A Green Meetings Africa to celebrate our 25-year anniversary

There was great energy this year at Meetings Africa, a go-to event in Southern Africa for the business meetings, incentives and events industry. At Ripcord Promotions we met with a number of potential new clients and suppliers. We were excited and intrigued to hear about one client's vision for bringing a new type of event into South Africa. This event will link into a series of similar events held across the globe and will put SA on the map as part of that. It also follows a slightly different business model to what we are used to. So we are looking forward to exploring that in 2016, as well as the other opportunities that arose from our meetings.

In our last blog post we spoke about how hard we had been working on our #MeetingsAfrica16 stand to ensure that it lived up to the high green standards set each year. Last year we were proud to be Runner Up and so this year brings a wonderful accolade that we were focused on achieving. We are absolutely delighted to report that we hit our target this year. We scooped the Green Award in the Small Stands category!

What made it possible to win the award in our category this year? It was not difficult. It just required thought and attention to detail, as well as the support and partnership of a long-standing and trusted supplier, Nigel Walker from Compex. We used recycled crates for our furniture, we had potted plants on our table, we offset our carbon load for the event by planting trees, we displayed information on greening at our stand, and the cushions were made from last year's banners. We also used eco-friendly cardboard pens, and even our gifts were offered in plantable paper. If you received a gift, and the chocolates are already gone, don't forget to plant your gift box and to let us know when your blooms emerge!

For Ripcord Promotions, Meetings Africa provided a forum for connection, as well as a chance to walk the talk on some of the practical ways in which we can minimize what we take from our environment, or even give a little back. This award is the perfect acknowledgement during our 25th anniversary year. Thank you to the Event Greening Forum, Meetings Africa and Compex for making it possible. It is wonderful to have this acknowledgement as we really are committed to raising awareness of the importance of doing 'good'. You'll see this theme emerging again in different ways as we celebrate 25 years business over the course of 2016.

Until next time.