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“In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, that’s not the case.” This quote has been quoted by many celebrities, but it could just as easily have come from Alex Ahlers, executive director of the Joint Conference Industry Council. Alex Alles on the Net Zero Carbon campaign initiative.
NZCE is currently working on the implementation phase of a multi-year campaign to drive meetings and conferences industry organizations to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“It’s actually a very exciting time for us because when you look at everything that’s been created so far, it’s very theoretical,” Ahlers said. However, with the release of seven comprehensive best practice documents last December, the focus has shifted. “This is for We work through theory; this is the basis for further building the house,” he said. But by 2024, the new NZCE plan aims to drive the adoption of sustainable practices.
Allers described four initiatives this year that will help move NZCE’s efforts from theory to practice:
Material library
“The materials library is an exciting project,” Allers said. “What we plan to do is provide the industry with a catalog of the most commonly used materials in exhibition spaces, and the carbon equivalents typically produced in the manufacturing of those materials.” For example, “If you are building a booth for an exhibition and using aluminum frames, the materials library The carbon footprint of the aluminum production process will be listed,” says Ahlers, who hopes the material library will become the “go-to” document, especially when it comes to exhibitions at commercial events. ”
NZCE is working with the International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services on the project, which is already underway and expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year.
Best Practices from International Associations
Another new NZCE initiative is focused on creating a set of sustainability best practices specifically for internationally active associations. NZCE, in partnership with the International Congress and Convention Association, the European Association of Association Executives and the association media resource Boardroom, is designing a survey to learn more about the sustainability strategies of such associations and the conferences and other events they host.
By October, Ahlers hopes to publish best practices to “inspire other internationally active associations to follow suit, as we know many stakeholders are working hard”Work hard to solve sustainable development issues. ” He said it was important to meet with local associations, including those “still at the beginning of their sustainability journey, and lend a helping hand”.
While NZCE published a series of best practice documents in December covering waste management, logistics, food waste, carbon offsetting, measurement and more, this new project will provide niche advice for international associations. “We hope to gradually differentiate between different stakeholder groups so that [sustainability] It’s easier and more tangible for them. “
After April 17, the Joint Meetings Industry Committee will have some concrete insights to add to the best practices conversation—it will When EU Dialogue: Driving positive change in the meetings industry takes place in Brussels, we will measure the sustainability of its own events for the first time. “We’ve rolled out all these approaches and now we can see how difficult it is to actually implement it in practice.”
better position
Another NZCE initiative for 2024 is to make Informa’s Sustainable Stand Standard the standard across the industry. In 2020, Informa (the parent company of MeetingsNet) launched its Better Stands program to encourage exhibitors to use recyclable materials to build booths and reduce event waste.
Ahlers said they Discussions are underway to bring the Better Stands program “under the NZCE umbrella so that the great work Informa does can be scaled up and used by stakeholders around the world.”
Educational webinars
In late 2023, NZCE is hosting a series of free webinars introducing its best practice documents. In 2024, it will begin a new series focusing on organizations’ efforts to create and follow their cyber “roadmaps”-Zero carbon emissions. The first event will be on April 17, led by event organizer RX, and Alles hopes to host up to 10 events over the course of a year, which will be promoted via social media, emails to supporters and the NZCE website.
All NZCE signatories have committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and must publish a roadmap on how to achieve this. The webinar will address the strategies and challenges of creating this document. “We’re going to talk openly and honestly about how they do it,” Ahlers said, “because it’s really a difficult task. A lot of people don’t even know where to start. Of course, they have an overall roadmap for net zero carbon activities to refer to, but designing their own is no easy task.We want to help We can illustrate this as best as possible by giving these examples. “
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