GSTC to develop new criteria MICE with Singapore’s support

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), with support from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is developing a new set of guidelines for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) that will serve as the global sustainability standards for the industry.

The GSTC MICE Criteria will be developed with the input of relevant stakeholders in the field of business events, and will provide clear sustainability outcomes that the standard seeks to achieve. It can also guide the industry to make supply chains more sustainable and increase residents’ involvement in local events and exhibitions.

Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC, said in a statement: “The development of GSTC MICE Criteria will provide a globally-created and globally-applicable set of sustainability standards that serves as a platform for universal approaches to measurement, monitoring, reporting, and various forms of external verification needed to drive positive impacts from good practices.”

The application of the GSTC MICE Criteria has long-term impact, as its continued use can significantly reduce negative environmental impacts, preserve local cultures and cuisines, and support sustainable consumption and production patterns.

To accomplish this, the GSTC has formed a MICE Criteria Development Advisory Group, which comprises up to 10 organisations from both the public and private sectors with established track record in hosting business events.

The main objective of this group is to offer their expert opinion and comments to the GSTC Technical Team while GSTC will retain full oversight and control of the criteria development process.

The MICE Criteria Development Advisory Group will also encourage the business events industry to take part in the Public Consultation and Feasibility Assessment phases of the Criteria Development process.

The whole process of development and revision will be overseen by the International Standards Committee of the GSTC. The development and content of the Terms of Reference (TOR) endeavour to comply with the requirements of the ISEAL Standard-Setting Code of Good Practice.

STB’s support of the criteria development is in line with Singapore’s vision to become a sustainable urban destination, where large experiences come with small footprints.

Keith Tan, chief executive of STB said: “Such internationally-recognised standards are important, as they help destinations and tourism businesses understand if their sustainability efforts are on the right track. We look forward to working closely with GSTC and our industry associations to provide a Singapore perspective and help the tourism sector contribute to a greener world.”

STB, together with the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers, will provide feedback, consultation, and industry expertise for the draft criteria, as well as to encourage industry adoption of the developed criteria when ready.