People, Planet, Profit and the Quest for Sustainability
Where We Stand, 2009
Where
We Stand
2009
Since 2007, when we signed the United
Nations Global Compact, MPI has been
increasingly committed to Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) through our
actions and the provision of tools and
resources. This marks our third edition of
CSR: Where We Stand, and it illustrates
significant progress on CSR strategy,
which is based on these elements:
1. Thought Leadership: MPI will be
recognized as the industry thought leader
and point of reference for CSR.
2. Practice Leadership: MPI will lead by
example in demonstrating how to apply CSR
principles as an organization
3. Resource Leadership: MPI will be the leader
in providing practical CSR resources and
tools to meeting and event professionals.
Why MPI Cares
MPI is committed to the success of our
members and our community. This means
that we want to ensure that our members
have the thought leadership, tools, and
resources to be successful in a changing
world.
Why You Should Care
Sometimes it can be difficult for meeting
and event professionals to keep the big
picture in mind; after all, much of our
expertise is in the details. But global and
radical changes linked to the economic,
social and ecological crisis are conspiring
to change the way we design meetings
and events, challenging us to respond
strategically and demonstrate the value
we bring to our organizations.
• Return on Investment (ROI): The industry has
often struggled with measuring and reporting
ROI. Strategic CSR programs assist with
measurement and reporting at an
organizational level.
• Economy: Concerns about if, when and how
meetings will be held often directly reflect
the current state of the economy. The use
of technology has created a new industry
term, the “hybrid meeting”.
• Talent: There is always a need for
organizations to attract and retain top
talent. CSR has proven to be a significant
strategy in this effort, especially with those
in the Millennial Generation, and meetings
and events are significant tools for Human
Resource Professionals.
• Regulation: Several countries, including
Denmark, Norway and the United Kingdom,
now require companies to report social and
environmental impacts along with economic
ones on their balance sheets. This will
trickle down into meetings and events.
• Scrutiny: An unexpected effect of the
economic recession of 2008-2009 was greater
scrutiny on the meetings and events
function in many organizations. It created
what is known as the “AIG Effect”, when
American International Group (AIG) spent
what seemed to the public like an immense
amount of money on an incentive program
after receiving government bail-out funds.
• Climate Change: The European Union is
discussing how using technology for
meetings can reduce carbon emissions. The
United Nations is being lobbied by the
technology industry to promote the same
outcome.
• Stakeholder Demand: Customers, sponsors,
members, and the community are all
becoming more vocal about how they want
and expect organizations to behave in
relation to the sustainability of the
community, the environment and the
economy.
People, Planet, Profit and the Quest for Sustainability | December 2009
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Progress to Date
Tools and resources we have provided include:
Thought Leadership
Practice Leadership
Tools Leadership
UN Global Compact Communication on
Progress, Our Common Vision, published
July 2009
Third-party certification under British
Standard (BS) 8901 for sustainable event
management for the European Meetings
and Events Conference 2008 & 2009
Case studies of MeetDifferent, The European Meetings and Events Conference and
the World Education Congress
Participation on the Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI) working group to develop
event sector reporting guidelines
Launch of the AVW-TELAV sponsored ECOS
Pilot Project in Canada to maximize the
ability of our industry, our association
and our chapters to create, measure and
report positive transformations in our
communities www.mpiweb.org/ECOS
CSR education sessions at MeetDifferent,
The European Meetings and Events Conference and the World Education Congress.
CSR articles in ONE+
BS 8901 team certification for our Events
Team for MeetDifferent, The European
Meetings and Events Conference and the
World Education Congress, good for 36
months
Development of the Disney sponsored CSR
Platinum Program for chapter education
programs. These three sessions graduate from basic (definitions) to advanced
(strategic CSR).
CSR education/chapter sustainability audit
training for chapter leaders at LeadNow
2009
Resources on website at
www.mpiweb.org/sustainability
Moving Forward
Moving forward, you can expect that we will continue to develop practical tools and resources, provide leadership through our
actions, and demonstrate thought leadership in our global community.
Thought Leadership
Practice Leadership
Tools Leadership
Second UN Global Compact Communication on Progress July 2010
Reporting of ECOS pilot project results and Event-specific CSR measurement tool
assessment of project for future
development and launch
Continued participation on the GRI
working group, though 2011
Continue to manage our major events to
BS 8901 specifications
Explore the development of a CSR training
program available globally through our
global training partners
Participate with the International
Standards Organization (ISO) group as it
transforms BS 8901 into an international
standard
Include smaller events within the BS 8901
sustainable event management framework
Delivery of Chapter Leaders CSR training
at the Chapter Leader Conference in June
2010
CSR trends and application research
How You Can Get Involved
www.mpiweb.org/sustainability
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