World Economic Forum now certified ‘green’ meeting

Global event agency, PublicisLive, organiser of the Word Economic Forum Annual Meeting, has received the coveted ISO 20121:2012 certification for sustainable event management.

The certification was awarded to the agency following the World Economic Forum’s 48th Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland last week.

“We are extremely proud of our achievement,” said PublicisLive executive chairman, Anthony Gazagne. “We see sustainability as a value proposition. For our business, it makes sense to engage proactively with our clients and partners and to propose and advocate sustainable solutions. But above all, it is a way to take a stand in regard to the global community and act as a responsible organisation by combining purpose and profit.”

President Trump gave a special address at the World Economic Forum last week

The agency has managed logistics and key support services for the Annual Meeting since 1995. Through this longstanding partnership, both organisations have worked to deliver more sustainable solutions for the Annual Meeting, for which the World Economic Forum has also been certified to the ISO 20121 standard.

“Our challenge is to organise events that deliver a promise to our clients and provide participants with optimal environments, while behind the scenes we strive to minimise negative impacts on the planet and on local communities and leave a positive legacy,” said Gazagne.

PublicisLive’s sustainability programme began in November 2015 with a detailed operational review, resulting in a Sustainability Policy and Action Plan that was approved by the company’s board in December 2016.

The ISO 20121:2012 certification will extend to all events that PublicisLive delivers, as well as the agency’s own global operations.

PublicisLive sustainability director, Anna Beaujolin, said: “This new step is proof that we have real sustainability performance underpinning all our work and adding value to our business. But this is not an end point; we acknowledge that sustainability is a long-term commitment for our people and our planet and that the journey goes on.”