The Valencia Conference Centre Holds its fist sustainable event

Since the Valencia Conference Centre opened, it has made a firm commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment. The culmination of this strategy came last year with the installation of a photovoltaic roof.

As a result of this environmentally-friendly policy, the venue has hosted its first sustainable event. The multinational Hay Group chose the Valencia Conference Centre to hold its 26th Hay Group International Conference. The event brought together executives from multinational companies in 48 countries to learn about and discuss how businesses can make the crisis work for them.

Nick Boulter, Global Managing Director of the Hay Group and the conference director, explained that “the Valencia Conference Centre (VCC) was chosen because the Group wanted to hold a low-carbon event. The photovoltaic roof, the fact that there are several hotels within walking distance of the Centre and that the VCC recycles materials and has a sustainable catering service made Valencia and the Conference Centre the ideal venue for the event”.

The Hay Group discovered the comprehensive range of services for green events offered by the VCC as a result of the Conference Centre’s participation in the 2008 IMEX Fair, the world’s main exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events. The Conference Centre is also taking part in this year’s event which is being held in Frankfurt from 25th – 28th May and is showcasing its ECO Project (Ecologically Committed Organisation), a comprehensive range of services for holding events that give priority to sustainability and excellence.

According to José Salinas, the Conference Centre’s Managing Director, this type of project “demonstrates that the Centre is intent on being different from the rest so it can continue to be a benchmark on the national and international event tourism scene”.

An innovative campaign

entre has launched an online campaign which has brought together the concepts of innovation and sustainability. 

A marketing campaign has been launched with the slogan “Being first makes us unique”. This initiative aims to attract events which are looking for a venue that adds value when organising a meeting.

Sustainable vocation

The installation of the photovoltaic roof made the Valencia Conference Centre the first building of its kind to implement such a major commitment to sustainable development. The roof has a total surface area of over 8,000 m2 and has already generated more than 180,000 kWh of energy thus avoiding the emission of 95 metric tonnes of CO2.

The photovoltaic roof is not an isolated initiative. It is simply the most visible aspect of the Conference Centre’s continued efforts to use resources efficiently and thus minimise its impact on the environment and establish a general commitment to responsible consumption.

This commitment has led to the introduction of numerous initiatives which have enabled the building to gradually decrease its energy consumption since it was opened in 1998. Compared to initial consumption levels, the Centre has managed to save almost 1,000,000 kwh, thus avoiding the emission of almost 740,000 kg of CO2.

The Valencia Conference Centre

In 2008 the Valencia Conference Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary. During this decade it has played host to over 1,700 events and over 1.2 million people have used the Centre’s facilities. Since it opened, the Centre has generated over €500 million; a figure which is more than 16 times the cost of its construction. 

Its efficient management policy has implemented the ISO 9001 Integrated Management System, the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and has been awarded the “Q” Tourist Quality Certificate. In addition, 2007 saw the Valencia Conference Centre obtain the highest European management accolade, the EFQM Recognised for Excellence (4 stars) award, and thus became the first and only conference centre in Spain and only the second in Europe to be given this distinction.