Press Releases
Press Release - 24/05/2012
Cape Town International Convention Centre wins Gold in IMEX 2012 Green Supplier Award - Silver Award goes to Caesars Entertainment
The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) was announced as winner of the prestigious IMEX Green Supplier Award at the IMEX 10th anniversary Gala Dinner in Frankfurt’s Alte Oper last night.
The Green Supplier Award recognises environmental excellence and innovation within the meetings industry and represents the highest accolade for environmental responsibility among meeting suppliers. Within this category, both Gold and Silver Awards are presented annually.
Presenting the award to Megan Arendse of the CTICC, IMEX Chairman, Ray Bloom, commented on the impressive standard of entries received this year: “The excellent quality of entries proves that there is a shared industry-wide goal to drive environmental progress and ensure that positive changes remains at the fore. Environmental issues continue to be an important priority for many in today’s business climate and organisations that put green at the top of their agendas are to be congratulated,” he said. “Well done to the CTICC for setting an excellent standard in this category.”
CTICC Chief Executive Officer, Rashid Toefy said: “The centre is excited and honoured to be the recipient of this prestigious award. As a convention centre, whose business principles are built around the ethos of sustainability, environmental and social considerations form part of our DNA, and we have managed to incorporate this into every facet of our business. This commitment to sustainability has, in turn, shaped the thinking and approach of our suppliers and conference and exhibition organisers.
“Winning the award is not just an accolade for the CTICC and the organisers of the Green Expo, but for Cape Town as it raises the global profile of the destination. For the CTICC it is not about winning awards, but rather about setting an example and encouraging other organisations to be self-sustaining and conscious about effecting change and the role that they play in society. Our recently announced expansion plans, which will double the centre’s capacity, are set to further reinforce our sustainability leadership. The expansion will be at the cutting edge of sustainable innovation and will showcase the biodiversity of Cape Town and the Western Cape region in its design ethos”.
CTICC’s award entry detailed the retro-fitting of the centre in order to enhance its energy efficiency by using Compact Fluorescents (CFL) or Light Emitting Diodes (LED’s) instead of convention bulbs. Energy-saving devices have also been used extensively throughout the centre and 75% of lighting fixtures are fluorescent.
The CTICC’s waste minimisation measures were also commended by IMEX judges, with waste sorted on site before collection for recovery and recycling purposes. Waste is usually separated at source to reduce contamination, but additional focus is placed on the provision of clearly-marked bins for visitors and staff. This is expected to become standard practice for events to reduce the quantity of waste going to landfill. It was these impressive measures and results that caught the attention of the judging panel to help the CTICC scoop the Gold Award.
Caesars Entertainment Scoop Silver Award
The 2012 Silver Award was awarded to Caesars Entertainment in recognition of its commitment to reinforce its position as an industry leader in environmental sustainability and a high level of commitment in this area.
Judges were impressed with how Caesars Entertainment had engaged team members at all levels of the company to help ensure that its customers’ meetings programmes were more sustainable.
Michael Massari, Senior Vice President Caesars Entertainment, commented: “We are thrilled to be the recipient of the Silver IMEX Green Supplier Award for these efforts that are good for our business, good for our customers and good for our planet - and we thank IMEX and the GMIC for the opportunity.”
The Green Supplier Award continues to be one of the most sought-after in the industry and was developed by IMEX and partners, GMIC (Green Meeting Industry Council), to recognise environmental excellence and innovation within the meetings industry.
-ENDS-
Editors' notes
- The next IMEX in Frankfurt takes place 21 – 23rd May 2013
- All IMEX show press releases can be downloaded from www.imex-frankfurt.com/press.php
- Printed copies can be obtained from the IMEX Press Centre at Messe Frankfurt until 17:00 24 May 2012.
- High-resolution photos of the show are available at www.imex-frankfurt.com/imexphotos.html
- The next IMEX America will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center at the Venetian/Palazzo from 9 - 11 October 2012. www.imexamerica.com
Media contacts during IMEX (22 – 24 May)
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Email: kit.watts@imexexhibitions.com
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Email: carina.bauer@imexexhibitions.com
Press Centre during IMEX
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