with a greater ability to deliver information, tools and resources on sustainability standards and best practices.
The passionate supporters that provide much of GMIC’s current membership base will be a valuable asset in taking on local issues and offering educational opportunities for fellow supporters. GMIC individual and business members will transition to individual supporters and sponsors, and local GMIC Chapters will be invited to continue their local communities and supporter networks.
“I’m deeply proud of our community of very dedicated individuals and this important step for sustainability in the events industry” said Roger Simons, CMP, Chair of the GMIC Board of Directors. “The evolution of the organization in hand with the CIC allows us to amplify our voice, to better advocate and educate for sustainability whilst ensuring that unwavering focus on our original founding mission.”
This text is based on sources from ECA - European Cockpit Association.
