Upholding the Integrity of EGF Certification
EGF Certification is independently assessed by experienced industry professionals who understand the practical realities of delivering events.
Our assessors play a critical role in ensuring that certification is credible, consistent and aligned with best practice — giving clients confidence that certified events meet a recognised standard.
What Does An Assessor Do?
Assessors review events that have applied for EGF Certification against criteria that aligns with the EGF Minimum Standards for Sustainable Events, verifying that sustainability practices have been effectively planned, implemented and measured.
The process is designed to be rigorous yet practical, supporting event professionals while ensuring outcomes are fair, transparent and free from greenwashing.
Events are ultimately awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze Certification should they meet the relevant standard. If they do not meet the minimum standard, no certification is awarded.
Meet Our Assessors
Greg McManus
Sustainability Benchmark Solutions International
Heritage Eco Events
c: (082) 453 4161
e: mac@heritagesa.co.za
w: www.sustainablebenchmark.com
Greg McManus has been in the hospitality industry for almost forty years – both operationally and then in the standards and audit aspects of quality and sustainability. He is the owner of Sustainability Benchmark Solutions International, South Africa’s only independent sustainability certification company, and is actively involved in environmental certification and the development of standards and quality management systems in tourism.
Greg is a past chairman of the Event Greening Forum, and was directly involved in developing its Minimum Standards for Sustainable Events and the framework for EGF Certification.
Heather Nel
SustainAssure
c: (069) 776 1463
e: heather@sustainassure.co.za
w: www.sustainassure.co.za
Heather Nel is a seasoned tourism and hospitality consultant with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Her career spans tourism information services, owning and operating a travel agency, and serving as a Quality Assurance Assessor for the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA), where she travelled extensively across the country evaluating hospitality standards.
In 2013, Heather founded Get Graded to consolidate her expertise and support establishments in achieving and maintaining quality excellence. She has since expanded her focus to sustainability and is a qualified Event Greening Assessor with the Event Greening Forum.
Today, Heather is passionate about helping event professionals adopt a more holistic, sustainable approach — reducing costs, lowering environmental impact, and positioning themselves as leaders in responsible event management.
John Arvanitakis
Independent Assessor
c: (083) 415-2774
e: johnarv1@gmail.com
l: linkedin.com
John is a quintessential South African entrepreneur and has over 25 years in the business events, conferencing, exhibition and event management, marketing, and activations industry. He has successfully founded several businesses which he has grown to be profitable and have become trend-setters in their respective sectors
John considers himself as an activist when it comes to the environment. He is the current EGF Chairperson where he has applied himself to campaigning for the business events industry to recognise the contribution that this industry can constructively play to ensure the sustainability of our environment and planet.
Neal Dickinson
Sustainability Benchmark Solutions
c: (083) 399 1504
e: neal@sustainablebenchmark.com
w: www.sustainablebenchmark.com
Neal Dickinson is a tourism sustainability expert with more than 22 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.
He has worked with Greg McManus, contributing significantly to the creation and implementation of environmental standards and compliance frameworks across various tourism platforms. Neal has helped develop programs focused on environmental compliance, ecolabelling, green golfing, green events, and green zoological facilities.
One of his most significant initiatives, the Heritage Environmental Management Programme, was launched in over 400 hotels over 22 years. This program brought properties in line with ISO 14001 standards, leading to measurable improvements in environmental practices, operational efficiency, and substantial resource savings.
Neal is dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism through practical, results-oriented environmental management systems that provide both environmental and financial benefits.
Why Independent Assessment Matters
As sustainability expectations grow, so does the need for credible, third-party verification.
Independent assessment ensures that EGF Certification reflects real performance — not just intention — helping to build trust across the events industry.
Interested in Becoming an EGF Assessor?
We’re always looking to grow our pool of qualified sustainability and event professionals.
Requirements:
- Submission of an application form, which you can download here.
- Portfolio of evidence demonstrating experience
- Completion of official system training with Sustainability Benchmark Solutions
For more information on EGF Certification, read this.
Looking to Get Your Event Certified?
Learn more about the EGF Certification process and how to get started here, or submit an enquiry with the button below.
Contact Us
If you have questions or need more information, you can contact us at:
📞 +27 82 891 5883