The Iberian Chapter of the GMIC consists of an initiative that brings together professionals from Spain and Portugal to promote sustainable practices in the event organization sector.

On 28 April, the Biodiversity Foundation hosted the constitutive meeting of the Iberian Chapter of the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) at its headquarters in Madrid, an initiative that aims to promote sustainable practices among professionals in the event organisation sector in Spain and Portugal.

With the support of this initiative, the Biodiversity Foundation opens a new line of work dedicated to the introduction of sustainability criteria in economic activities linked to large events and meetings, congresses and incentive tourism. In this way, it aims to contribute to promoting “green” business models and support companies that carry out these activities to reduce their environmental impact, improving their competitiveness and reinforcing their commitment to sustainable development.

“Spain is the third most important destination for meetings and congresses in the world. It is a key tourism activity that moves more than 4 million people annually, generates nearly 5,000 million euros for the economy and supports many jobs. Companies that are committed to environmentally sustainable business models can have a tremendously positive contagion effect on this sector. Our support for this initiative is part of our commitment to support the transition to a “greener” economy, which generates employment and wealth without undermining the natural capital that sustains our well-being,” said Julia Vera, Director of Training and Communication at the Biodiversity Foundation.

For its part, the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) is a non-profit association, with representation in more than 20 countries, that deals with sustainability in the meetings and events industry through research and training, working with its members in the development of good practices and collaborating in the development of public policies and regulations.

During the meeting, the project management committee presented the statutes of the Iberian Chapter of the GMIC to the professionals of the sector for approval and the 2011 Action Plan, which includes the organization of training activities on sustainable events and sustainability in general, work and business meetings, as well as the development of research work. market studies and implementation of sustainable processes and monitoring indicators. Likewise, the GMIC will be in charge of organizing events and promotional activities for the dissemination of the activity of the Iberian Chapter.