One + July 2011 - (Page 26)

Sustainability goals were not always an easy sell to stakeholders, but ofﬁcials wanted to ensure their efforts would enhance the lives of the people of Cape Town. interesting speakers in areas from networking to leadership and more. The program has been so successful that MPI’s Global Emerging Leaders Community has embraced it as a blueprint for future success. “Emerging Leaders provides a platform for people to develop professionally and personally,” wrote past chapter president and Emerging Leaders Committee member Jan Tolle MacDonald in nominating the program. “We’re giving new professionals an avenue to form their career paths.” CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE ORGANIZATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT Since opening in 2003, the Cape Town International Convention Centre has played a major role in transforming the community and economy of a coastal city once known mainly for farms, fishing and wine. With a core focus on international association meetings, it has created jobs for 150 permanent staffers and 600 part-time workers in a country beset by unemployment greater than 23 percent. Hosting 600 events a year, it is an increasingly popular long-haul destination for clients from Asia, Europe and the U.S. Now the center—a public-private partnership—is leading the way in sustainability for South Africa’s meeting and event industry. It has achieved four rigorous certifications— including ISO 14001 for environmental management—and created the innovative Nurture Our World program, which trains the staff in green living practices for work and home. The sustainability goals were not always an easy sell to the many stakeholders, but center officials wanted to ensure their efforts would enhance the lives of the people of Cape Town. Ultimately, the center’s sustainability plan took into account the fact that the nation is, as Joey Pather, chief operating officer, explains, making the transition from “developing to developed.” Mindful of the reality that many hotel staffers don’t have basic services such as running water at home and that the nation’s growth has outstripped the energy supply in the past, management focused on sustainable initiatives that helped to conserve resources needed elsewhere in the country—saving money along the way. 26 However, the center’s socially minded efforts help the community in many other ways. For instance, an internal committee works on an ongoing basis with local charities to recycle wood from exhibition stands to build libraries and schools. “We recently re-did our boardroom carpets,” Pather said. “We installed [the original carpet] in a couple of schools in the local townships.” The center has initiated new practices to reduce kitchen waste, too. Leftover food is sorted daily and distributed to the homeless. And visitors to the hotel who want to offset their carbon footprint can purchase trees that are planted in disadvantaged communities through the venue’s My Tree in Africa program. All of these efforts aid environmental goals while enhancing quality of life for Cape Town residents and citizens nationwide. By attracting planners to the center, the organization can better achieve its purpose of contributing economically and socially to the region. The center has developed a model and a format that other South African businesses can—and do—follow to provide a profitable and societal impact. Thanks to recently approved growth plans, the center will almost double in size in by 2015. Coming soon: added exhibition space, an office tower and an onsite hospital. ELAINE POFELT is a former senior editor at FORTUNE Small Business and a regular contributor to One+. one+ 07.11

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + July 2011

One + July 2011
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Paradigm Shifts, Part II
Web Watch
Agenda
Thoughts+Leaders
Ask the Experts
Recognizing Community and Organizational Excellence
Overheard
Art of Travel
The Prism Effect
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
Using New Tech for Old Purposes
So You Think You Can Dance
Don’t Use Tech You Don’t Understand
Are You In It to Win It?
Anything is Possible
Night of the Radishes
Well Played
When People Come Together, Magic Happens
Size Matters
Building a Better FAM
One Bar at a Time
MPI + CSR
Industry Insights
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again

One + July 2011