Corporate Responsibility is the latest buzz phrase. The Dot Com bust of 2001 set the stage for change and the 2008 Global Recession only confirmed that businesses must act responsibly if they want to continue doing business. That said, it’s business as usual at our Association and sister companies. We’re not changing a thing! The reason why is because we have always behaved responsibly to both the industry, our customers and our members. In case you were not already aware, the Association and our sister companies are responsible to you and our industry in the following ways:

1) Did you know that the International Culinary Tourism Institute (ICTI), our educational arm, requires that any meetings hosted by ICTI uphold the industry’s green meetings commitment? This means at the very minimum that facilities we use must reduce, reuse and recycle any waste that our event generates. In fact, one hotel lost our business because they did not have a written Green Policy in place. Click here to read the details of our Green Meetings commitment.

2) Did you know that the all of our companies offer a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) plan for pricing on our products and services? The discount applies to everything we offer, including memberships, chapter dues, event registration, consulting services and FoodTrekker listings. The plan is designed to help people and businesses from economically disadvantaged countries to be able to take advantage of our products and services at prices that are more realistic for them. The PPP discount does not apply to international companies with operations in economically disadvantaged areas. Click here to read more about PPP or contact us to inquire about any discounts for which you might be eligible. People and businesses in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe and Japan do not qualify for any discounts. Please inquire about other locations.

3) Did you know that International Culinary Tourism Development, our consulting branch, has tiered pricing for its 2010 State of the Culinary Tourism Industry Report & Readiness Index? First, you choose if you want internal (in your company/organization only) distribution only, or if you want to be able to share the report with others in your geography. Then, your price is computed on your business size – small, medium, large and extra large. Therefore, you only pay for what you need, and the pricing is more fair to smaller businesses with smaller budgets. Please note that pricing for projects that involve constituents from a variety of businesses will need to purchase the extended distribution rights.  Please contact us for more information.