The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) announced today that Chicago has been selected as the host city for the 2013 Sustainable Meetings Conference.  The annual event, attended by hundreds of meeting planners and suppliers, attracts the world’s leading authorities on sustainability in the global meetings industry.

“This is a perfect example of the City of Chicago and its tourism and convention industry working together to achieve a key goal: attracting more visitors to Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel. “This conference is one of many that have committed to the city and will create jobs and economic opportunity for our residents.”

“Chicago was chosen for its leadership in urban sustainability, its role as an international hub for meetings and events, and the strong commitment of GMIC’s local chapter in bringing GMIC’s message to the world,” said Paul Salinger, GMIC President. “The association has members in 20 countries and exerts an influence far beyond the membership.”

A team from the Chicago Chapter of GMIC worked closely with the City of Chicago and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau to land the host city honors. 

“We received incredible support from the City, the State of Illinois and several organizations that represent the meeting and events industry,” said Robin Malpass, president of the Chicago Chapter. “This is an amazing opportunity to showcase the destination’s sustainable assets to a global audience and provide an outstanding educational experience for our local hospitality industry partners. “ 

The GMIC conference is one of a number of sustainability-focused conferences to which Chicago will play host in the next year. This October, Chicago will host the 10th annual Green Roofs conference, and next spring the City will host Solar Power International conference, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees. The GMIC conference will take place in April of 2013.

"Chicago is one of the world's greenest cities and a global leader in the tourism and convention industry, so there is no better place to host the 2013 Global Sustainable Meetings Conference,” said Karen Weigert, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago. “We are honored to host this conference and demonstrate the increasing connections between environmental and economic benefits."

For more information about the Green Meeting Industry Council, visit www.gmicglobal.org. For information about the 2013 conference, visit www.sustainablemeetingsconference.com.

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