MPI UK & Ireland chapter will preview results of a major global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) survey at International Confex next month.

The presentation will showcase the results from interviews with policy makers worldwide and a few of the latest findings from more than 1,000 meeting planners, businesses and organisations.

James Musgrave from the International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and Hospitality at Leeds Metropolitan University, who will make the presentation, believes CSR looks promising for the sector.

“We have found that nearly 80 per cent of the industry believes clients and employees will drive CSR. Increasingly clients will look for suppliers that mirror their own values and, according to the research, the importance of CSR increases when companies are operating in developing countries.”

He added: “We are already seeing over 70 per cent of industry stating that CSR is increasingly important for the workforce. Employers are seeing the results of integrating CSR values in particular in increasing motivation and staff retention”

The research will be presented as part of a session entitled '2012: The year of sustainability in the event industry'. David Stubbs, head of sustainability at London 2012, will lead a keynote address discussing the sustainability initiatives shaping the events industry.

Additional speakers include Fiona Pelham, chair of ISO 20121, who will talk about the impact of the Event Sustainability Management Systems standard and Mervyn Jones from WRAP on the emergence of targets focusing on ‘zero waste to landfill’.

The session, which is free to attend, will take place on Wednesday 7 March, 2-5pm at Excel London.