Sustainability Management of Events: ANSI Seeks Comments on Proposal for New ISO Technical Committee

Submit Comments by Friday, May 16

ANSI, the U.S. member body to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), seeks comments by May 16 on a proposal for the formation of a new ISO Technical Committee (TC) on events – sustainability management and other aspects, with an ISO Subcommittee (SC) on sustainability management of events.

The proposal asserts that the events industry—ranging from business to sports occasions—requires standards to assure consistency and reliability for both businesses and customers, especially given the diversity in scope, scale, and time frames across global and domestic events.

AFNOR, the ISO member for France, in coordination with BSI, the ISO member for the UK, jointly submitted the proposal to ISO, with the following scope statement:

Standardization in the field of events, which includes all formats of events (e.g., commercial exhibitions, art exhibitions, conferences, forums, competitions) and for different purposes (e.g., business, academic, sports, culture).

Standardization of the management of events supporting a sustainable world, as well as all other aspects linked to events.

It includes, in the specific context of events, standardization of terminology; metrics and measurement; data management; crisis management; health, safety, and security; sustainability including social responsibility and legacy; accessibility; and technology.

Additionally, the proposal brings the standards currently dispersed across different ISO TCs to be under one single TC that encompasses all subsectors of events.

The proposal also includes a call for an SC responsible for sustainability-related deliverables that:

• are applicable to any type of event;
• can be used by any organization or individual involved in the management of events–client, supplier, or event manager;
• will enable industry to publicly demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and assist all companies who have not yet adopted a system to develop their capability;
• enable SMEs to adopt sustainability into event management;
• include event-specific content presented in collaboration with existing standards that address key areas of focus with sustainability; and
• adapt to the changes within the sector, providing deliverables that will support the evolving sustainability landscape.

Read the proposal and submit comments to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director of international policy and strategy, at [email protected] by close of business on Friday, May 16. All input ANSI receives will be used to develop the ANSI representative input to the ISO Technical Management Board.