Meetings made in Germany 1-2013 | Page 18

18 GREENMEETINGS AND EVENTS CONFERENCE 2013

High-calibre speakers at greenmeetings and events conference 2013

n An appeal to the sense of responsibility of the event industry and visions for the future of sustainable events – high-calibre representatives from the political sector , companies and institutions provide inspiration at the second conference focusing on all aspects of sustainable events .

More than 340 participants had accepted the invitation of the GCB German Convention Bureau e . V . and the European Association of Event Centers ( EVVC ) to attend the greenmeetings and events conference on February 26 th and 27 th , 2013 , at the darmstadtium science and convention centre .

In his opening address , Federal Minister of the Environment Peter Altmaier - who was connected live from Berlin as the patron of the conference - described sustainable events as a key to competitiveness for companies in the event industry . He said that those that lead the way in that area will maintain their leading position in comparison with
European and global competitors . In addition , Altmaier appealed to the industry ’ s sense of responsibility for the environment and society : he said that sustainability is a project of society as a whole , also encompassing logistics , building efficiency , tourism and the event sector . There is no other alternative than to tackle resource problems . Altmaier would