Event Greening Forum becomes official

11 Mar 2011

The Event Greening Forum (EGF), which has been operating informally since 2009, has now become a Section 21 company and received support from eight MICE associations (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), enabling it to be effective in realising its mandate - to promote sustainable and ethical business practices in the South African events industry.

The EGF will encourage businesses to operate in a responsible manner by providing support, resources and training. Its focus will address the triple bottom line of sustainability: people, planet and prosperity.

Founding members

Exhibition & Event Association of Southern Africa (EXSA)
Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI)
Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA)
Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa)
Certified Meeting Professional Network South Africa (CMP Network SA)
International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA)
Technical Production Services Association (TPSA)
South African Roadies Association (SA Roadies)

The founding members

click to enlarge

Justin Hawes, MD of Scan Display, co-founded and co-chairs the forum with Grace Stead, one of the directors of icologie, a sustainability training and consultancy company. He says, "The response from the associations has been good and everyone has demonstrated a strong appreciation for the importance of greening and a readiness to embrace it."

Its official launch took place at SA Tourism's Meetings Africa 2011, which is a good fit for the EGF, as a large proportion of the MICE industry relates to business tourism and can benefit from taking steps to improve their sustainability.

SA Tourism showed support for the EGF and its objectives by attending the launch and implementing green measures at the expo, including the use of renewable energy and conducting an eco-audit to measure the effectiveness of its event greening interventions.

Go to www.eventgreening.co.za for more information.