Green Events Europe 'best yet'

Over 120 delegates attended the latest Green Events Germany conference in Bonn and attendees included representatives from Rock Am Ring (85.000 visitors, Germany), Roskilde Festival (75.000 visitors, Denmark), Wacken Open Air (80.000 visitors, Germany), Montreux Jazz Festival (220.000 visitors, Switzerland), Republic Of Kazantip (150.000 visitors, Ukraine), Hurricane Festival (60.000 visitors, Germany), Way Out West (30.000 visitors, Sweden) or Open Air St.Gallen (30.000 visitors, Switzerland) and institutions such as Green Music Initiative, Bucks New University, Green Festival Alliance, De Montfort University, Julie's Bicycle, A Greener Festival, Action Aid, Blauer Engel. GreenEvents included guests from Scandinavia, Benelux, United Kingdom, Serbia, France, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal  - 14 countries altogether.  Conference organiser Holger Jan Schmidt said: “I am proud to provide the place and event for the great green gathering of the European events and festival scene to share and exchange. Somehow it feels more and more familiar and natural to meet old friends and new colleagues who have the same or similar attitude. This 'weird family' is a special one and definitely up for something very good – being part of it feels great and gives us power and confidence to continue the good work. Let's go for it!“. Jacob Bilabel, founder Green Music Initiative said "Green Events 2012 brought together an amazing group of European experts with one common mission: to run their operations smarter and greener. Luckily sustainability has lost its hype and became a business reality instead. Green Festivals will become the rule instead of the exception" and Claire O'Neill (A Greener Festival and AIF) added ".It was encouraging to find the common ground and exchanges between such a fantastic array of festivals. There is a clear advance to maturity of sustainable events, in the way of thinking and in practical solutions."GreenEvents Europe was supported and financed by subsidies of the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) by the city of Bonn and the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Europe and the Media of North Rhine-Westphalia. The conference profits immensely from the contributions of essential partners such as the European festival association YOUROPE (www.yourope.org) and GO Group (Green Operations Europe) - initiated at GreenEvents 2010 - with members of YOUROPE, Bucks New University, Green Music Initiative and GreenEvents and Holger also have special thanks to the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz) and Sounds for Nature Foundation e.V.www.green-events-europe.euwww.facebook.com/greenevents