Marina Bay Sands in Singapore was awarded the IMEX/GMIC (Green Meeting Industry Council) Green Supplier Award at the IMEX Gala Dinner on May 20.
The Green Supplier Award recognizes a meeting supplier, such as a hotel, convention center or convention and visitor bureau, that has made real advancements in reducing environmental impact.
As part of the Marina Bay Sands sustainability plan over SGD13million has been invested to date into over 300 projects covering energy, water, waste and sustainable procurement. This has resulted in a 9 percent reduction in energy consumption and an increased waste diversion rate to 28 percent from 7 percent over three years. The innovations and developments in the property have led to an increase from five green meeting clients to over 60 events using the green meeting criteria in 2014.
Benny Zin, chief operating officer and vice president of conventions & exhibitions at Marina Bay Sands, explained:
“Going green is ingrained in the way Marina Bay Sands operates. On a day to day basis, our teams are constantly evaluating and implementing innovative ways to reduce environmental impact and influencing our partners to think green. We are honored that our leadership role has inspired and enabled our MICE clients to adopt sustainable events management practices. It’s extremely rewarding to see that our work is recognized and has earned the prestigious Green Supplier Award. This is a very big encouragement to the teams at Marina Bay Sands.”
The award was presented alongside two other categories Commitment to the Community and Green Meeting. International industry experts made up the judging panel including Hugo Kimber, CEO of The Carbon Consultancy and co-founder of Sustainability Intelligence, and Jan “JP” Peter Bergkvist, Sustainability Advisor, Author and Owner of SleepWell AB.
Jointly run by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) and IMEX, these awards have been developed to recognize organizations within the meetings and incentive travel industry that are making an effort to minimize their environmental impact and maximize their social contribution.
