Sustainability as a business
strategy in crisis times
Guy Bigwood
MCI Group Sustainability Director
Jan 09

Top 99 sustainable companies outperform peers by
%
During the last 6months of the crisis
Dow Jones Sustainability Index and GS Sustain

Where are we going today
• Business case
• Best Practice
• Raising the bar

My name is
Guy Bigwood

MCI Group Sustainability
Director
Largest integrated global event and association management company
250 Million Euros Turnover
33 Offices
800 People

Advisors to
Manage MCI CONVENTION CENTERS
Sustainability
HOTEL CHAINS
Services
ASSOCIATIONS
DESTINATIONS
CERTIFICATION
COMPANIES

I’m a director of the
The premier dedicated global
community for sustainability
education, research, policy and
standards for the meetings and event
industry

But that’s enough
about me.
How are you
FEELING

CRISIS
!

When you see this,
?
what do you see
see?

THIS
?

Or
?
•
THIS
?

Or THIS?

I SEE Physical
RISK! Regulatory
Competitive
Reputation

I ALSO SEE
OPPORTUNITY!

To Minimize
RISK!
and
MAXIMISE
Opportunity!

Sustainability as a business
strategy in crisis times

points

Improve
performance!

Top 99 sustainable companies outperform peers by
%
During the last 6months of the crisis
Dow Jones Sustainability Index and GS Sustain

5-15%
Price Premium
for Certified Property sales and rentals
Locum Destination Review

... 80%
of congress centers who
have implemented green
have saved money
MCI Survey 2008

9.000.000 €
Avoidable costs
24

Increase
MOTIVATION
Improve
PRODUCTIVITY
2008 Green Building Impact Report

Oracle World 2008 Highlights
• 965: trees saved by reducing Program.
• 500,000: plastic bottles avoided by providing
water stations
• $2 million saved

Exploit New
Opportunities

LOHAS
Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability
Renewables
Alternative Health
Personal Development
Sustainable Products
Organic Food
Wellness

LOHAS
Lifestyles of Health
Sustainability
and
$200 Billion 2005
$406 Billion 2010
$800 Billion 2012

57% will pay
5-10% extra
TNS Green World Dec 2008 Report

80% of buyers
have taken environmental results
into account when organising an
event
2008 IMEX 5th Annual Survey of Buyers

Meeting organisers who are planning or
expect to plan a green meeting
• 46.8% of corporates
• 44.4% association and government
planners.\"
Marketing Media Survey 2009

They are comparing and analysing destinations
INFRASTRUCTURE
CVB
CONFERENCE CENTER
HOTELS
www.bestplacestomeetgreen.com

MINIMIZE Physical
RISK! Regulatory
Competitive
Reputation

Raising standards through
sustainable meetings certification

Quick Summary
1.Improve Performance
2. Maximise Opportunities
3. Manage Risk

So that’s the
Theory !

What about a
real example…

Less Conversation
More Action

ACTION
=
Standards + Measurement
+ Certification

Certification Overview

Certification Overview – two types
Process – Management System
• • Performance - Checklist
Monitoring
Monitoring
& Policy
& Policy
Control
Control
Continual
Improvement
Implemen
Implemen Set KPIs
Set KPIs
-tation
-tation
Plan
Plan
Standards should be created and
approved by standards authorities

Understanding Standards and
Certifications
2 Types – 3 areas
Performance
(checklists)
Management
Systems
(Process)
Environment Social Economic

Understanding Standards and
Certifications
2 Types – 3 areas
Performance
ANSI - APEX
(checklists)
BS8901
Management
Systems
(Process)
Environment Social Economic

Understanding Standards and
Certifications
Sustainable Meeting Standards
BS8901 APEX ANSI
• •
• Management System • Performance Standard
• Only international standard in • Launched end 2009
use • In final design phase
• Developed for Olympics in
2012
• Will be ISO in 2012
Standards are complementary
Same people are on both technical teams

Understanding Standards and
Certifications
2 Types – 3 areas
Performance GreenGlobe
(checklists)
BS8901
Management
ISO14001
Systems
(Process)
Environment Social Economic

Understanding Standards and
Certifications
Auditing – Variables
1. Self Certification
2. External Verification ( Audit )
3. External Accredited Verification

Understanding Standards and
Certifications
Other – Variables
1. Benchmarking - Indexing
2. Tools
3. Support and Consulting
4. Marketing Services

Comparison Summary
Comparison aspect ISO14001 Green Globe APEX BS8901
External Audit X X X Optional
Social Responsibility
criteria X X X
Performance level
recognition X
Specific sector
standards X X
In
Global X X development In rollout
Year developed 1996 1993 2009 2007
Type Mgmt System Performance Performance Mgmt system
Travel and meetings meetings
Target audience Industry Meetings industry industry industry

WHAT ARE THE KEY
CONCLUSIONS

Minimize
RISK!
Minimize
OPPORTUNITY!

ble
ina
sta
su ces
of rvi
i on
ect se
Sel nd
ts a
uc
rod nly
ill o
p w e
as
cre
n
i
www.esnep2008.com

Implementing Sustainability
Could seriously affect your
business!

“Those companies with
business models that revolve
around green practices will
have the strongest
opportunity of achieving a
„sustainable competitive
advantage.”
Ernst & Young, 2008

THE END
almost

“It is not the
strongest of the
species that survive,
nor the most
intelligent, but the
one most adaptable
to change.”
- Charles Darwin

For more info please visit
LessConversationMoreAction.com

MCI Offices
GENEVA - ABU DHABI - AMSTERDAM - BARCELONA -
BELFAST - BENGALURU - BERLIN - BRUSSELS - BUENOS
AIRES - CORDOBA - DELHI - DUBAI - DUBLIN - GLASGOW -
GOTHENBURG - HONG KONG - LYON - MADRID - MAR
DEL PLATA - MUMBAI - PARIS - PETERSFIELD/LONDON -
PRAGUE - ROME - SHANGHAI - SINGAPORE -
STOCKHOLM - STUTTGART - TOKYO - VIENNA - ZURICH

M
CI Sustainability
Services

MCI Sustainability Services
Our philosophy
- We support and assist you to define, achieve and improve
your sustainability vision and performance of your
organisation
- We want to be a trusted advisor and high value external
resource for our partners
Our Services
- Sustainability strategy consulting
- Stakeholder engagement and training
- Supply chain management and procurement
- Green meeting processes
- Footprint measurement and IT platforms
- Communication consulting and brand alignment
- Certification guidance and selection
- Social outreach strategy and partnerships

MCI Example Clients
CSR and Green Meeting Consulting DMO Advisory Services
- Copenhagen Climate Council - Estoril Convention Bureau
Hotel and Venue Consulting
- European Wind Energy Association
- Stockholm World Water Week - Estoril Congress Center
- UFI – Global Association of Exhibition - Clarion (First Choice) Hotel Group
Industry
Pro-Bono Consulting
Meeting and Event Management
- MPI, IAPCO, GMIC
- World Business Summit on Climate
- Philias (CSR Europe)
Change
- Autism Society of Ireland
- UAE Environmental Ministry
- NCH – the Children's Charity
- UK Department of Environment
Event Communication Consulting
- Conama Environmental Congress,
Madrid