Sustainability. The Danish Foreign Ministry, responsible for the organization of the 2012 European Union Presidency, announced the compliance of their event management system against the new ISO 20121 standard for sustainable event management. Externally verified by the global certification company SGS, this is the world’s first ISO 20121 certification of a large international government event. The Ministry’s event management system covers the logistical organisation of 110 meetings, attracting 15.000 attendees at three venues between January and June, 2012.
“The complexities involved with organizing so many diverse events required a smart, efficient and flexible management system. The ISO 20121 standard helped us align our sustainability goals with practical business processes in a sensible and practical way, “ reports Andreas Clausen-Boor, Head of Logistics for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark. “We felt a responsibility to deliver effective events at an efficient cost. Sustainable practices saved us money while protecting the quality for which Danish events are known.”
“The meetings industry has been asking for practical examples of creating better events through sustainability,” said Steen Jakobsen, Convention Director at Wonderful Copenhagen. “With their leadership and direct action to successfully integrate sustainability and use international standards, the Ministry event team is an inspiration for the meetings industry in Denmark and, indeed, the world.”
The Danish Government is the first member of the European Union to create and certify their sustainable event management system against international standards. They will share findings from their experience in a report to be delivered to the European Union on or before 15 July, 2012. The report shall be shared on the DSEI website.
