"In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles we recycle, two new water fountains with bottle filler stations have been installed. We encourage you to bring a refillable bottle with you to class going forward."

This was a message that my gym sent out last month to the full membership.After being open only one year, the gym was coming to the realization that they were going through an excessive amount of plastic, and wanted to find an alternative solution that would benefit the environment. In the last month, their investment into the water fountain refill stations has reduced use of nearly 250 plastic bottles per day!

In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, we released some new information and infographics on the state of sustainability in the industry and some easy practices that can improve your event’s footprint. Let’s take some time to celebrate our achievements, and focus on opportunities to further advance our industry through the adoption of sustainable practices.

This past January, in collaboration with Sustainable Brands and Radisson Hotels Group, we conducted a survey on sustainability practices in the events industry. We have some good news to report, as well as some opportunities.

The EIC is calling together leaders in the event and tourism industry for the first ever "Sustainable Event Standards Industry Forum" to be held on Monday, May 14, 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany, prior to the start of IMEX Frankfurt.

The purpose of the forum is to bring together global organizations that have sustainable criteria or standards relating to the events or tourism industry to explore ways to collaborate. Preliminary comparisons show commonality among many of the standards.

Do you work in healthcare meetings management? Gain the CMP-Healthcare (CMP-HC) subspecialty designation stand apart in the industry as a highly knowledgeable professional who intimately understands the specific regulations, laws and best practices that must be followed when conducting a healthcare-focused meeting.

To sit for the CMP-HC exam, you must:

• Hold a valid and current CMP
• Have three years (36 months) of experience in healthcare meeting management
• Have five clock hours of professional development specifically related to healthcare meeting management (completed in the past 5 years)

The CMP-HC is now offered during all four exams windows. The next CMP-HC exam is May 4–13, 2018. Review the eligibility requirements and the CMP-HC International Standards to see if CMP-HC fits into your professional development goals for 2018.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 11:00 AM EDT

Click here to register

The business implications for embedding sustainability into core business practices have become ever more clear for organizations across industries, countries and even sizes.

Recent trends like EU Mandatory Reporting Directive, suppliers from larger corporations facing pressures, risk reduction, and reputation safeguarding to more transparency, make it a necessity to look into sustainable operations and integrate sustainability into your own supply chain. In this webinar, we'll share insights on how sustainable procurement helps to plan a sustainable event.

Events Industry Council will be offering the SEPC Program in conjunction with the NACE Experience Conference. Join us in Palm Springs on July 22–25 to obtain your certificate!

Association Forum has two opportunities for association professionals and supplier partners to come together for education, networking and celebration. On June 27, we have Forum Forward — a day-long learning lab with association-focused education, curated and led by top professionals in the industry. Earn up to 5.75 CAE hours. Early bird rate ends May 1.

The following night, June 28, just us for the Honors Gala, a celebratory black-tie dinner hosted by the Association Forum Foundation. The annual Honors Awards will be presented to this year’s recipients, including the inaugural Welcoming Environment Organizational Award.

For more than 39 years, Les Selby, CMP, CMM has worked in retail and in the meetings and incentive industry. Take a closer look in story about personal transition as Lee reflects on some lessons learned.

Written by Certified Speaking Professional and leadership expert, Pegine

I was the juggler and the hustler. Until I literally had burned myself out. Imagine not being able to move in the morning, not a finger or a toe. It happened to me. I was rushed to the hospital and after two weeks of being completely out of it, I learned I had compromised my system. Burnout is real. My doctor had wise words for me, "Take care of yourself. You are all you have."

Juggling multiple projects and events and feeling the pressure to close deals made everything feel like an emergency. Talk about stress! I was burning everything I had and there wasn’t much more I could give. I had to learn how to conquer burnout. I did. And here are lessons I learned...

Do you know what personal data your organization holds on to and the reasons for retention of this data? Are you familiar with protocols for securing this personal data? What measures are you taking to make sure your entire team knows the importance of protecting data? Do you know how long your organization retains data? If someone wanted his or her personal data removed from your system, how quickly and thoroughly could you respond? Do you have specific information on when individuals in your marketing database provided permission to send them communications? In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) going into effect on May 25, you will need answers to these questions.

CWT Meetings & Events, Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s Meeting & Events division, has appointed Sam Lay, CMP, as Senior Director for Asia Pacific.

Have you been quoted in an article? Do you have some exciting news to share?

Contact us at cmptoday@eventscouncil.org and we will share it with influential leaders and companies in the events industry.