CSR and the meetings industry
What are you doing for your people, planet and profit? While Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] used to be the norm for large corporations, it is today's norm for many organizations. Leaders of the meeting planning industry are now considering their triple bottom line when making decisions that affect people, planet and profit.
It can be challenging to think about the big picture while working in an industry that depends on the details, but "global and radical changes linked to the economic, social and ecological crisis are conspiring to change the way we design meetings and events,? said Meeting Planner International's Where We Stand 2010. This challenges planners to demonstrate the value of meetings in a holistic and responsible way.
Here are a few ways a CSR plan can impact your meetings:
- Return on Investment [ROI]: The industry often struggles with measuring and reporting ROI. Strategic CSR programs assist with measurement and reporting at an organizational level.
- Economy: Concerns about meeting format directly reflects the current state of the economy. High uses of technology lead to the hybrid meeting, which saves time, money and printing costs.
- Regulation: Several countries, including Denmark, Norway and the United Kingdom, now require companies to report social and environmental impacts along with economic ones on their balance sheets. This will trickle down into meetings and events.
- Climate Change: The European Union is discussing how using technology for meetings can reduce carbon emissions.
- Stakeholder Demand: Customers, clients, destinations and partners are vocal about their expectations toward organizational behavior to communities, the environment and economy.