Grimaldi Forum’s “Green Events” speak to the values inspired by HSH Prince Albert II, who created a foundation that supports research on climate change, preserving biodiversity and sustainability.
A dedicated Green Team awaits planners in need of tailor-made solutions that limit the environmental footprint of events. Sustainability is not only a norm to the Grimaldi Forum events team but the forum itself was one of the first congress and culture centres to receive ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification nearly a decade ago, which was a labor of love and sense of pride from the very beginning if you ask Cindy Hoddeson, director, North America at Monaco Government Tourism Office.
“It is an engineering miracle built on land reclaimed from the sea. Thousands of gallons of water are pumped per hour, generating energy to heat and cool the building without damaging sea life.”
Cultural preservation is also a focus of Grimaldi Forum events. The recent addition of The Event Factory, an online tool housed within Grimaldi Forum Monaco’s website and real-life events team, is now marrying local art and culture with the business world. The factory embodies artist Andy Warhol’s idea that “good business is the best art,” by combining info on meeting space and events services with cultural production options and quick destination facts. So whether a performance of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s “La Belle” by the Monte-Carlo Ballet Company, a dance class on an outdoor terrace or exhibition of the Forbidden City, Grimaldi has you covered.
The latest meeting space added to the forum is the Indigo, whose 8,000-sf, including panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, lifted Grimaldi’s overall meeting space to more than 375,000 sf. It’s already a hot spot for cultural and music events. Groups can also venture outside the forum for creative breakout sessions. “Keep in mind that the Principality is less than a square mile,” Hoddeson says. “Our hotels offer excellent meeting space, including the Sea Club Conference Center, which is part of Le Meridien Beach Plaza, Monte Carlo Hotel.” (For offsite experience ideas, check out “Fragrant Backdrops Epitomize Green Meetings in Monaco.)
Looking forward (and by that we mean close to a decade), Grimaldi Forum Monaco will be embarking on an offshore expansion project that will add 14 more acres to its territory. The expansion revolves around a new eco-district, complete with a coastal promenade, bustling harbor and pedestrian quays, a green park and shaded walkway along the Japanese Garden. The expansion will increase the forum’s exhibition capacity by 50 percent.
