Three Squares Inc. Honored as a 2013 Green Meeting Award Winner at IMEX Worldwide Exhibition

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - May 23, 2013 - PRLog -- During the Gala Dinner held in Frankfurt, Germany on May 22nd, 2013, IMEX and the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) presented Three Squares Inc. with the 2013 Green Meeting Award in the small to medium category for the organization and production of the 2012 Women in Green Forum. Three Squares Inc. was honored in conjunction with the Danish Sustainable Events Initiative, who received the Green Meeting Award in the large meeting category for their efforts in organizing the first sustainable European Union (EU) Presidency.

The IMEX Award Program was developed to recognize individuals and companies who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the meetings and incentive travel industry. The IMEX Green Award program, jointly run with Green Meeting Industry Council, supports IMEX's environmental initiatives with awards specifically developed to reward and promote environmental awareness and corporate social responsibility.  The IMEX Green Meeting Award sets stringent standards, judging applicants against their ability to demonstrate innovative efforts to significantly minimize the environmental impact of a meeting or conference. Senior industry experts judge entries through a variety of success measures including energy efficiency, air and water quality, water conservation, waste minimization and sustainable sourcing criteria.

High praise was given to Three Squares Inc. by IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom, for being the first event organizer in North America to achieve conformity to the ISO 20121 standard for the production of Three Squares Inc.’s flagship event the Women in Green Forum. The annual forum is the premier network and conference series for sustainability professionals to develop the skills necessary for professional success and to promote women’s leadership across the environmental industry. In its fourth year, the Forum community has grown to include a number of high-level executives and representatives from leading companies such as Microsoft, Subaru, Wal-Mart, Yahoo!, AEG, Intel and many more. The Forum also highlights participation from government agencies such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Recognizing the prestige of receiving this international award directly from two of the event industry’s powerhouses, IMEX and GMIC, Three Squares Inc. is honored and humbled to receive the Green Meeting Award,” states Jaime Nack, President of Three Squares Inc. and Executive Director of the Women In Green Forum. “We are proud of the mission of the Women In Green Forum and our ability to realize one aspect of the forum’s mission by demonstrating leadership through ISO 20121 compliant sustainable event practices."

Popularized by the London Olympics, ISO 20121 is an internationally recognized sustainable event management standard requiring event organizers to identify and understand the effects that their activities have on the environment, society and the economy and assures that they have a system in place for optimal sustainability performance outcomes. Applying the international sustainable event standard to the production of the Women In Green Forum marks the first time in history that an American event organizer achieved conformity with ISO 20121. To date, only a handful of events worldwide have achieved compliance with the standard.  

The IMEX judging panel applauded the event’s sustainable event management initiatives including waste minimization and diversion efforts, stringent sustainable catering standards, efficient energy and water use, and certifying the event as carbon neutral. The event also partnered with mobile application provider, EventPilot, to ensure a 100% paperless program.

For more information about Three Squares Inc., please visit:  http://www.threesquaresinc.com

For more information about IMEX, please visit: http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/imexawards.html

For more information about GMIC, please visit:  http://www.gmicglobal.org