IMEX has chosen isla, a not-for-profit founded by event professionals and industry leaders, as its new sustainability consultant for future IMEX Frankfurt shows, starting with the 2025 May edition. Isla will support IMEX in measuring its event carbon footprint and reporting on wider sustainability efforts.

“Having worked alongside IMEX for several years, we’re delighted to build on our partnership to deliver a critical project with measurable outcomes,” says Anna Abdelnoor, CEO and co-founder of Isla. “This collaboration will accelerate IMEX’s sustainability progress to reduce its environmental impact, advance its objectives, and, importantly, inspire the global meetings and events industry. We’re excited to support IMEX in measuring its event carbon footprint and making sustainability education accessible to all. As the UK’s most trusted, independent industry body for sustainable events, it’s what we do best.”

This partnership builds on several years of existing cooperation to educate and engage the global events industry on improving sustainability and carbon measurement practices, including the launch of the Event Carbon Measurement Starter Pack at last year’s IMEX America.

The collaboration will involve a series of deliverables designed to help IMEX build on its long-standing sustainability efforts and deliver highly targeted, measurable outcomes. These include:

• Sustainability report: isla will reconfigure the annual sustainability report for IMEX Frankfurt, using data from an on-site audit and building on the behind-the-scenes insights to create a step-by-step approach for other event professionals to use and adopt.
• TRACE: isla’s carbon measurement platform TRACE will be used across IMEX’s supply chain to help establish IMEX Frankfurt’s carbon footprint
• Better Stands: IMEX is part of the Better Stands program which aims to phase out single use disposable booths. Isla and the IMEX team will work closely with booth constructors and exhibitors, conducting an on-site audit of all space only booths.

“Our partnership with isla will help us deliver on existing and newly enhanced goals including reducing environmental impacts such as event waste and carbon footprint,” explains IMEX CEO Carina Bauer. “We’re committed not only to implementing best practice in event sustainability ourselves but also to using our influence to encourage everyone in our industry to maximize their efforts. As a sector we have a responsibility to ensure our events have a positive impact on the world and collaboration is key to this. Our work with isla will help us to share learnings, amplify best practices, and champion the transformative influence of meetings and events.”

As part of the partnership, isla will also deliver an education session – Climate Anxiety and Temperature Check 2.0: The Latest Event Sustainability Insights Uncovered – at IMEX Frankfurt, which is taking place May 20-22 at Messe Frankfurt.

In addition, it is hosting an Event Carbon Measurement Masterclass webinar in partnership with IMEX on Thursday April 10, 2pm BST. For more details and to register click HERE.