Greetings from Montreal! I’m posting from Montreal and the Green Meeting Industry Council’s 2012 Sustainable Meetings Conference. I was fortunate to receive the Nancy Zavada Scholarship that enables me to attend this wonderful conference, and I’ve been thrilled to participate in the Future Leaders Forum, which informs current students of the challenges and opportunities of the meetings/events sector. I’m pleased to briefly share some of the things the conference has covered so far.
Strangely enough, the Hilton hotel at which our conference is held does not seem to be very sustainable. A lack of low-flow water fixtures, occupancy sensors, high-efficiency HVAC, and aggressive guest engagement is evident.
To start, our readers should know that the Green Meeting Industry Council an international community of meetings professionals dedicated to sustainability in the events industry. The Sustainable Meetings Conference is its annual event in which people from all over the world collaborate to explore sustainability standards, share cutting-edge sustainability technologies, and learn about the latest innovations in this sector. A broad range of topics have been covered, so I’ll just share about three of the sessions.
One of the first breakout sessions covered the strategies that planners can take in order to create attendee value. Presented by Brian Hunt and Jim Ruszala of Maritz, this presentation emphasized the need for meeting plans and activities to align with attendees’ values. The sustainability-oriented activities of conferences must be genuine (not just for photo ops) and likewise be publicized to all participants in order foster a sense of community.
Later, Andrew Walker from E3 Strategy shared about his master’s thesis on the differences between ISO 20121 standards and the APEX/ASTM standards. Both systems provide planners and suppliers with requirements of green meeting planning, but neither is sufficient alone: used together, they provide a more holistic approach to sustainable event management. Neither has gained much traction (and APEX standards for hotels are not yet out!). Time, says Walker, is what the industry needs for the standards to advance.
Finally, I was very happy to hear Julie Baylor’s presentation on the seven benefits of sustainability certifications for hotels. It’s a topic that my research at Cornell has focused a lot on. Baylor emphasized the financial rewards associated with certifications, as well as the increased consumer demand of environmental practices for the travel industry. The theme behind this wide variety of presentations is clear: the events industry (and its affiliated sectors) need to accurately respond to stakeholder demands for transparent sustainability practices. Now if only this hotel, itself, could start being greener!
More information about the industry group and conference:
http://www.gmicglobal.org/
http://www.sustainablemeetingsconference.com/
Organikos 