Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) is increasing its initiatives to ensure MEETINGS 2019 is environmentally and socially sustainable, cutting down on waste and introducing a new give-back theme for day buyers’ lunches.
CINZ Chief Executive, Sue Sullivan says CINZ has a raft of initiatives designed to boost awareness about sustainability and make a big difference to the event’s impact.
“For social good, we are excited to be donating 500 lunches to school children in Auckland with our new initiative to provide Eat My Lunch packs for our day buyers on both days of MEETINGS,” she says.
For every one of the 500 day-buyer lunches served across the two days, CINZ in conjunction with Eat My Lunch will donate a lunch to a Kiwi kid in need.
“The kids receive a lunch that looks and tastes like it is home-made, delivered fresh to their schools in a brown paper bag. At the same time our day buyers will receive their own tasty business lunch in a recyclable brown box to enjoy while networking and listening to the Celebrity Speaker Showcase.”
MEETINGS hosted buyer will receive a reusable water bottle, which they can use during the exhibition and then take home. Reusable coffee cups will also be available. For hosted buyer, exhibitors and media The Kitchen at Sky City is serving lunches, morning and afternoon teas with reusable crockery and cutlery. They partner with both Kiwi Harvest and Kaivolution to donate and recycle any leftover food.
“We are driving all our communication with exhibitors and buyers through the MEETINGS EventsAIR app. To cut down on print waste again this year we’re not printing an exhibition guide, encouraging everyone to go online and to use the app. Tickets to events are not needed this year either, as everyone can use the QR codes on their name badges to identify them at each of the welcome, gala and exhibition venues,” Sue Sullivan says.
Exhibitors are encouraged to take away and recycle everything they have brought for their stands, and to reuse or donate floral arrangements.
