The GSTC MICE Criteria have been published and made available to the public for non-commercial usage, as announced by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®). With assistance from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the GSTC MICE Criteria were developed for Venues, Event Organisers, and Events & Exhibitions. These criteria will direct enterprises towards adopting sustainable practices in response to the increasing emphasis on sustainability.
The global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism are the GSTC Criteria. The Criteria serve as a foundation for certification, are employed in measurement and assessment, and are utilised in policy-making for corporations, organisations, and governmental bodies. They are organised into four pillars: (A) sustainable management; (B) socioeconomic implications; (C) cultural impacts; and (D) environmental impacts. They are the outcome of an international effort to create a common language concerning sustainability in tourism.
After the GSTC Destination Criteria and the GSTC Industry Criteria (for hotels and tour operators), the GSTC MICE Criteria make up the third set of GSTC Criteria. Currently, the GSTC Attraction Criteria are being developed.
GSTC MICE Criteria
The GSTC MICE Criteria are designed to give a global awareness of sustainable practices in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) business and to operate as the global sustainability standards for MICE enterprises.
The MICE industry is growing steadily, and the demand for sustainable tourism is rising as well. For this reason, it is critical to create global standards that require all MICE industry subsectors to follow sustainable practices. The GSTC MICE Criteria are the minimal standards that any MICE business should aim to meet. They have been developed for the following subsectors: Venues, Event Organisers, and Events & Exhibitions.
“We are pleased to announce the official release of the GSTC MICE Criteria for Venues, Event Organisers, and Events & Exhibitions, following a year of dedicated work and effort. We acknowledge the important role the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has played in its development.” The CEO of GSTC, Randy Durband, adds, “Let’s benefit from this chance to greatly progress the MICE industry’s journey towards sustainability.”
“Our collaboration with the GSTC and SACEOS to develop the GSTC MICE Criteria underscores Singapore’s unwavering commitment to sustainable tourism and solidifies our position as a leading MICE destination,” stated Yap Chin Siang, Deputy Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. “An important turning point in this process has been reached with the introduction of the MICE Criteria, which gives industry participants the means to prosper in and contribute to a sustainable tourism environment. I urge everyone involved in the MICE ecosystem to adopt the standards and take the lead in creating a more environmentally friendly travel industry.”
With the unveiling of its MICE Sustainability Roadmap in 2022, the Singapore Tourism Board demonstrated that it was committed to achieving its sustainability objectives. Among other things, this involves implementing regional recommendations that provide MICE stakeholders with best practices for establishing objectives for waste management, cutting back on waste categories, and improving carbon emission control. In order to enhance an organization’s sustainability performance and investigate methods for organising sustainable events, it has also collaborated closely with the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) and other public and commercial stakeholders.
The GSTC MICE Criteria will:
- Help define sustainability in a holistic manner
- Raise awareness of the breadth and nature of sustainability
- Serve as the basis for certification for sustainability
- Offer both public and private sectors a starting point by providing basic guidelines for MICE businesses to become more sustainable, including guidance for identifying more sustainable suppliers and service providers
- Help consumers identify sustainable MICE businesses
- Serve as a common denominator for recognizing sustainable MICE businesses, helping businesses choose sustainable suppliers and partners
- Serve as basic guidelines for education and training on sustainable MICE practices
- Demonstrate leadership that inspires others to act
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- Help define sustainability in a holistic manner
- Raise awareness of the breadth and nature of sustainability
- Serve as the basis for certification for sustainability
- Offer both public and private sectors a starting point by providing basic guidelines for MICE businesses to become more sustainable, including guidance for identifying more sustainable suppliers and service providers
- Help consumers identify sustainable MICE businesses
- Serve as a common denominator for recognizing sustainable MICE businesses, helping businesses choose sustainable suppliers and partners
- Serve as basic guidelines for education and training on sustainable MICE practices
- Demonstrate leadership that inspires others to act
Development of GSTC MICE Criteria
With consideration for the various rules and criteria for sustainable tourism from every continent, the GSTC MICE Criteria are the result of decades of preceding effort and experience worldwide. Many people from both developed and developing nations globally were consulted while the criteria were being prepared. They are an expression of our hope to see a global consensus on environmentally friendly travel. The Criteria have been developed and revised by following the GSTC Standard-Setting Manual v3.0 while attempting to conform to the Standard-Setting Code of the ISEAL Alliance, the body recognised to guide worldwide norms for defining sustainability standards in all sectors.
MICE Criteria development process is shown below:
The official timeframe was 11 months, starting in April 2023, although the process of developing the criteria lasted eighteen months, from September 2022 to February 2024. June 15 to August 15, 2023, were the dates of the first round of public consultation.
Following the second draft’s compilation and revision, a feasibility assessment was carried out to appraise the proposed criteria, considering a compiled draft from the GSTC Technical Team. The assessment covered the readability (the degree to which the criteria are easily understood), measurability/auditability (the degree to which they are objective), and feasibility of the requirements (the degree to which they are likely to be met) of each criterion. The feasibility assessment was conducted in 2023 between October 15 and November 15.
Following the second public consultation session, which ran from November 24 to December 29, 2023, changes were made to the draft of the GSTC MICE Criteria. Before the final adoption and publication, a consensus draft was created.
Vice President of SACEOS’s Industry and Enterprise, Sukumar Verma, stated: “SACEOS is pleased to have worked in tandem with the Singapore Tourism Board to design the inaugural GSTC MICE Criteria. In order to influence the direction of sustainable MICE and business events, we are also delighted to be a member of the GSTC MICE Advisory Group. We are appreciative of our members’ important contributions in supporting the creation of these extensive standards, as the national trade association for Singapore’s MICE sector. For organisations and organisations involved in sustainable event management, these standards offer a concise and practical framework that caters to event organisers and venues. Locally and internationally, the MICE industry will adopt more sustainable practices at a faster rate thanks to the GSTC MICE Criteria.”
An ‘Early Adopter Program’ for the MICE Criteria will be introduced by the GSTC. During the two years of this program, members of the industry will have the chance to put the Criteria into practice and create a network for the exchange of knowledge and experiences. Announcements on the Program will soon be announced.
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