The Sustainable JourneyBy Talia Salem

A look at greener meetings and how to make them happen

There is some sentiment in the industry that people are tired of hearing about green. While they are more aware than ever of sustainability’s importance, they have been bombarded with additional work and battered by the economy. They’ve had to focus their attention on other priorities.

A little reminder might be helpful. Ours is still the second-most-wasteful industry (after construction), and while some progress has been made, the journey to full sustainability has a long way to go. “The event industry has been, in the past, somewhat irresponsible in the way that we run meetings. There’s been a lot of consumption of resources,” says Paul Salinger, vice president of corporate marketing for Silicon Valley’s Oracle and president-elect of the Green Meetings Industry Council’s board of directors. “But we really have an opportunity to work together to transform the industry. We need to change this from [an afterthought] in the event-planning process to an integral part.”

This journey not only helps the environment, however; it also makes good business sense to “go green” while hosting a productive, high-quality event that reaches its objectives. “Sustainability is the hallmark of quality. It means that we care enough about the experience for everyone—and that means 50 years from now,” says Midori Connolly, CEO of San Diego-based Pulse Staging & Events, director-at-large for GMIC and co-chair of the A/V Committee for ASTM Green Meeting Standards.
Kimberly L. Lewis, vice president of conferences and events for the U.S. Green Building Council, agrees and adds, “It does not mean that you are offering your attendees less from a quality perspective. You are just being smart on their behalf. You want to resource smart while still meeting the same goals.”

To help reach Salinger’s ambitions for the industry, here are some steps along the path to consider and implement as you go forward.

The Industry’s Journey Until Now

Awareness of environmental issues and the desire for eco-friendly practices in meetings has grown over the past few years, fueled in part by the fact that people have been embracing the idea in their personal lives. “In the early years, people didn’t understand what green meant, and words like sustainability and corporate social responsibility were hard to understand,” says Amy Spatrisano, CMP, principal of MeetGreen and co-founder of the Green Meetings Industry Council. “Are we there yet? No. That is because this is a journey: New practices and new information help us make different choices,” she says.

According to Salinger, we are still on the early leg of that quest. “There are a lot of meetings that are not following green practices. The meetings industry has a long way to go. If you think about it in terms of the triple bottom line, it’s even worse. As an industry we have not gathered enough data, the standards are not published yet and we have not adhered to [any particular set of standards].”

Jack Reed, director of sales for South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau, echoes this sentiment. “It seems that green is still in its infancy. Before the last several years, there wasn’t much of a sense of urgency, but now, in many cases, the property’s and the destination’s level of environmental sensitivity is being assessed by meeting planners as part of their RFP process,” he says. “The fact that being ‘green’ can tip the balance for securing a meeting one way or the other has caught the attention of numerous destination and property managers looking for every competitive advantage. We have come a long way in a very short time.”

Tom Waithe, regional director of operations for Kimpton Hotels of the Pacific Northwest, has also seen a change in the hotel perspective. “The expectation of the guest or booker now is that you will automatically have some programs in place—based on that, we have come a long way in the past 10 years. Some hospitality companies are more responsive to this and have made it their norm; many offer it as an option, as an upgrade. However, in some cases, others use this as an easy excuse for cutting back on the expectations,” he says.

Connolly feels that, thus far, we are about two years behind other industries such as manufacturing and retail. “We are just now getting around to creating software in terms of reporting and measurement,” she says. “I personally feel that the missing link right now is the lack of demonstrated returns. It is possible to measure returns beyond just economics, to both social and environmental returns.” As an example, she cites a case where a company hired 20% of its labor locally, using a local labor broker. “It only took an hour to arrange and didn’t cost any additional money. They avoided X amount of emissions, and saved $5,000 by using people locally. And it infused money into the local economy.”    

The Bottom Line

During the recession, sustainable measures have often taken a back seat to the budget. But these aspects of a meeting are like two hands on a steering wheel: Each hand works on its own half of the event equation, but both hands are heading in the same direction. “There’s a perception that green meetings are more expensive, but you have to figure out what the trade-offs are. Can you trade off something that is more expensive for something that is less expensive and more sustainable?” Salinger says. “We can certainly do green meetings without their costing more.” As time has gone by, he says, “We have gotten more and more buy-in [from stakeholders] because we have been able to show that it makes good economic sense for our company to do this.”

Hotels, also, have reaped the financial benefits of decreasing their environmental impact. “With the consistent incorporation of eco-friendly products and practices throughout the property, we have significantly decreased our water and electricity usage, as well as reduced our carbon footprint,” says Chad Taylor, general manager of Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio. Waithe has experienced cost savings at Kimpton Hotels of the Pacific Northwest, as well. “There are many small and large measurements we can feel good about, from the dramatic drop in energy consumption in changing to CFL bulbs, the use of soy ink for printers and the elimination of almost anything we can’t recycle. At the Hotel Monaco we save about $20,000 annually through these practices,” he says.

Getting Started

While greening your events program might seem like just another task to take on, the good news is that there are a lot of resources available. None of the industry professionals we interviewed call themselves environmentalists; they just saw a need for change and acted on it. You can, too.


   Urban street car in Portland, Ore.

So, how do you get started? Spatrisano suggests integrating the three Rs into your processes: first reduce, then reuse and recycle. “If you can put that filter on every decision, you will be making more sustainable decisions,” she says. She also adds a fourth R, for respect, into the now-ubiquitous mix. “Integrate respect into your filter, in the way it relates to sustainability: the environment, the people that you interact with, the financial commitment and respect for yourself.” However, Spatrisano says, “Even if your meetings are already planned and contracts are already signed, there are still simple decisions you can make if you use the filter.”

According to Connolly, there are three steps that are essential to any sustainable meetings plan:

  1. Creating strategies, objectives and goals—understanding why you are doing this.
  2. Measuring and reporting.
  3. Assessing some type of return—not only financial, but how the results relate to your company.

To ensure success, objectives and collaboration are key, Salinger says. “It’s much like any event-planning process: You need to set objectives, and they should incorporate what your sustainability objectives are. What are the key performance indicators? What are the things that you want to measure, such as waste diverted?” he says. Objectives should be incorporated into the whole event-planning process, and you should be prepared to discuss them with your venue and suppliers. “We have had way more success when we said, ‘Let’s all sit down and work together on this,’” he says.

As you work on your plan, Lewis says you should take advantage of industry resources such as the EPA’s green meetings portal, the GMIC website and the Convention Industry Council. The USGBC also makes its Green Venue Selection Guide (based on LEED standards) available online for wider use. You also need to think about what you want to do and what you are able to do. “Don’t try to accomplish the kingdom with one event,” she says.

For a higher commitment to sustainability, your events team could undergo the BS 8901 certification process (a British standard developed as a sustainability management system for events), as Lewis’ and Spatrisano’s teams have, so that every event produced is a sustainable one.

Metrics, Metrics, Metrics

Once you have developed your plan, tracking the results is vital. Work with your staff and suppliers on recording and reporting key metrics, which are proof that your initiatives are having an impact—and be sure to share this information with your company and the organization’s managers. “The onus is absolutely on the suppliers to provide metrics,” Connolly says. “Ask for a report on energy consumption or specific manufacturer processes. Ask, ‘How do you handle your electronic waste?’”

In planning Oracle’s annual OpenWorld conference, which has won numerous accolades for its sustainability initiatives, Salinger and his team rely on specific measurements. For the F&B component of their high-profile conference, which is held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, they wanted more local and organic options. But these didn’t match the company’s price points, so they looked at where the food was coming from and asked, “Can we reduce the mileage? How can we do this in an affordable manner?” There are always going to be some trade-offs, Salinger says, “But over the last two years, we have reduced the overall food distance by roughly 9,000 miles.” That’s a huge savings on carbon emissions and fuel—particularly considering the scale of this 40,000-person conference. Tracking your results allows measurement and provides possible ways to improve, he says.

Stakeholder Education

Communicating your green initiatives to your stakeholders and your attendees is also a crucial component. “All of your stakeholders really need to be aware of what you are doing. The more informed they are, the more likely they will support and embrace it,” Spatrisano says.

Be aware, however, that a shift in amenities can be misconstrued. The first year that Oracle didn’t provide bottled water to attendees, “People thought we were being cheap,” Salinger says. And while the decision did save the company money, its purpose was to reduce plastic bottle consumption. Letting your attendees know the reason behind changes will give them the opportunity not only to applaud your initiatives, but also to offer suggestions for further improvements.

Getting Outside Help

If you have the budget, tapping a third party to help you with your sustainability efforts is a good way to get started. Sustainable meetings and consulting companies, such as MeetGreen, are sprouting up constantly to match the demand. “If I were running a very small meeting, then it might not make sense for me economically to hire a third party,” Oracle’s Salinger says. However, he adds, when adding a sustainability piece to a larger event—which already has many moving parts—“it is probably good to have an outside perspective [from a third party] to talk to hotels, to help you form RFP language, contract language and track certain metrics. That is a lot of work.”

Sustainable Suppliers

If you don’t have the budget for third-party help—or even if you do—working with sustainable hotels, destinations and vendors will greatly aid your quest for greener meetings. Chances are, they have all done it before, so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. “You need to ask your supplier ‘What environmental organizations have you hosted recently? Have any organizations put on a sustainable show recently? Is there any way we can work on getting some  things that they are doing? What can you give me from their plan at no cost?’ Start from there, and then build on it,” the USGBC’s Lewis says.

If Lewis works with a supplier that is not specifically sustainable, her team provides a checklist. “Often vendors are doing green things, and they just don’t know it. They are just trying to save money,” she says. For instance, they might shut off the lights and air conditioning in an unused room because it’s cheaper, she says.

Before Lewis starts the contract process she asks the vendor what they currently do, what they would be willing to do if her organization helped them and “what the supplier is absolutely not going to do.” Her team works closely with suppliers to make changes in operations, not just for the week of their event, but for the long-term, she says.

Your vendors might also take your program to the next level. While planning Greenbuild 2009 at the Phoenix Convention Center, USGBC told the banquet chef that they wanted 50% locally grown F&B. “The convention center chef laughed, and said he wanted to get to 80%! You have to open the communication lines so that they can partner with you in your own passion,” Lewis says.

Destinations

Consider also the destination you select, and whether residents embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle. Lewis loves working with destinations that were early adopters of sustainability—such as Portland, Ore.; Pittsburg, Pa.; and Seattle.



While Portland has long been at the forefront of the sustainable movement, offering a Green Meetings Toolkit among other features, other cities are also increasing their environmental efforts. San Francisco has accomplished a 60% waste-diversion rate, for example, and Austin is in the process of greening its convention center. In Denver, the Colorado Convention Center just received LEED EB (Existing Building)-certification, and the city is building an East Corridor Light Rail Line that will run from downtown’s Union Station to Denver International Airport. Lewis acknowledges Denver as a top example of sustainability. “They have worked very hard to be sustainable, and they are thinking about what they need to do from a planner’s perspective,” she says. “Even during these hard times for funding, the city has hired a sustainability manager who can work with planners and help them figure out their program.”

Vancouver, B.C. is paving a sustainable path with municipal efforts as well as those put forth by the Vancouver Convention Centre. Its new West building earned the top LEED certification: Platinum.

Chicago is another city making sustainable strides. It is home to more LEED-certified buildings than any other city in the U.S. Among the buildings is the west wing of theit convention center, McCormick Place, which is one of reasons the USGBC decided to host their upcoming Greenbuild Conference and Expo (known as one of the greenest trade shows in the world) at McCormick Place West.

Taking sustainable measures as part of the destination-management process is also necessary for preserving the natural beauty of the locale. Such is the case with the development of Hilton Head Island, off the coast of South Carolina, one of the first eco-planned destinations in the country. In order to protect this beautiful area, “The town of Hilton Head Island continues to strictly enforce regulations and development codes that include low lighting ordinances so that you can see the stars at night, sea turtle protection, marine life protection, vegetation and marsh preservation and more,” Reed says.

As often happens, when a destination exemplifies eco-ideals, local suppliers tend to follow suit. San Francisco has Green Business Programs in place (with 43 businesses that fall under the food, lodging and recreation category), and Chicago has launched the Foresight Sustainable Business Alliance, which promotes “sustainable business principles to generate a more profitable, environmentally respectful and socially responsible Chicago economy.” According to Reed, Hilton Head’s numerous outdoor outfitters (including bike rental companies, dolphin and eco-tour companies, fishing charters and crabbing excursions) are extremely conscientious about preserving the pristine nature of the waterways and pathways that exist there.

Hotels and Resorts

Many hotel brands have already implemented portfolio-wide green initiatives (see our Brand Update story on page 48 for the actions taken by some of the major players). Carlson Hotels has adopted the Green Key rating system, and Kimpton Hotels has adopted Green Seal. (For more information on the various green rating systems, see page 22.) Hotels such as Vail Resorts employ in-house sustainability staff. Every Kimpton hotel and region has an “eco champion” who reports to the home office via calls, e-mails and webinars. “The group shares ideas, feedback and successes,” Kimpton’s Waithe says.


   Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, San Antonio.

When working with hotels, Waithe suggests planners always ask about green initiatives. “Put the sales manager or banquet manager on the spot, and request a list of what the organization does for environmental sustainability,” he says. “A blank stare will tell you all you need to know quite quickly!”  

You can also do some of your own sleuthing while on-site to make sure your selected property walks the walk. “Simply wander into a hotel and check out the lobby or meeting-room level, and see what you can spot: Styrofoam cups, mountains of paper in trash bags or the enormous, empty ballroom with the lights left on. You can get a very fast impression of the property and any belief that they have in environmental sustainability programs,” Waithe says. Also ask to see the back of the house. If a property is implementing sustainable measures, they will be proud to show and tell you about them.

Relying on Technology

Technology can be another way to help green your meeting, whether it’s selecting a sustainable A/V company like Connelly’s, using more digital communications such as virtual programs or thumb drives instead of paper handouts. “Technology in general is an important part of a sustainable meetings strategy, although technology also uses energy. It certainly has levels of impact, but the impact is different,” MeetGreen’s Spatrisano says.

Virtual Meetings

Virtual meetings are becoming a popular way to “go green.” At ASAE’s Annual Meeting this past August, the association launched its first virtual meetings component, a move that was well received. “For the past six-to-12 months, hybrids [such as ASAE’s] have been an emerging trend,” says Denise Persson, CMO and vice president of marketing for San Francisco-based virtual meeting provider On24. Among the company’s target audiences, there are many customers who prefer a simultaneous virtual and physical event, she says. “It’s becoming more mainstream.”

Virtual meetings can also be more cost-effective, saving on travel expenses as well as related carbon impacts. One client, IBM, “is saving 90% on average through virtual events. That is probably on the high end of the cost savings, but it does illustrate how much you are saving,” she says.

Virtual gatherings might also drive attendance, depending on the demographics of your attendees. On24 recently conducted a survey of nearly 5,000 B2B marketing professionals in which 63% of respondents said they were more likely to attend a virtual conference than an in-person conference; almost 72% said they were equally confident communicating virtually (15% prefer it); and 47% were more likely to ask a question at a virtual event.

While this may be an attractive and easy solution to going green, cother factors need to be considered. Content is king in the virtual arena—you don’t have the allure of a destination or fun pre- and post-meeting activities to draw in the masses. And you need five-to-six months to develop the content, Persson says. “The content should be why your audience comes to your event, but you also need to build in more networking types of opportunities and an agenda throughout the day to build in engagement.”

A virtual event also might not be the best fit for your meeting’s objective. It may or may not work for large-scale events, but it does fit those small meetings where you waste two days of travel time, energy and money, Pulse Staging & Events’ Connolly says.

And, of course, there’s the lack of face-to-face communication. “Humans are designed as social animals, and we need to meet physically. Some aspects of this can’t be replicated virtually,” Spatrisano says. (For more on going virtual, see Techno Files.)

Looking to the Future

The last key to a successful sustainability strategy is looking to the future and continually evaluating new areas for improvement. Hilton Head, for example, is considering participation in market-specific green certification programs and implementing island-wide residential waste and recycling collection. At the Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, the hotel is working on a new energy conservation plan for the laundry department. “We’ll continue to research additional green initiatives, with the creation of a lightbulb-and-battery recycling program, and implementation of an employee recognition program for those who carpool to work,” Taylor says.

For the USGBC, one of the next steps at their 2010 Greenbuild trade show is the implementation of their Greenbuild Mandatory Exhibition Green Guidelines. “Now the GMEGG are no longer guidelines; [suppliers] are signing a contract. In order to be eligible to exhibit in the future years, they have to sign this language,” Lewis says.

As a leadership organization, the USGBC is ensuring that certain minimums are met at the show. To that end, the organization will be randomly auditing 10% of exhibitors, during which process they will be collecting data and measuring compliance on a number of areas, including indoor air quality; booth flooring, graphics and signage; communications and collateral; and shipping materials.

This is the first year that USGBC is making guidelines compliance a part of the contract language. “Even our rating system is evolving. We just launched LEED V3. We understand that we need to evolve and get better,” Lewis says. In fact, they are currently working on a new version of LEED—LEED 2012, she says.

Whether you’re a novice about to start the first step on your sustainable journey or you are your company’s “eco champion,” there is a still a lot of work to be done. “Ultimately, every meeting will be a green meeting. The GMIC’s goal is to be obsolete in 20 years. ‘Green’ will be gone, and it will just be the norm,” Connolly says.

 

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