A chartered environmentalist, Venan Sondo, has urged players in the events industry to place emphasis on green events in their operations as part of efforts to protect the environment and ensure sustainability.
He said industry players must look beyond the profits they make and be conscious of their operations’ impact on the environment and people, adding that investors are interested in entities that push for an agenda of impacting the people’s lives positively.
“Safeguarding the environment literally means making sure you are taking into cognisance the impact of your operations on the environment and people – employees as well as stakeholders and residents of the community,” he explained
The call to propagate green events was made at the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) expert show held in Accra and organised by IbyService to ignite conversations on how to promote the local events industry.
Green events or meetings incorporate environmental considerations throughout all stages to mitigate the negative impact of such occasions on the environment and promote positive social impacts for all.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zero Hunger and Think Mahogany Events, Debra-Jane Nelson, shared with participants at the programme how her outfit is incorporating green measures in events they organise for their clients.
“What my company does is to collect all the plastic bottles after every event; these bottles are later picked up by a recycling company,” she added
While she admits that some clients insist on doing things their own way, she advised the events industry to have an open conversation with their customers on the new repercussions of some of the materials used at programmes.
The Lead Consultant at IbyService, Wilma Bruce-Appenteng, said it is high time the human resource departments of institutions appreciated the relentless efforts of their workers by rewarding them with incentives.
Ms. Bruce-Appenteng together with Eric Kwakye-Director of Contagion Gh, and Nii Ayi Solomon-Tour Guide, Planner and Tourism Consultant – sharing their thoughts on travel incentives and their impact on employees in the modern workplace during a panel discussion – said reward comes in various forms; but emphasised the need for companies to consider travel incentives because they create long-lasting memories for workers.
