Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. has just published its Event Sustainability Report for Posidonia 2024, confirming its commitment to organising sustainable exhibitions with a positive impact to society and economy.
Posidonia received the ISO 20121 certification for the second consecutive time. It should be noted that the international shipping exhibition was Greece’s first event to receive the certification in 2022.
With 2,038 exhibiting companies from 81 countries and territories, 32,527 visitors from 130 countries and total participation reaching 41,838 people, Posidonia 2024 broke every record, creating a challenge for Organisers to achieve the set sustainability goals.
This year’s report confirms that Posidonia managed to exceed expectations:
▪ Maintained low consumption levels per visitor, both in electricity (10.2kwh) and water (0.022m3) consumption, despite a 12.6% increase in visitor attendance
▪ Reduced carbon footprint of the exhibition, through effective shuttle bus service planning. 5.12% fewer shuttle bus routes served 31.15% more passengers
▪ 96.7% of exhibitors implemented extended sustainability practices, following Organisers’ guidance (i.e. use of sustainable or recyclable materials in stand construction, implementation of energy efficient solutions in stand design, etc.)
▪ 66.23% of exhibitors opted for sustainable or recyclable materials in stand construction
▪ 41.72% of exhibitors re-used their stand from previous exhibition(s) participation, while 91% of them appointed local stand contractors, thus reducing logistics induced effects and further supporting the local economy
▪ Zero accident recorded during exhibition construction & dismantling
▪ Minimized paper and plastic waste
▪ Digitalisation of Posidonia 2024 promotional and informational material
▪ Appointment of ISO certified suppliers and partners contributed to the overall upgrade of the exhibition’s quality and sustainability.
Through its corporate initiatives and sponsorship programme, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. allocated over 200,000 euro, directly or indirectly, to support organisations, NGOs and social/environmental projects, mainly focusing on supporting educational, environmental, and cultural as well as health and sports related initiatives.
In addition, Posidonia 2024 contributed to the Greek economy an estimated amount of over 80 million euro, spread over various sectors including stand constructions, transportation, meetings and corporate events, hotels and restaurants, tax revenues and foreign direct investment. It is worth mentioning that approximately 13,000 people visit Greece for Posidonia, many of whom prolong their stay for vacations after the exhibition, thus multiplying the financial benefit for the local economy.
“The pursuit of environmentally friendly solutions that attain maximum benefit for society is of primary importance to our company” said Theodore Vokos, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions S.A., and added that “We are particularly happy to confirm that both exhibitors as well as all Posidonia participants are partaking in this effort, contributing to the best possible results. Large-scale sustainable exhibitions in Athens contribute to promoting the city’s, but also Greece’s, image abroad as an important MICE destination.”
Posidonia 2024 is organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping and the Union of Greek Shipowners and with the support of the Municipality of Piraeus and the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee.
