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While it’s now common for convention centers to include sustainability initiatives in their operating policies, not all such programs are created equal. Planners in search of an environmentally responsible venue can book these convention centers with a clear eco-conscience.
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Hotels and convention centers are pushing green meetings standards ever higher Gone are the days when a collection of recycling bins could pass for a sustainability program. Having long passed the buzzword phase, environmental responsibility concerns now permeate the business landscape, including the meetings and events industry. In the current climate, wastewater reuse and compost…
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In competitive markets, showing employees they are appreciated and giving them time to connect away from the meeting room can be critical to retention and company success. That said, too often these moments are afterthoughts and the default becomes taking everyone around the corner for a drink. There is an alternative to the happy hour….
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Arch at Birmingham Botanical Gardens Home to the Gardens of Collections, Gardens of Nature and Gardens of Culture, Birmingham Botanical Gardens is Alabama’s largest organic museum, with miles of tranquil paths and more than 30 creative outdoor sculptures. The gardens were voted the third-best free attraction in America by USA Today in 2016. Birmingham Botanical…
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The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, is doing its part to reduce the Beltway’s carbon footprint. The center, which offers 250 meeting rooms comprising 265,000 sq. ft. of event space, is celebrating Earth Day 2017 by encouraging meeting planners to go green. Located about 40 miles from Washington, D.C., the conference center has 917…
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Call it Earth Stay! In celebration of Earth Day 2017, several national upscale hotels and restaurants are enticing guests to stay and dine with earth-friendly offerings. One Arizona chamber and visitors bureau is celebrating Earth Day on a big stage at the Grand Canyon. Take a look at six Earth Day invitations, starting with Hyatt…
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Environmentally concerned business-travel planners are often challenged by conflicting goals within their organizations, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) reported in “Corporate Social Responsibility: Going Beyond Green.” The majority of professional travel planners who responded to the 2017 GBTA survey reported formal corporate sustainability programs are in place; however, only 16 percent said they currently…
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Forget offsites. Take your meeting offshore! If you’ve never considered holding a meeting aboard a cruise ship, now is the time to start. Hotel demand is growing, causing nightly rates to rise. Why not consider this out-of-the-box solution to your venue selection woes? Last year, Smart Meetings covered the benefits of cruise meetings in a…
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The travel and meetings industries are playing a key role Significant progress has been made in ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns in the travel industry, but many challenges remain, says the research director of a leading international tourism organization. “There is a growing trend of people wanting to give back when they are traveling,…
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Food production has the largest environmental footprint of any human activity, according to data from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 40 percent of food is wasted through the supply chain, including the hotel industry. It should come as no surprise that limiting hotel food waste is one of the best ways the hospitality industry can…
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