darmstadtium venue of greenmeetings and events conference 2013

Frankfurt/Main, 11 October 2011. The next greenmeetings and events conference will be held from 26 to 27 February 2013 at the darmstadtium centre in Darmstadt. This was decided by the advisory committee in its meeting of 27 September 2011. The initiators and organisers of the conference for the organisation of sustainable events are the German Convention Bureau (GCB) and the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).

Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB, says: "This year's greenmeetings and events conference showed that there is a strong awareness of this issue in the industry. With the 2013 conference we will continue with our successful concept and take the topic of green meetings much further than the ecological aspect. We also want to integrate social issues like CSR, workplace comfort and compliance in the discussion and strengthen Germany's position as a meetings destination."

"The conference venue will also set a good example for sustainable events in Germany. The darmstadtium centre combines an energy-efficient construction with an outstanding creative architecture and a sustainable overall concept. It serves as a perfect example that green meetings are not only economical but can also be attractive," EVVC President Joachim König explains the choice of venue.

Opened in 2008, darmstadtium science and convention centre makes comprehensive use of geothermal energy, biomass and solar energy so that it can run almost entirely on renewable energy sources. In late 2010 the centre received the Green Globe eco-label. Its shareholders are Darmstadt Technical University and Darmstadt Science City.

Lars Wöhler, darmstadtium's Managing Director, was happy to have won the bid: "Our sustainability management is an important factor for us in national and international competition. The greenmeetings and events conference gives us a good opportunity to demonstrate our high level of expertise in the field of sustainable meetings."

At the last greenmeetings and events conference at Congress Centrum Mainz from 1 to 2 March 2011 around 400 delegates from all fields of the industry discussed the importance of sustainability for the meetings and congress sector. Another 200 registered participants were reached by the virtual tie-in event of the conference, which the organisers staged on the Internet two weeks later.

Germany is one of the most important locations for environmental technologies and has the largest market in this sector world-wide. Its expertise is also one of the distinctive competitive advantages of the German meetings and conventions industry: Many companies in various fields of business have realised that sustainable practices are an image booster and offer sound economic advantages. 

The German Convention Bureau (GCB) offers practical support for staging green meetings on its website www.germany-meetings.com.
 

The organisers:

In late May 2010 the German Convention Bureau (GCB) and the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) decided to join forces in their commitment to sustainability and to stage the greenmeetings and events conference together.

The two associations have been supporting the cause of green meetings for some years now. For example, representatives of the respective associations are members of the Sustainable Event Management Committee of the German Standards Institute (DIN). On its website the GCB has dedicated a special section to this topic incorporating a CO2 calculator for events. In July 2010 the EVVC head office successfully passed the Green Globe audit and is now the first association in Germany with Green Globe certification.

German Convention Bureau (GCB) 
The German Convention Bureau (GCB) based in Frankfurt /Main markets Germany as a destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives both on a national and international level, and is the place to contact for all customers who are planning events in Germany.

Its 230 members include leading hotels, convention centres and destinations, car hire firms, event agencies and service providers of the German meetings and conventions industry. Darmstadtium science and convention centre, Maritim Hotels, and the SevenCenters of Germany are Preferred Partners of the GCB. As Strategic Partners, Deutsche Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn and the German National Tourist Board (DZT) support the work of the GCB.

The GCB liaises between organisers of meetings and conventions and suppliers of the German meetings market, offers advice and support for planning and organising events, and provides contacts and addresses. Its website www.germany-meetings.com features an online search facility for meeting venues, newsletter, Germany guide, CO2 calculator and a lot more.

GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.
Münchener Str. 48
60329 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Tel:  +49 (0)69 - 24 29 30 0
Fax: +49 (0)69 - 24 29 30 26
E-mail: info@gcb.de
Internet: www.germany-meetings.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GCB_Germany

Press contact: Ute Stegmann, tel: +49 69 - 24 29 30 13, e-mail: stegmann@gcb.de

European Association of Event Centres (EVVC)
The European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) represents around 700 event and convention centres, arenas and special event venues of all sizes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and further neighbouring European countries.

Besides these venues, which are currently represented by 330 member companies, personal members from the event industry, honorary members and around 70 partner companies support the wide diversity of the association’s work and make the EVVC the most versatile communication network of the industry.

The major aims of the association are, for example, to advance education and training within the industry, create industry-specific indicators and to communicate with German politicians representing the interests of the event industry.

European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) e.V.
Ludwigstraße 3
61348 Bad Homburg v.d.H.
Germany
Tel:  +49 (0)6172 - 2796900
Fax: +49 (0)6172 - 2796909
E-mail: info@evvc.org
www.evvc.org

Press contact: Antje Münsterberg, tel. +49 6734 914801; e-mail: presse@evvc.org

Download the Logo here (.zip)