EVVC is the first German association to be Green Globe certified

LOS ANGELES, CA – In May of this year, the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) and Green Globe developed and introduced a joint certification process for event venues, which has already been

LOS ANGELES, CA – In May of this year, the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) and Green Globe developed and introduced a joint certification process for event venues, which has already been successfully completed by 15 venues. At the end of July, the head office of the EVVC passed the Green Globe audit and easily reached the required number of criteria making the EVVC the first organization in Germany to hold a Green Globe certification.

โ€œFor us, the certification is only the beginning of a process, which should entail a continuous improvement of our sustainable activities,โ€ said head office manager Martina Engert.

“Even in a small organization like ours, it is important to establish and strengthen a conscious and sustainable thinking and action. For the colleagues, this is demonstrated in the mission statement and environmental guidelines on various criteria such as resource use, environmentally-friendly offices, and purchasing guidelines. In addition, the association supports its employees with appropriate programs to give up smoking,” added Ms. Engert.
โ€œI am delighted about the certification of the head office,โ€ emphasized EVVC president Joachim Kรถnig. โ€œIt is a wonderful complement to all of our activities in the large area of CSR.โ€

Even before completing Green Globe certification, EVVC has been focused on environmental aspects and sustainability issues such as the organization of two major annual meetings, the associationโ€™s annual general meeting, and management symposium. For several years, the Deutsche Bahn has been a partner of the EVVC and offers special rates for events, which are hugely popular among participants. The cooperation with the Deutsche Bahn, for example, made it possible to save 4,841 kg of CO2 during the annual general meeting 2010 in Dรผsseldorf.

With Internet-based Green Mobility platform, EVVC, along with its partner Co2ol, is expanding the service for its conference guests at the upcoming management symposium in Munich: next to CO2 calculators, detailed information on traveling by train, by car, by plane, or even car-sharing agencies will be available: http://evvc.co2ol.de .

All the EVVCโ€™s correspondence with its members and partners will be carried out in a paperless fashion using email, and at the events all conference documentation will be kept to a minimum.

THE EVVC

The European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) represents over 600 event centers, conference centers, arenas, and special-event locations of all sizes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and other neighboring European countries.

In addition to these venues, represented by approximately 320 member companies, individual members from the event industry, honorary members, and around 70 partner companies complete the broad spectrum of the association and make the EVVC the most versatile communication network in the industry.
Important issues of the association are the development of education and training in the industry, creating industry-relevant indicators, and the communication with federal policy makers to represent the interests of the event industry.

ABOUT GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATION

Green Globe Certification is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally-accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe Certification is based in California, USA, and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is the only certification brand to be an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is partly owned by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and a member of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) governing council. For information visit www.greenglobe.com .

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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