RADAR
photo
iStock.com/RomanBabakin
Glasgow’s Go Greener Toolkit IMPLEMENTS MORE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES Glasgow Convention Bureau launches a new support service for conference organisers looking to host a more sustainable meeting in the city. The initiative brings to life the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) ambitions through an interactive workshop for meeting planners, professional conference organisers, and academic conference ambassadors looking for practical tips on delivering a sustainable conference aligned to the UN SDGs. “The UN Sustainable Development Goals were already a key component of our People Make Glasgow Greener Strategy. The workshop concept builds on our Go Greener toolkit for conference organisers looking to deliver a more sustainable meeting in our city,” says Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions. The workshop’s interactive format allows each conference to make its own decisions on the goals that best align with its vision and mission and then communicate these sustainable
actions to its members, sponsors, and stakeholders. The Convention Bureau team are keen to do their bit to advocate for sustainable business events, continuously building on the range of free services offered to clients and delegates through the People Make Glasgow Greener strategy. Also, Glasgow Convention Bureau was the first bureau to gain Green Tourism accreditation and sign up for Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency. Neil Brownlee is the Head of Business Events, Visit Scotland: “Whilst as an industry we are becoming more thoughtful of our impact on the environment, more needs to be done. This new initiative is an opportunity for planners and organisers to learn from the team in Glasgow on how to implement more sustainable practices for their events. It is also a platform to shine a light on Scotland’s forward-thinking in this arena and the great progress that Glasgow, as a city, has made in the sustainability field.”
The UK’s leading rheumatology conference is taking place at the venue SEC in Glasgow in April 2022. “As well as the delivering the foremost gathering of leading rheumatology professionals, the British Society for Rheumatology are keen to look at how we can run a sustainable event for our members,” says Victoria Logan, Director of Marketing & Education at the British Society for Rheumatology. “As well as meeting at the SEC, a Gold Green Tourism accredited venue, we are delighted to be working with the Glasgow Convention Bureau to put into practise some practical tips from their Go Greener toolkit, to help us align our responsible conference planning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.” In 2016, Glasgow was the first UK city to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index of sustainable tourism and events cities, currently ranking fourth globally.
2021 No. 28 MEETINGS INTERNATIONAL | 49
