EDITORIAL 03
Dear Readers,
IMEX, the leading international exhibition for the incentive travel, meetings and events industry, will be hosted by Germany this year for a remarkable 11 th time. The exhibition will open its doors at Messe Frankfurt science. Event organisers build and maintain local networks with businesses and scientific institutions that enable them to provide valuable contacts and topical programmes of accompanying events – a significant
Leading the way with industry expertise and know-how for“ green meetings”
from 21 to 23 May 2013. With around 215 exhibitors participating under the umbrella of the GCB, Germany will once again be the most heavily represented destination. The broad range of products and services on offer are just one of the reasons why a visit to IMEX can pay rich dividends: the trade fair also offers a variety of interesting initiatives and an extensive educational programme, which also includes the series of seminars organised by the GCB.
n New publication:“ Germany. Expertise.” There are many good reasons why the organisers of IMEX have remained loyal to Germany as the venue for their sector meeting: the country not only offers outstanding infrastructure but also excellent value for money and industry expertise in important areas of business and added value to planners of meeting events. At this year’ s IMEX, we will also present another useful tool: our new publication“ Germany. Expertise.”. This guide provides a compact and convenient overview of Germany’ s regional fields of expertise and helps event planners to seek out the most suitable destinations for their events.
n Go green! Germany is also an expert in the area of“ green meetings”. In 2012, according to the Meeting- & EventBarometer, 37.7 percent of companies had already implemented a sustainability management system in their companies – 10 percent more than in the previous year. The significance of this topic is also reflected in the enormous response to the greenmeetings and events conference 2013. With initiatives such as the sustainability code“ rightandfair” and seminars providing a training pathway for sustainability consultants, the GCB is also working to ensure that the topic is even more
broadly and securely anchored in the German events sector. Join us!
n Fit for the future This year, the GCB celebrates its 40 th birthday. Since it was founded, it has repeatedly been a source of new ideas in the meetings and events sector, which continues to develop dynamically. In our birthday year, though, we want to look forwards not just backwards: the GCB has recently commissioned a study to investigate the challenges and opportunities that will arise in the sector in future and provide detailed action plans and recommendations for those involved in the event industry. Let us set course for the future together – today.
I hope you enjoy reading this edition of the GCB customer magazine.
Matthias Schultze
Managing Director GCB German Convention Bureau e. V.