Collaborating for a better tomorrow

On 21-22 February， UFI Educational Forum on Sustainability was held in Singapore， just a day before UFI’s Open Seminar in Asia. Entitled “Sustainability 2.0”， the Forum showed how venues and organisers can collaborate with public authorities， businesses and associations to make exhibitions more sustainable. About 70 industry professionals from Asia and beyond attended the forum， which was open to UFI members and non-members. It was hosted by the Marina Bays Sand and organised in partnership with the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau.

UFI Managing DirectorKai Hattendorf says： “Exhibition companies in Asia are showing a particularly keen interest in sustainability –and our forum is tailored to help them achieve success in this field. In fact this is UFI’s third sustainability forum in Asia in three years.”Packed with practical case studies and discussions， the programme was extended to two days this year by popular demand. Commenced by a guided tours of the venue and nearby Marina Barrage， looking at energy and water conservation， waste diversion， and innovative technology， the first day showcased how Singapore is tackling sustainability， from governmental initiatives to the MICE industry. Speakers came from the National Environment Agency and， for the event industry， Globibo， Marina Bay Sands， the MCI Group and Reed Exhibitions. The second day highlighted best practices in collaboration. At destination level， with presentations from Singapore， Taiwan， and Thailand. At venue level， with a presentation by Greenview of the latest edition of the global “Green Venue Report”. At the organiser level， with presentations from Experia events， Informa and UBM.

At the forum， delegates were encouraged to step out of the comfort zone and take the first step in sustainability， establish extensive collaboration network， and engage local communities. Several speakers also stated that apart from the normal aspects of caring for the environment， exhibition companies must also grow quality content， strengthen industry competitiveness， and establish strategic partnerships to provide innovative solutions for the industries being served by the events， to promote the wellness of the local industry， and fundamentally， to ensure the long-term commercial success of the events.

UFI puts sustainability at the heart of its work. It pools experience and work with experts to launch diverse， valuable initiatives helping companies make the exhibition industry more sustainable. UFI’s Sustainable Development Committee， an international group of 23 UFI members， launched the newly published UFI Report on Best Practices in Sustainability， which showcases 41 best practice cases， with solutions ranging from solar panels on roofs， waste reduction and taxi-bikes， to innovative strategies for cost-saving， participant engagement and sustainability reporting. At the conclusion of the forum， UFI Sustainable Development Committee also presented a Event Sustainability Reporting tool which is hoped to be a universal standard tool to assess and promote the level of sustainability in events operation.