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The fifth Event Greening Forum (EGF) Conference will take place on 27 July 2017 at Valverde Eco Hotel in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg. The Forum’s first stand-alone conference took place at Hackle Brooke Conference Centre in July last year, and was a resounding success. This year’s conference aims to inspire and equip business leaders to pave the way for a better, more sustainable future. It will delve into issues surrounding carbon offsetting, the risks of greenwashing, and business best practice

Durban, Cape Town and Tshwane are the first African cities to be included in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), an innovative new measure for the level of sustainability that cities can offer to the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) industry. Only 35 cities from five continents participated in the first GDS-Index, which launched internationally in 2016. The early adoption of the index by these cities is testimony to South Africa’s commitment to making

The South African government is preparing to introduce carbon later this year, with the aim of reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon tax will penalise companies and individuals that emit high levels of carbon, and should motivate the switch to clean energy. Carbon emissions are produced from a variety of sources, although the most common sources are burning coal, oil, and natural gas to generate energy for power and transportation. According to Franz Rentel, Country Director at C

Exhibition  and event organisers  play a key role in the creation of sustainable exhibitions and events. The Event Greening Forum (EGF) is excited to have formed a strategic partnership with the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO). “This partnership is crucial because with AAXO and its members driving sustainable exhibitions, it will become much easier for the EGF to achieve its goals and objectives,” says Justin Hawes, EGF Chairman. Events are, by their very nature, high impact

The Event Greening Forum’s fourth annual conference opened with an address by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa. The conference was held at Hackle Brooke Conference Centre on 21 July 2016. It was the first time it has been run as a stand-alone event. Roger Simons, Regional Sustainability Director at MCI and President of the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC), was this year’s international keynote speaker. He shared global insights on brand communication strategies and how brands

In May 2015, a working group was established by the EGF to focus on the development of appropriate standards which were in line with ISO 20121:2012, but which addressed all the elements of greening an event. Under the chairmanship of Greg McManus, the group considered a number of similar international initiatives and came up with standards that address most of the role players within the events industry. For the first time in South Africa, standards have been set for all role players in an effor

Just a few weeks away, the Event Greening Forum (EGF) is looking forward to an exciting and industry-leading conference to be held at Hackle Brooke Conference Centre, Johannesburg on 21 July 2016. Delegates in attendance at the EGF Conference can expect to cover a wide variety of topics that directly affect the sustainability and development of our meetings and events industry in South Africa. Sessions will delve into what corporate companies are after when it comes to event greening and what th

Delegates at the fourth Event Greening Forum (EGF) Conference will be addressed by events sustainability experts on this year’s theme “Go Green, it’s good for business”. The conference will take place at Hackle Brooke Conference Centre, Johannesburg on 21 July 2016. The EGF is delighted that Roger Simons, Regional Sustainability Director at MCI and President of the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC), is the conference’s keynote speaker. He will share how global brand communications strategie

These days everyone is ‘going green’ and claiming to be implementing sustainable initiatives in their businesses and events. However, many of these initiatives only make the company appear to be sustainable, and unfortunately this undermines the real meaning and value of sustainability. Unpacking the term Everyone has heard of the term whitewashing which is ‘a planned effort to hide a dishonest, immoral, or illegal act or situation.’ Greenwashing is much like whitewashing but with a negative env

The easiest way to grasp the concept of greening lies in applying the following three words: reduce, reuse and recycle, writes EGF chairman, Justin Hawes. Going green does not mean cutting back on the good times. Green events still enable one to enjoy events, while being healthy and environmentally-friendly at the same time. Event greening is centred on hosting the event in a manner that maximises positive impacts, while minimising the negative. Here are some top tips to help you with event gree