The company has aligned its strategy and services with best sustainability practices and, in general, with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
On the occasion of EIBTM 2010, Ultramar Event Management, TUI Travel PLC Spanish MICE division, presented its new catalogue prioritizing sustainable services. The company's MICE team has designed these new services with the aim of offering clients hotels, venues, activities and transport options that are more sustainable and, if possible, have obtained green certificates.
The most relevant feature of this new range of services is the incorporation of sustainable actions and activities thanks to partnerships with suppliers, foundations and NGO, such as WCAFI, a non-profit organization whose aim is to "clean the air" through reforestation. Examples include: green gymkhanas that allow participants to get to know the destination using sustainable transport; food experiences organized by companies dedicated to promoting local cuisine or sustainable and supportive activities in which participants not only plant trees to compensate the carbon footprint of their visit, but also collaborate in reforesting developing countries such as Haiti, Malawi and Kenya, among others.
In the last edition of EIBTM, the aim of Ultramar Event Management has been to show that it is possible for corporate events to be environmentally friendly, through initiatives such as the digital presentation of its new catalogue to save on paper; choosing catering services using seasonal produce; and designing a conceptually sustainable stand. As to the latter, Ultramar Event Management's stand was equipped with furniture made of recycled or recyclable materials, much of which will be reused in other activities.
In the words of Franck Barbaras, the company's manager, Ultramar Event Management "has made firm bid for organizing meetings, events and incentive trips that comply with basic sustainability criteria", since "this contributes to promoting new models that are both environmentally friendly and enriching from a social and cultural perspective."
TUI Travel PLC, of which Ultramar Event Management forms a part, has a long track record in CSR, and has received a large number of awards for its policies geared to sustainable development in the tourism industry. The implication of all the companies comprising the group has been essential so as to impregnate the entire organization with the necessary values to make this possible.
