Our strategy
As a multinational company with a global and local reach, we recognise the immense responsibility and opportunity that comes with our global footprint. Forming the mci group wasn’t just about business growth; it was about harnessing our collective strength to make a positive impact on our world. With a presence that spans across continents and communities, we believe we are uniquely positioned to drive change and foster a more sustainable and inclusive society.
Committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we strive to be more than just a company; we aim to be a catalyst for meaningful change. Leveraging our skills, voice and relationships, we are dedicated to promoting an active culture of care and responsibility. Our commitment extends beyond words; it is reflected in our actions as we work tirelessly to make a tangible difference in the world around us by achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2030.
As a group, we aim to adopt a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach to sustainability that covers environmental, social and governance issues. By conducting thorough materiality assessments and incorporating feedback from diverse stakeholder surveys, we continuously adapt our strategy to align with global trends and innovations. Therefore, in 2024, we will conduct a double materiality assessment and prepare mci group to comply with the new Corporate Social Responsibility Directive enacted by the European Union.
Since starting our sustainability journey in 2006, our dedicated team has made a significant impact, transforming our company’s operations and contributing to a better future for both mci group and the wider world.
With-in and with-out
We’re committed to sustainability across all our activities, fostering a culture of care and responsibility that influences both our internal operations and external collaborations with clients and communities. Our aim is to build a resilient and sustainable business that makes a positive impact beyond our operations.
Within mci group
With our clients
In our communities
We recognise our extensive influence on the communities in which we operate.
Therefore, we are always mindful of engaging with ecologically certified suppliers and integrating community-centric aspects into all our projects to foster positive local impact.
Additionally, our global teams contribute over 2,000 pro bono hours annually to social action efforts and NGO events. Furthermore, we partner with Cool Earth to support the preservation of the Amazon rainforest, safeguarding both its indigenous communities and the crucial oxygen it provides.
Our sustainability journey so far, and key areas moving forward
As one of the world’s frontrunners in sustainable development, we have been working towards a more sustainable future for more than 15 years.
Over this time much has changed, and new information is constantly coming to light on how we can improve ourselves and our approach.
Based on our materiality assessment, and a review of our approach, we have identified seven key shared goals moving forward.
Our 7 shared goals
Protecting our people and assets
Learning and development
Environmental impact
Community and giving back
Responsible consumption and production
Governance
Diversity, equity & inclusion
Why sustainability matters to us
Sustainability is central to our mission
Our purpose is to bring people together and create a positive impact in our world.
Climate change, the loss of biodiversity, the health and social crisis and all the consequences that result from it push us to question the impact of our actions.
We want to use our collective skills and relationships to contribute positively and invent a more harmonious society – for our clients, our talents and our communities
Operating responsibly
Accelerated consumption, globalisation and ecological decline demand a deep understanding of the sustainability of our supply chain.
We want to be part of the solution and lead the transition to a more sustainable global economy, enhancing resource efficiency and boosting social benefits, thus also securing our business’s future.
Building trust
In the digital era, building trust means being transparent about our sustainability efforts. With increasing regulatory focus on environmental impact, we strive to exceed basic standards and support our clients in adopting sustainable practices.
Competitive advantage
Today, sustainability is an essential part of any forward-thinking and well-integrated company.
Our clients and partners are developing their sustainability programmes and demanding more responsible, transparent business practices in their procurement processes.
As such, more and more corporations are selecting their partners based on their sustainability performance.
Sustainability is a business imperative. It spurs innovation, engages stakeholders, and motivates our team, setting us apart in the market.
Business opportunity
Business growth remains strong in the sustainability arena. From cleantech to renewable energy, green buildings and sustainable fashion, all sectors are focused on making more sustainable products and services.
To achieve the market transition to a sustainable economy, people will need to meet, associations will need to engage members, governments will need to form collaborations, and businesses will need to launch new products and incentivise their staff.
The growth of this green, sustainable economy provides a huge business opportunity for us to help our clients engage and activate their stakeholders around sustainable development issues.
Resilience
Resilience reflects our ability to thrive amidst challenges like climate change and resource scarcity. Our sustainability programme equips us to navigate disruptions and evolve to meet stakeholder expectations.
Creating responsible experiences
Strategic objectives
Supply chain assessment approach and guidelines ready by 2024
100% of our client proposals include an environmental/social and carbon tracking approach by 2025
Key highlights
“Our choices must have the potential to transform our world. Our commitment is simple: to walk the talk. And fast. Placing sustainability at the heart of what we do. For real. With our clients. With our partners. For our industry. For positive change. For our communities. For our planet.”
Oscar Cerezales Chief Strategy Officer
We strongly believe that sustainable experiences have a better outcome for our clients, and deliver a positive impact far beyond the event.
Over the years, we have consistently proven that, by embedding sustainable thinking in everything we do, we can improve efficiency, quality and participants’ experience, and simultaneously accelerate innovation. This holistic approach to sustainable event management can reduce costs, improve environmental impact, strengthen brand reputation and leave a lasting social legacy within communities.
Using the design-thinking model, we identify and define our clients’ sustainability commitments, business objectives, and attendees’ needs and expectations, and devise progressive strategies to support them in achieving their mission. Whilst we stress the necessity to comply with local labour laws and job-specific requirements, we do not want to enforce any specific policies regarding flexible working. Instead, we offer local teams a set of guiding principles to help them thrive in the new world of work, which include:
Sustainable project journey – Integrating sustainability from the start
Our sustainable process has been created with collaboration and clear objectives as the main focus. This means that you will have meaningful and measurable data as a result of working with us.
Our responsible experience model
Whilst every project is different, and there is no “one size fits all” approach, we have developed a practical 5-part model to ensure that sustainable environmental impact, positive social impact, and diversity and inclusion are a central part of how our projects are organised.
- Design accessible and inclusive experiences: communication, venue, food, speakers, transport
- Seek new technology and solutions
- Digitalisation and gamification
- Collaborate with partners and suppliers
- Food consumption and event waste management
- Collateral material and merchandise (Giveaways)
- Resource-intensive substances
- Transport
- Water usage
- Certified suppliers
- Eco-friendly signage and material
- Fresh, local, seasonal produce (organic when possible)
- Fair trade and cruelty-free options
- Energy-efficient alternatives
- Disposable and single-use items
- Hazardous chemicals
- Unethical business practices (child labour, discrimination, corruption, human trafficking)
- Source locally and engage with local communities
- Leave educational legacy
- Donate time, materials and resources
- Measure and report your impact
- Offset emissions to support development
Key reading
Environmental impact
Our customers, our talents, governments and society at large are more and more worried about carbon impacts, and we recognise that our industry – and we as an organisation – need to address this global concern and be part of the solution.
Since 2009, we have been tracking and transparently reporting annually our environmental impact, improving how and what we measure. We remain committed to achieving specific, quantifiable objectives that align with climate science.
Strategic objectives
By the end of 2024, we will have a functional tool to track emissions linked to business travel
By the end of 2024, an environmental approach will be systematically proposed to every client
By the end of 2024, we will use a centralised platform to assess and monitor the alignment of our suppliers/partners with our ESG goals
Be net zero carbon by 2030 on our scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 (company operations activities) and working with our clients and supply chain to be fully net zero by 2050
Key highlights
Results
Our reporting perimeter for 2023 includes the following three scopes:
Scope 1 Direct emissions from our vehicles fleet, and fuel emissions from stationary sources.
Scope 2 Emissions linked to our electricity consumption.
Scope 3 Travel, assets, waste, other fuel emissions, purchased goods and services. And NEW this year, we also factored in the emissions of the purchase of services (banking, insurance, consulting fees, mail…) and office supplies.
Results in tCO₂e
Between 2022 and 2023, our carbon footprint increased by 5%. This can be explained by a wider scope for analysing our emissions compared to previous years, as we included all our purchases of services and office supplies, three additional offices and the impact of the exchange rate against the investments in audiovisual equipment made by Dorier this year.
Business travel represents more than half of our total emissions, which is less than in previous years, but our overall travel carbon footprint has reduced. This is due to the change of method in calculating flights (adjusted to the ADEME methodology).
We also consumed a total of 704325 kWh of energy, including an equivalent of 33859 kWh of fuel for our vehicles, 40772 kWh in gas and 670466 kWh in electricity. At constant office perimeter, we increased our consumption by 2%. We are investigating what caused that increase in energy.
Renewable energy represents a large part of our energy consumption, and two of our largest offices use 100% renewable energy (from our own solar or geothermal solutions, and from contracted grid).
In 2023, several of our offices switched to co-working spaces to optimise their environmental impact.
Further Reading
Stories
Strategic objectives
Every year, 100% of projects are assessed through our audit tool (ESST)
Every year, 100% of Duty of Care obligations (protecting our talents for risky travel) are completed
Maintaining our ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 27701 (privacy information) certifications
Maintaining an 80/100 score in office safety for every audit we perform every 3 years
100% of Managing Directors are trained for operational crisis management every 3 years
Key highlights
Key reading
We recognise that our culture can have a significant impact beyond our agencies and ventures. That knowledge drives us to do better and grow further every day. This is why we are committed to building an ethical business culture, ensuring we conduct ourselves with honesty and integrity, driving positive change throughout our supply chain.
“As a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, mci group does not tolerate bribery or corruption. We are committed to acting ethically in all aspects of our business, maintaining and improving the highest standards of honesty and integrity. It is part of our core values, and we firmly support international and local efforts to eliminate corruption and financial crime.”
Sebastien Tondeur Chief Executive Officer
Strategic objectives
Supply chain assessment approach and guidelines ready by 2024
Key highlights
“As a signatory of the UN Global Compact, we are committed to promoting ethical, social, environmental, and human rights best practices within our business and hold our partners and suppliers to the same standards as we hold ourselves.
To drive our culture of responsible buying, we leverage our size and scale to advocate for more sustainable practices inside and outside our company. Through our strategic partnerships with leading hotel chains worldwide, we’re not just integrating sustainability into our decision-making; we’re pioneering a new era of collaboration. We are pleased to report that all our 10 preferred hotel partners have signed our Supplier code of conduct, representing around +9,000 hotels.
By actively involving our internal buyers and external hotel partners, we’re collectively shaping sustainable strategies and executing tangible actions. Our vision is a future where sustainability lies at the heart of every business decision, not only within our industry but beyond.”
Quentin Remy Head of Global Procurement & Strategic Sourcing
With a 35+ year proven track record and an agency network that spans the globe, we strive to extend our influence beyond the field of sustainable events, and serve as both a vocal advocate and a foundational pillar for the sustainability sector at large.
In line with SDG #17 “Partnership for the Goals”, we have taken an active role in encouraging clients, partners, suppliers, competitors and governments to adopt a higher standard of sustainable business practices within the industry.
Here are some of our initiatives:
Our agency MCI has signed the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge, an industry initiative to address climate change, and sits on the board committee and in the task force to help construct an industry-wide roadmap towards net zero by 2050 (see more info under the section Environmental Impact and the chapter Our pathway to Net Zero).
mci group, with leading event industry organisations IMEX, European Cities Marketing ICCA and ICCA’s Scandinavian Chapter, launched the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. This collaborative platform promotes the sustainable growth of international meetings and events destinations, highlighting best practices and responsible business tourism.
Since 2007, mci group leaders have delivered hundreds of keynote sessions and workshops on sustainability, inspiring change and better business practices, reaching close to 40,000 people in the events industry.
mci group experts are involved in developing learning resources, standards and/or sustainability initiatives in the events industry, such as the events industry sustainability principles (by the Events Industry Council), for all of which mci group is a launching signatory
Finally, mci group representatives occupy prominent positions within event industry associations or local convention bureau sustainability task forces, enabling us to share our sustainability vision and knowledge, and collaborate with a broad audience.
Key global associations we belong to include:
- ABPCO (Association of British Professional Conference Organisers)
- AMCI (Association Management Company Institute)
- ASAE (The Center for Association Leadership)
- Association Forum
- AV Alliance
- CRN (Congress Rental Network)
- ESAE (European Society of Association Executives)
- FICP (Financial & Insurance Conference Planners)
- IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events)
- HSMAI (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association Intl)
- IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers)
- ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association)
- INCON (international community of experts and specialists working on trust in cyberspace)
- IRF (Incentive Research Foundation)
- JMIC (Joint Meetings Industry Council)
- MPI (Meeting Professionals International)
- PCMA (Professional Conference Management Association)
- SAMA (Strategic Account Management Association)
- SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence)
- YPO (Young Presidents Organisation)
We produce this sustainability report for three key reasons:
To drive the performance of our sustainability processes and accountability beyond that of previous years
To build trust in our brand by voluntarily and transparently communicating our past performance and future strategy
Compliance: clients, governments and financial institutions are increasingly demanding that we report on our sustainability programme
Key reading
Scope of report
This Sustainability Report covers the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. The scope and issues covered in the report were selected based on the GRI standards reporting principles, the GRI boundary protocol, stakeholder input and ongoing trend analysis.
We take a precautionary approach to our sustainability strategy and report on issues that are material to our current and future business, and our stakeholders.
This website also serves as our Communication on Progress (COP) Report for the United Nations Global Compact. We report at the GC advanced level.
Changes and restatements
Acquisition of Plani-Concept Plus in Montreal, Canada, expanding our service offerings and reinforcing our presence in the Canadian market.
Help us shape our sustainability journey
The sustainability journey is a collaborative one. Your thoughts about this report and any suggestions that might help us improve the efficiency and impact of our efforts towards sustainability are more than welcome.
Please email your comments to our sustainability team: sustainability@mci-group.com
Acknowledgements:
We want to say a special thank you to our sustainability champions for their dedication and passion. Special thanks also to our Finance Directors for their assistance in collecting data to measure our carbon footprint, and to our colleagues from People and Culture, H&S, Finance, Legal, L&D, MarComs and IT for their help in producing this report.
Thank you to King & Tuke for the design and copywriting of the website and PDF. We would also like to thank the TRAACE (GHG emissions measurement tool) for their support with our carbon footprint calculation.
