Profit: this is how MCI Brussels uses (ISO 9001 & EMAS) standards as a smart SME strategy

MCI operates in the communications sector. The Organisation organizes events, offers public-affairs services and manages associations. In this interview, we speak with Vincent Gallego, who is responsible for standards within MCI Brussels.

What standards do you use?

'We use EMAS, including ISO 14001, and also ISO 9001. EMAS requires us to report on various environmental indicators, and we are now also taking that experience for ESG (environment, social and governance) reporting, for which I have recently assumed responsibility.'

Why did you start with standards?

'One of the main reasons was to differentiate ourselves in tenders. In our sector, especially with clients such as European institutions, it's all about documents and files. But we also wanted to offer quality and credibility, and standards helped us do that. That gave us a clear competitive advantage. Later we realized that standards are much more than that - they are strategic tools that help us perform better in terms of quality and environmental management.

What do you mean?

'Standards guarantee the quality of our services, but they also play a major role in environmental management and sustainability. In tenders, some European institutions explicitly ask for environmental certification - often not specifically ISO 14001, but similar certificates. In addition, in our sector, like our customers, we strive for sustainability. Since brand image is our area of expertise, we naturally want to promote that sustainable image.'

Can you give a concrete example of how a standard has moved you forward?

'Of course. An example is our supplier database. Before, each colleague had his own list: on his desktop, in a notebook or on the server. When we started with standards, we had to create one unique and uniform database. Now we can easily see, for example, how much we have already purchased from a particular supplier and can negotiate discounts. In addition, we can find out which suppliers are themselves working sustainably. That efficiency and transparency is a direct result of our standards implementation.'

You regularly mention sustainability. Is that an important theme with you?

'Sure. Sustainability plays an important role in the event industry because events have a big impact on the environment. Think of the participants who have to travel or the piles of documents we need. Organizations, like MCI, are therefore expected to make efforts to reduce that impact. We have been actively working on this for years and chose to work according to the EMAS standard. It later turned out, moreover, that our EMAS certification automatically complied with ISO 14001, which was a nice bonus.

Our sustainable approach started with regulatory compliance, but now we focus on how we work with our clients to reduce their environmental impact. For example, we organized a large event for an association that was in the news a few years ago because of their CO2 emissions. They asked us to better map the impact of their event and help them think of solutions to reduce it. And we did. Our certification gave confidence to the participants: the event itself was not certified, but our methodology was.'

Are there also challenges in using standards?

'Sure. Change always brings challenges. An important obligation is documentation: if it's not on paper or on mail, it doesn't exist. That requires time and effort, which colleagues don't always like. In addition, employees who have been around a bit longer have to adjust their working methods and sometimes fall back into their old habits over time. So using standards requires regular follow-up and communication.'

Do you use the NBN standards platform? How do you experience it?

'Yes, I use the platform regularly. Personally, I find it very user-friendly and clear. You can easily buy the texts of the standards there, which is convenient. The newsletter is concise but always contains useful information, as does their communication via LinkedIn.'

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