Is South Africa up to standard with international sustainability trends?
Many people are running what they call “green events” but I think what’s exciting for MCI is that we can take that notion of a “green event” to new international heights. We’ve got all the right credentials in South Africa, and we’ve got the suppliers who can do all these things. But I’m going to say MCI (and our competitors) are not good enough here, and we’re not doing enough anywhere else.
Despite the fact that we have done many exceptional things with sustainability around the world, we now need to focus on the materially actions that really make a difference, and not just the ones that look good. I see it as one of our roles to challenge our clients and to shake up the industry and challenge our suppliers and peers to step up and make a bigger difference.
Forecast for the industry over the next five years?
Brands are demanding venues that are responsible and which do the right thing, and event organisers that “do” good business.
I think it’s fair to say in general that the SA meeting industry has created award-winning work but on the other hand we’ve never had an organisation like MCI come into the country to take it to that next level.
I have seen very few countries around the world that have this fantastic sustainability commitment really bring it to their events. Most events are purely aesthetics. There is really only a select few that are truly sustainable.
Meeting and event planners need to step up and we need to call them out on that. We need to help them host truly sustainable events simply, easily and affordably.
What prominent sustainability trends have you noticed?
There are a number of notable trends, but these are perhaps the most pertinent for the next five years.
- There will be an increasing global demand for transparency, with more legislation put in place and an increase in public and client demand for anti-corruption and ethics programmes relating to the meeting industry.
- There will be growing demand for locally produced, organic, Fairtrade, and sustainable options in catering. Research shows us that sustainable menus improve overall delegate satisfaction.
- By 2020, hybrid meetings will be the norm, reducing carbon emissions from travel and opening up meetings to wider audiences. Many smaller events will be entirely organised using a mix of collaborative technology platforms such as Uber, AirBnB, TaskRabbit, and hotelwalla.
- Sustainability will be a key factor in every purchasing decision and procurement teams will play an increasingly important role in driving and managing sustainable supply chains.
- Sustainable destinations will dominate the PCO market. Leading convention bureaus will bring together key stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the sustainable development of their home city. Governments will increasingly look to the events sector as powerful catalyst of not just economic but also social and environmental change.
Part 3 to follow.
