FAQ

• What characterises Green Meetings?

  Events are an important part of our professional lives. However, they consume large amounts of resources, cause emissions and therefore have a negative impact on our environment. Organisers are therefore increasingly focusing on climate protection, regional value creation and social compatibility. Instead of causing mountains of waste and additional traffic, ‘green meetings’ are characterised by strong awareness-raising, increased energy efficiency, waste avoidance and environmentally friendly arrival and departure of guests. A ‘green’ event can therefore also achieve an additional positive image among participants and sponsors.

• Does the planning of Green Meetings take a lot of time?

  No. Of course there is an initial outlay, but many points can also be taken care of without any major additional effort. These include environmentally friendly travel recommendations, offering accommodation within walking distance, selecting catering, providing conference documents and even waste separation. The earlier the planning is started and the better the organisation is at the beginning, the less work will be required later on.

• Do Green Meetings cost more than other events?

  Not necessarily. The use of organic and regional products is a cost factor. But not eating meat can in turn reduce costs. Savings can also be achieved by dispensing with ‘giveaways’ but also with conference documents, keyword ‘paperless conference’. Saved costs for the provision of parking spaces in an underground car park can be used for public transport event tickets, for example.

• Where do I start?

  For initial orientation, we recommend our PLUS Green Meeting Catalogue. This provides a very compact description of how events at PLUS can be organised in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. In addition to practical tips, there is also a checklist in the appendix.

• What certification options are available for my event?

  If you are looking for certification, there are three options:

  Internal PLUS Event Certification: based on the PLUS Green Meeting Catalogue, consultation and certification by the PLUS Green Meeting Coordinator, Dr. Bernhard Zagel

   Green Event Salzburg – Certification: Green Meeting Programme Land Salzburg, external consulting and certification.

   Austrian Ecolabel – Green Meetings: Premium certification, national visibility, highest possible standard in Austria.

• Who can I contact if I have further questions, especially about certification?

  Dr Bernhard Zagel, Green Meeting Coordinator at PLUS, will be happy to be your first point of contact.