New Zealand’s business events industry association, Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) is leading by example, adding give-back elements to their conferences and helping organisers to do the same.CINZ Chief Executive, Sue Sullivan says corporate social responsibility (CSR) was high on the agenda at the CINZ Annual Conference and AGM in Auckland last month. She told delegates CINZ is creating a new industry resource to provide a snapshot of the key information organisers need to add a give-back component to their events. Worthy CSR opportunities will be listed on the CINZ website for event planners seeking advice and ideas.
“We want to ensure all incentive and conference groups coming to New Zealand have an opportunity to weave CSR into their programmes,” she says.
“CINZ gives back to local communities at every annual conference we run. At our conference in Auckland last week, CINZ donated 200 lunches to school children through award-winning social enterprise Eat My Lunch, at the same time providing lunch for delegates at the conference venue, Cordis Auckland.”
“This year we delivered an inspirational and powerful social message with a pre-lunch talk by Eat My Lunch founder, Lisa King. All our delegates loved their lunchbox and even more, they loved knowing another lunch was being given to a hungry school student at the same time.”
In 2014, CINZ gave backpacks full of educational gear to children from a local school in Rotorua. The following year in Christchurch, they gave cricket gear to a local school, and had Sir Richard Hadlee coach the kids during lunch break at Hagley Oval. Last year in Dunedin, CINZ donated money for tree planting along the Otago Peninsula.
“Our CSR tool is going to be an essential industry resource for event organisers, and we see this as an important opportunity for CINZ to take the lead,” Sue Sullivan says.
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