I think there is some real value to this observation, and this is no where more true than with the Danish Presidency of the European Union Council.

By June 30, when the European Union Presidency 2012 Denmark concludes, the Danish Foreign Ministry Logistics team will have supported the organization of 100 meetings serving 15,000 total participants while meeting criteria of the ISO 20121 event sustainability management system.

With a team of just 22 people, the logistics team delivered an EU Presidency at a fraction of the total cost of past Presidencies. The savings were an important result of the sustainable event management system, the highlights of which are featured here in this behind the scenes video. A video that really highlights how sustainable event management is really not that complicated, but it requires leadership, vision, commitment and discipline.

I take my hat off to Andreas and the Government team for demonstrating the business case of sustainable meetings. And also to the Bella Center, for the paradigm shift in sustainability performance in the last 3 years.

MCI Sustainability Services supported the Danish Foreign ministry in the development of the ISO20121 Sustainable Event Management System, and in the application for third party certification. This project will be one of the largest most ambitious implementations of sustainability in the meetings industry.For more info.

MCI have also led a stakeholder engagement initiative to increase the sustainability and outreach of the Danish Meetings Industry. A GRI Compliant report will be available in the summer on www.sustainableeventsdenmark.org

You can read more about the work we have been doing with Steen and the Danish Meetings Industry here:  This project know as the Danish Sustainable Events Initiative builds on the COP15 success to make the Danish Presidency of the EU highly sustainable and certified to the new ISO20121. In parallel the project aims to raise up the sustainability performance of hotels, venues and agencies in the rest of Denmark.

“What do the leaders do? the ask lots of questions”

Thank you to Maarten Vanneste for the production.

Let me know what you think?

Maybe such parallels are evident only for those whose wedding anniversary happens the same week as the event in question, but we persist with the analogy. In the points that follow, we explore some traditional wisdom and some of what these seemingly disparate topics have in common (and we salute the significant others who cope with such persistence)

Success possible only with commitment of the principles involved. CSR, or sustainable business, requires business leaders to believe enough in the concept to commit to the time and resources necessary to allow the program to flourish and become integrated with the fundamental operation of the business.  A ‘toes in the water’ approach delays the success that awaits.

It takes work. It’s been said that nothing worthwhile is ever easy.  Relationships and sustainable business plans can be said to be alike in this way.  They represent new thinking and change to the familiar.  They require us to adjust–maybe even give up– long-held paradigms.  They each require us to admit our failings and to be open to help. A pursuit of a sustainable business plan brings confusion and difficulty.  Seek counseling before ditching a fledgling plan. The payoff is worth the investment.

Collaboration required. Similar to the above, but different, sustainable business requires that new networks be established.  Sometimes our old providers–the unkempt roommate or long time supplier–can adjust and make the cut to the new way of doing business, but sustainability, like new and important relationships, may require us to shrug off the weight that’s holding us back from the bright future of innovation and new discovery.

Provides a better filter for decisions “Does this sustainability plan make my asset look fat?” Rather, ‘does this decision align with our vision for a sustainable future?’ Sustainable business plans, like our significant others, equip us with important perspective for making decisions which build better business (or relationships). No fair asking loaded questions, though.

Transparency Matters.  Honest, forthcoming communication with stakeholders is the best policy. Share your goals and your plan to attain them.  Admit your shortcomings and any risks with the plan.  Be plain spoken and confident in the success of your venture. Share the results and seek feedback to speed performance improvement.

it’s important to take a moment to thank the people who are helping to make all that happen.  A thoughtful card, unexpected cookies.. an office party.. or, would it kill ya to clean the toilet once in a while? None costly, all appreciated and an important part of building a culture of trust and respect and esprit de corps.

So.. it’s not so odd, really, right?  A commitment to the development of a sustainable business plan brings real reward, but finding your way there can be a challenge. Thanks for making the leap.

What parallels to real life and relationships have surfaced with the creation of  your sustainability plan?

There’s something missing from the conversation, however. These observations of BP (and the many companies who are very glad they are not BP), don’t seem to make the link between company displays of sustainability and the utter lack of a corporate culture of sustainability in so many companies.  No community investment, eco-certification or annual report can replace a culture of sustainability which would have prevented the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the first place.

The recent intense focus on ‘the business case for sustainability’ retards, perhaps, business leadership (CEOs, COOs, CFOs) understanding and acceptance of the potential sustainability can have for a business.  Beyond the savings which result from eco-efficiency initiatives, beyond the increased stock value from consumers who trust the brand, beyond the practical benefits of recycling or supporting community, sustainability for business is more about philosophy and spirit that it is about any series of actions or stated commitments.

This philosophy of sustainability guides responsible actions and sparks innovation for better practices.  In a culture of sustainable business, certain decisions don’t get made because they violate the fundamental tenets on which the business-and the greater natural order– are based.  Reward systems are created to inspire greater commitment to the philosophy of balance and restoration than short term profit and exploitation.

Have you ever known (or been?) an absent parent or lover who substituted emotional investment with monetary investment?  The purchase of a new bicycle after a family argument, or the buying of flowers for the forgotten anniversary might serve as familiar examples.  But what would most people rather have?  Most would choose to have the heart, spirit and trust-affirming emotional presence of the loved one, rather than a material surrogate.

BP invested heavily in Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Yet, in spite of their focus on the Carbon Disclosure Project, or their annual reports compliant with Global Reporting Initiative criteria, or their contributions in support of communities struck by natural disaster they, like so many companies, missed the larger point.  It might be said that The Deepwater Horizon tragedy was the result of a lack of corporate culture—an emotional investment in sustainability as a core value and business philosophy and way of working that would have prevented the disaster in the first place.

This week I have had the pleasure of working in Andalusia in the South of Spain. I had not been to Sevilla for some years and I was struck by how this beautiful  city had invested in pedestrianizing the center, installing a new hi-tech tramway and a public biking system. The city has a clear climate strategy and with other integrated plans they have made a substantial difference to the sustainability of the city (health, pollution, quality of life, environmental impact etc), and have become one of the leading green cities in Spain. However there is a total disconnect between the meetings industry and the city government in terms of sustainability. This is not a hard criticism of the CVB and other players but indicative of the issues we face in many destinations around the world. They lack knowledge and leadership: Someone to understand and see the risks and opportunities, grab the bull by the horns and implement a strategic sustainable destination sustainability plan.

This is what London, Melbourne, Portland, Copenhagen and Stockholm are doing, just to name a few of the leaders in sustainable tourism. They realize that add on green initiatives don’t deliver sufficient results – but strategic sustainability does!

Closer to Sevilla, The Costa Del Sol Patronato of Tourism have just started a sustainability project. Led by Belen Gascon, head of the CVB, it aims to transform the destination. Clearly a huge challenge – but we know that change is possible, and that this only happens when someone with guts and vision, stands up and goes against the flow. Belen is typical of the type of committed, remarkable people who are engaging their friends, colleagues and clients in a new vision of tomorrow’s destination; a destination that will be more competitive, more responsible and healthier. Basically a great place to live and work that will be financially, socially and environmentally more sustainable.

Tribe of leaders

In July I take over as President of the GMIC. It is becoming increasingly clear to me, that the GMIC’s role is to help these change agents become better and more fully equipped. The GMIC has to give them the tools, and tricks to become inspirational sustainability leaders, to become the special forces of the sustainable meetings world. The GMIC has to be the place where these guys can “hang out” to “refuel and recharge” with energy and knowledge, sharing their experiences with a tribe of people who speak their same language and stand for something much more important.

If you are a Special agent of change – I recommend you consider becoming a member of the GMIC. www.greenmeetings.info. We have a 67% growth rate in the last year, with 600+ members in 30 countries, 45 business partners, 8 chapters formed and or in formation.

GMIC members are the thought leaders of sustainability. Not surprisingly our members are building highly competitive businesses that our showing above average returns in these tough economic times: Portland, Copenhagen, Vancouver, Denver, The Estoril Congress Center, the Amsterdam Rai Congress Center, EWEA, AMEX, MCI, Novo Nordisk, Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, MeetGreen and a long list of other leaders in sustainability.