CHICAGO — IMEX FrankfurtA IMEX Group trade fair in Europe, published the IMEX Frankfurt 2022 Sustainable Event Reportdetailing the show’s successful sustainability initiatives and efforts. IMEX Frankfurt 2022 has achieved Visionary status through the MeetGreen 2.0 calculator, the highest level of achievement for the calculator.
The 2022 edition of IMEX Frankfurt attracted 9,303 attendees, 2,373 exhibitors from 150 countries, 2,268 invited buyers from 76 countries and 166 journalists from 20 countries. With visitors from over 100 countries, the show’s location at Messe Frankfurt is a strategic choice as it is centrally located in Europe, Frankfurt Airport is a major hub in Europe and local public transport carries around 2.5 million people across the region every day.
The fact that Messe Frankfurt adopted 100% renewable energy as standard operating procedure in 2020 further strengthens its position as a sustainable trade fair venue. IMEX Frankfurt was powered by 100% renewable electricity sources. The report estimates that 87 tonnes of CO2 emissions were eliminated compared to what would have been emitted by fossil fuels.
“We have been doing our best for over 20 years at IMEX Frankfurt,” said Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. “We have also maintained long-term relationships with many of our partners at the Messe and in the city, which has allowed us to learn and ‘grow’ together. Compared to many other countries, the environmental mindset and much of the infrastructure in Germany was already quite advanced, even if this did not always translate easily into our ambitions for sustainable events.”
Related. Net-Zero Carbon Events: Trade Show Industry Update
To reduce the CO2 emissions of IMEX exhibitors, suppliers and partners, 2,900 trees were planted. 95.5% of waste was recycled, donated or transformed into energy. The materials recovered during the event, 635 kg, were donated to the city of Frankfurt, thus creating a social and environmental impact.
“Collaboration is absolutely essential! You can’t do it alone. It takes a village, but it also takes a team of champions who are willing to challenge, encourage, and gently challenge every step of the way and every choice you make. This of course means that it is possible “It takes more time, especially if you’re starting from scratch and need to train, mentor or inform your partners and other stakeholders in your supply chain. In 2023, however, compared to when we launched IMEX Frankfurt over 20 years ago, there are many more resources, experts and reliable sources of information available.”
According to the report, IMEX Group will use this report as a benchmark for future events as the group continues to find even more ways to be sustainable in the areas of carbon, food and beverage, general contracting services and waste management.
“If you’re taking your first steps toward sustainable events in 2023, make the first year your baseline year,” Bauer said. “You can’t change what you don’t measure. Our experience is that if you bring your attendees along, always being open and honest, and communicating a lot more than you expect, they’ll understand. For example, we had an issue last year when a few people “complained” about our use of disposable plastic cups at one of our shows. These cups weren’t plastic—they just looked like plastic—so we learned a valuable lesson about how to explain what things are made of, especially if they look like plastic.” “Plastic! Badges are another good example. This plastic badge holder is made from a cornstarch derivative. This nylon lanyard is made from recyclable and reusable silk. The list goes on…”
Contact Carina Bauer at Carina.Bauer@imexexhibitions.com