travel-trends

The travel industry is always on the cutting edge of technology, discovering new ways to predict and adapt to consumers’ ever-changing preferences. Staying on top of the latest travel trends can be useful for meeting planners as well, since attendees’ shifting travel needs can impact planners’ decisions. Booking.com analyzed data, user reviews and other information to make 8 major travel predictions for the coming year.

1. Bleisure is gaining popularity.
The trend of mixing business and leisure travel was tempered in 2016, but it’s expected to get more popular in 2017. 46 percent of travelers surveyed by Booking.com expect to travel more for work in 2017 than they did in 2016. 49 percent of business travelers already extend business trips for leisure purposes, while 75 percent intend to do so next year.

2. Travelers are looking for new experiences.
Some would say that 2016 was the year of the experience. In the meetings industry, experiences were trending everywhere. From cultural immersion to outdoor adventures to virtual-reality and technology-powered ventures, attendees were hungry for memorable experiences they could write home about.

This trend is expected to continue in 2017, but with an emphasis on exploring undiscovered destinations, uncommon activities and once-in-a-lifetime encounters. 45 percent of survey respondents plan to be more daring in their choice of destinations in 2017, while 47 percent would like to visit a place none of their friends and family have been to.

3. Travelers want instant gratification.
According to the survey, 44 percent of travelers expect to be able to plan a trip with a few taps on their mobile phone, while 52 percent expect to increase their usage of travel apps in 2017.

Hotels are also embracing mobile apps in a big way, building more powerful apps that simplify mobile booking and check-in, allow guests to customize their experience during their stay and even providing destination information on attractions, dining and more, akin to a concierge or local travel guide.New developments in artificial intelligence, along with Google’s entrance into the travel apps market, mean these apps may soon be able to predict your needs and deliver solutions before you even ask for them.

Planners can anticipate an impact on the meetings industry as well. Attendees will expect greater functionality from mobile event apps, from mobile check-in to more powerful scheduling and networking tools.

4. Health and wellness is still on the rise.
Business travel can sometimes be draining and stressful, but new health and wellness offerings make it easier for planners to keep attendees in top shape. Travelers are more interested than ever in travel that promises relaxation. 44 percent are interested in spa and relaxation travel, while 38 percent would like to have a travel experience focused on health and wellbeing.

To meet the demand, top hotels are upgrading their spa offerings and adding amenities such as complementary meditation facilities, wellness workshops, in-room fitness options and outdoor exercise opportunities.

5. Travelers are demanding high-touch customer service.
In this age of ever more capable smartphones and artificial intelligence, people still crave the human touch. According to Booking.com’s survey, 42 percent of travelers would not choose an accommodation that lacked friendly and helpful staff. Human interaction is again becoming an important part of travel, with many hotels working on improving technology that allows booking through chat and messenger programs.

wyndham-hotel-group

In December, Wyndham Hotel Group announced its acquisition of Fen Hotels, based in Argentina with 22 properties across the Americas, including Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and the United States. Fen Hotels joins Wyndham’s portfolio of nearly 8,000 hotels across the globe.

With the addition of Fen Hotels’ Esplendor Boutique Hotels and Dazzler Hotels, Wyndham Hotel Group’s portfolio of distinct brands grows to 18. New hotel properties, including two new hotels in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Asuncion, Paraguay, will join Wyndham Rewards loyalty program by the end of 2017.

Fen Hotels’ executive and management staff in Buenos Aires will continue leading properties under the brand and add to Wyndham Hotel Group’s Latin America team as Fen’s current headquarters become Wyndham Hotel Group‘s new base in Latin America for management operations. Patricio Fuks, CEO of Fen Hotels, will remain as chairman of the group, helping lead its explosive growth across the region.

“Wyndham Hotel Group’s strength and significant scale dramatically increases our distribution, immediately enabling us to grow faster not only in Argentina, but also throughout the region, ensuring more guests experience what Fen Hotels have to offer,” said Fuks.

As we integrate the companies over the next 18 months, becoming part of the Wyndham family of brands will enable our guests to have access to some of the most aspirational vacation experiences on earth thanks to Wyndham Rewards, Wyndham’s unparalleled loyalty program, which makes redeeming free nights in hotels, condos and homes simple and attainable.”

aecc_new-venue visit scotlandAECC rendering

Imagine meeting in a brand-new convention center in a destination no one in your group has ever been to or even thought about visiting. Your offsite reception takes place in a castle where whiskey tasting is one of several activities that reflects the culture of the destination. The keynote speaker hails from one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. And for a post-conference trip for top achievers, how about coordinating a Northern Lights experience or maybe a round of golf at St. Andrews?

Visit Scotland recently met with Smart Meetings in San Francisco to share news about several projects, including the construction of a new convention center scheduled to open in Aberdeen in 2019. Located on the island nation’s northeast coast, where the North Sea is a global center for sub-sea technology, Aberdeen is capitalizing on the region’s cutting-edge solutions for oil extraction by building a $440 million convention center, which has the full support of local businesses, regional government and Visit Scotland.

“We are very serious about growing our [meetings] industry and to spread the benefits across the country,” says Lord John Thurso, chair of Visit Scotland. “It’s really an exciting time to visit Scotland.”

aerial-view-of-central-square

Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC) will feature a 12,500-seat arena with a moveable stage and 518,950 sq. ft. of flexible exhibition space. The site also will have three hotels, including a 200-room Hilton property, an energy center and two business parks. Aberdeen’s existing convention center has 80,729 sq. ft. of exhibition space, two 700-person suites and a 440-seat auditorium.

Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ) is undergoing a three-year, multimillion-dollar renovation that begin in May 2016. This project includes a 50 percent expansion of the existing terminal and upgrades to the national and international baggage claim areas. ABZ has the second-most airlift in the United Kingdom due to helicopter service supporting offshore oil extraction.

Visit Scotland has a string of pearls along its northeast coast. About 90 minutes south of Aberdeen is Dundee, which will unveil a centerpiece museum in 2018. As part of a $1 billion waterfront development project, V&A Museum of Design Dundee is the first design museum in the United Kingdom outside London.

Just south of Dundee is famous St. Andrews Links, considered the birthplace of golf some 600 years ago. It offers seven courses that are open to the public.

“We are going through one of our exceptional bouts of being a good value,” Lord Thurso says. “We have bucket loads of opportunities. The challenge is picking the right ones for your group.”

For more on Scotland, see the Smart Dispatch in our recent United Kingdom feature.

small-meetings

According to a survey conducted by Meetings Mean Business (MMB), 91 percent of small business owners plan to spend as much or more on travel for meetings in 2017 compared to 2016.

Speaking on behalf of small business owners and meeting industry suppliers, Dan Berger of Washington, DC-based Social Tables believes that face-to-face meetings provide a return on investment and help grow the bottom line.

“Meetings have helped Social Tables expand our customer base, enhance our software and ultimately grow our business,” Berger says. “It’s a competitive advantage we have used to build relationships with new clients, motivate employees and demonstrate thought leadership. Meetings are simply part of the fabric of our company.”

APCO Insight, an international opinion research firm, conducted the online survey commissioned by the Meetings Mean Business coalition in September and October. There  were 300 respondents representing 24 industries, including 100 small business owners in the technology industry. All respondents described themselves as an owner, founder, CEO or president of a small business, which employs fewer than 250 employees.

Here are a few findings based on the MMB survey of small business owners:

• 77 percent say in-person meetings yield a healthy return on investment. Among those who specialize in technology, that number is noticeably higher, at 95 percent.

• 82 percent of small business owners agree that building partnerships is best done in-person, followed by negotiating agreements (75 percent), finding potential new hires (71 percent), networking (68 percent), engaging with the community (68 percent), exploring new business opportunities (60 percent) and training new employees (59 percent).

• 87 percent of those surveyed say that the ability to meet in-person has a meaningful impact on building relationships.

• 78 percent agree that connecting face-to-face with current and prospective customers improves their ability to run their business, as does attending in-person education events (68 percent), attending or presenting at conferences (68%) and engaging face-to-face with the community (63 percent).

• 91 percent of small business owners in the technology field agree that connecting face-to-face with customers and attending or presenting at conferences improves their ability to run their business.

• 75 percent of tech small business owners place high priority on networking, and 81 percent prioritize industry conferences and trade shows.

“The small business owner community is a critical contributor to our economy, and in-person meetings help this community make the most out of their investments,” says Richard Harper, executive vice president at HelmsBriscoe and co-chair of Meetings Mean Business. “MMB’s survey illustrates that small business owners who connect with current and potential customers face-to-face build stronger partnerships that ultimately grow their bottom line.”

holiday-travel

Following a very busy Thanksgiving holiday that saw travel numbers hit a 9-year high, Airlines for America is forecasting that 45.2 million travelers are expected to hit the skies during the holiday travel period from Friday, Dec. 16 to Thursday, Jan. 5. Compared to 2015, this represents an increase of 3.5 percent, or 73,000 more passengers daily. In order to accommodate the increased demand, airlines are adding approximately 99,000 more seats per day.

Though travelers may be concerned about flight delays and cancellations during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, they can rest easy. During the Thanksgiving rush, airlines completed 99.4 percent of flights with 84.5 percent of flights arriving on time.

“Airlines’ concerted and well-coordinated efforts over Thanksgiving helped ensure the traditional holiday rush was as smooth as could be for fliers, resulting in shorter security wait times and higher on-time performance rates. We expect to see much of the same this winter holiday travel season,” said Airlines for America Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich.

The busiest days of the 21-day peak travel period are expected to be Thursday, Dec. 22 and Friday, Dec. 23. Unsurprisingly, Dec. 24 and 25, as well as Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, should be the lightest travel days of the holiday season. Volumes will vary greatly over the holiday season, as airlines may carry from 1.8 million on the slowest days to 2.4 million passengers on the busiest days. Throughout the year, airlines in the United States transport an average of 2.2 million passengers each day.

To help travelers choose which airports will be best for their trips, Airlines for America has ranked the 10 busiest airports during the holidays.

10 Busiest Airports for Holiday Travel

1. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
2. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
3. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
4. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
5. Denver International Airport (DEN)
6. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
7. Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
8. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
9. San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
10. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

To minimize the stress of holiday travel, check out these helpful tips:

Book a Bit Late to Save on Holiday Travel

9 Ways to Stay Healthy While Traveling During the Holidays

5 Tips to Survive Unexpected Flight Delays

Stuck at the Airport? 4 Pointers for More Productive Waits

third-party-meeting-plannersDonna Hunt, CEO and managing director for HMS Meeting Services (left), and Yashema Mack

Hotels do it all the time. Rebranding is a natural part of the hospitality industry, so much so that we don’t even blink when properties change names or flags.

I believe it’s time to do the same for third-party planners. There seems to be a negative connotation when it comes to third-party planners.

This topic came up last week during Florida Encounter, which included more than 5,000 one-on-one appointments between planners of all kinds and suppliers. During an offsite dinner at Disney Springs, I asked Yashema Mack, who works for Connecticut-based HMS Meeting Services, how she described her job.

Are you a third-party planner? And if you’re not a third-party planner, what are you? The conversation quickly switched to a brainstorming session on what we should call employees of small but mighty agencies that are staging thousands events for major corporations.

Mack mentioned that she thought of herself as a freelancer, which is more of journalism term than a title applied to planning. Then she said she was really an independent meeting planner. We were getting warmer.

After a few more tries, we settled on Independent Meeting Contractor or IMC. Even though there are already too many acronyms in the meetings and events industry, you have to admit IMC has a ring to it, especially since we’re all accustomed to the roles of DMCs, or destination management companies.

As our excitement was building, we asked Donna Hunt, CEO and managing director for HMS Meeting Services, to join the discussion. I had already told Mack that the term third-party planners really bugged me and shared the same sentiments with Hunt.

Hunt’s reaction was priceless: “We’re not third-party planners,” she said. “We’re THE party. It’s demeaning.”

Bingo. Hunt took it a step further saying she doesn’t even like to be called a planner, that what she and Mack do goes well beyond planning. Hunt brings 20 years of pharma expertise to HMS, and Mack has degrees in computer science and computer engineering. Between medical meetings and mega-computer trade shows, their collective experiences help a variety of businesses stage critical, and fun, events around the globe. They deserve a job title that reflects what they do and one they own wholeheartedly.

As the three of us strolled back to the bus to return to our host hotel, Omni Orlando ChampionsGate, we were downright giddy with our very impromptu discussion and subsequent new term to describe the many valuable women and men behind the scene making meetings and events go off without a hitch.

I snapped a photo of Hunt and Mack, who I consider to be the first official IMCs in this new club of meeting and event professionals. Who else wants to join? There’s no certification yet, but we’re thinking about it, and at least we have a new name and Twitter hashtag–#IMC.

steps-to-boost-creativity

Meeting professionals are known for their creativity, but sometimes their well runs dry, leaving them in a predicament—especially if innovative solutions are quickly needed.

To avoid these predicaments, professionals can take the following steps that facilitate generating creative ideas on a regular basis.

Broaden your experiences: New experiences stimulate creativity, and since most meeting professionals deal with highly diverse situations, it’s particularly important for them to be adventurous.

Hang out with creative people: Cultivate relationships with imaginative people who can give you honest, direct feedback. They can help you to refine your ideas or scrap them completely in favor of other ones.

Keep a notebook: Even the most talented meeting professionals sometimes “lose” brilliant ideas that come to them because they later forget them. This can be addressed by carrying a notebook and jotting the ideas down as they arise.

Turn off the tech: It’s often helpful to turn off your electronics—with their potential distractions—and simply focus on the present moment. Sometimes, the best ideas come straight from your own brain, without relying on other sources. Electronics should serve as a tool, not the guide, in helping to stimulate ideas.

Scribble: Sometimes, creative inspirations can’t easily be put into words, and can be expressed much better pictorially. Don’t hesitate to draw or sketch, even if you aren’t highly skilled artistically. At some point, you most likely will need to transfer your scribbles to words, but don’t lose the power of the original inspiration by feeling that you quickly need to put them into words.

Write down new ideas every night: To avoid the pressure of having to come up with ideas first thing in the morning, compile a list every night.

Brainstorm: This can be done by yourself or with others. First, clear your mind so that you’re open to whatever thoughts come to you. Then, let your mind wander—brainstorming is most effective when your mind is open to all possibilities.

Collaborate: Some people are most creative when collaborating, while others are most imaginative working on projects by themselves. But even the latter can boost their creativity by seeking input from others, and can make valuable contributions to group projects.

Be a closer: Whenever you have a creative idea, let it evolve. And bring it to fruition if it remains meaningful. This requires some persistence, because other responsibilities often take up much of our time.

Know that you can be creative: Don’t fall into the trap of labeling people (especially yourself) as creative or not creative. Everyone displays creativity, and you can enhance yours by following these basic steps!

 

Meeting planners are often the unsung heroes of the fabulous events and meetings they pull off. The men and women who exert themselves to execute the perfect meeting—oftentimes starting years before the actual event—stay behind the curtain while keynotes and entertainment take center stage.

The sales teams at Hilton see the depths that planners go to for their events and decided it was time for some recognition and assistance.

“According to Jobs Rated’s 2016 survey, being a meeting, event and travel professional is one of the most stressful jobs,” Andrew Flack, vice president of marketing and ecommerce Americas at Hilton, told Smart Meetings. “These professionals are focusing on everyone involved in the event/trip but themselves, and often aren’t thanked or given the credit they deserve for pulling off a wow-worthy occasion.”

That’s what launched the idea behind the Museum of Wow, a first-of-its-kind, multi-part B-to-B marketing initiative that brings planners’ experiences to life to really illustrate their successes and inspire others.

“The Museum of Wow celebrated the distinct stories of 10 WowMakers that went above and beyond their job description to pull off a wow-worthy event and experience for their customers,” says Flack.

What makes something wow-worthy, you ask? If you’ve been to enough events, you likely already know. It’s the part of the event that attendees will continue buzzing about long after the meeting is over, leaving a lasting impression, and hopefully, bringing them back.

The first set of stories was introduced at Hilton’s annual customer event during IMEX America in Las Vegas. The stories of these ten planners and their over-the-top events were recorded so that they could live beyond the museum. Artifacts were on display that represented the themes of the events so that exhibitors at IMEX could see and hear details of the events.

Museum of Wow on Display at Tropicana in Las Vegas. (Photo courtesy Denise Truscello /Getty Images for Hilton)Museum of Wow on display at Tropicana in Las Vegas (Photo courtesy Denise Truscello/ Getty Images for Hilton)

Meet the WowMakers

Much of the staff at Hilton had a hand in selecting the first ten WowMakers, weighing in on some of the most memorable event moments they’ve witnessed at their hotels.

“The ten WowMakers we spotlighted for the launch, and are showcasing online, were the first set of stories that stood out to our entire team,” said Flack, “and made a lasting impression on the customers that were at the center of those events.”

Those recognized included Donita Jacobs, Jack Ezon, Mindy Halpert, Jason Awad, Diana Wilt, John Rutkauskas, Sandie Wiesenthal, Pamela Ballinger, Lesli Gordon and Joe Landers. You can hear about each of their Wow moments, here.

Joe Landers is the sales promotion manager for Shelter Mutual Insurance Company, who plans roughly 20 annual meetings on a global scale for groups of up to 500. During his audio clip, he shares the experience of working with the Hilton staff to turn a ballroom into a 19th century Bavarian affair.

“Our Hilton partners were in possession of a hand painted tapestry with images of a Bavarian Ballroom,” explained Landers. “The Hilton Munich Park had not utilized that tapestry for many years and we thought it would be a fantastic addition to our Bavarian Award Gala. We loved the concept of taking the fairytale history of the area and fully integrating that with our award gala.”

The event he was planning, Conference of Champions, was an annual incentive trip that has been in place for nearly sixty years and is never the same event twice. 150 top agents are recognized and encouraged to network and share best practices among the other agents.

Exhibitors heard Landers’ story at the museum launch. (Photo courtesy Denise Truscello /Getty Images for Hilton)

“The program centered around the history of Bavaria from the moment that our first attendee arrived on property,” says Landers. “We offered tours that highlighted the legacy of King Ludwig II. On our award gala evening, our Champions stepped into a beautiful ballroom that looked as if it were set in Neuschwanstein Castle.  The staff dressed in livery uniforms from the period.”

It was this epic theme, in conjunction with a 99.02 percent satisfaction rate in his post-event survey, that won Landers the Hilton acknowledgment of WowMaker.

“Frankly, I am speechless,” said Landers. “There are so many other planners with larger and more complex programs that deserve to be recognized.  It was truly an honor to be selected.”

Tools that Wow

The museum is just the beginning. Hilton plans to roll out a multitude of tools and resources over the next several months to support and inspire meeting, event and travel professionals to help them continually wow their attendees.

For starters, Hilton revamped their meetings website, meetings.hilton.com, to incorporate resources and tips for planners. Helpful infographics and checklists are available to help planners with booking, finances, health topics, technology, RFPs and more.

association_infographicSee the full infographic on Hilton.com

Hilton also launched the #WowMakersContest on Twitter to learn of more deserving planners and events that weren’t on their radar. The social media campaign urged planners and event professionals to share their favorite stories and wow moments for a chance to win a variety of prizes, including getaways to Hilton properties and rewards points.

Hilton also expanded its Meet with Purpose program to make it more seamless for meeting and event professionals to incorporate healthier food and activity breaks during meetings.

Are You a WowMaker?

The campaign’s intention was not only to shine a light on some deserved planners, but to inspire others when planning their next big event.

“Being a WowMaker is all about creating an amazing experience for the attendee or client,” said Flack. “WowMakers know that budget matters, but also know that while most people will forget what an experience cost, they will always remember how it made them feel. If they can tap into the unique needs of their attendees or clients and give them even just one moment that makes them say “Wow,” they’ve effectively become a WowMaker.”

Flack went on to note that planners love their jobs, and love sharing their tips and best practices for executing successful events with other planners. So take advice from Landers, official WowMaker:

“No detail is too small to review and track when you are planning an event. I believe the little extra that can make an event extraordinary comes from a spirit of true partnership with your team of hospitality partners, hoteliers, DMCs, and CVBs.

“I believe it’s one thing to execute an event because the contract or [banquet event order] states that it should be executed in a certain fashion… it is quite another thing to create relationships and friendships within your team of partners that fosters a desire to put forth a spectacular program above and beyond the paper in the planners binder.  That comes solely from mutual respect, pleasant exchange, open communication, and a commitment to put the attendee experience first in all discussions.  That is how you transform a program into a Wow event!”

great-smoky-mountains wildfires eastern tennesse

Last week, wildfires tore through eastern Tennessee, affecting several resort towns near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fires destroyed over 1,600 buildings, caused more than 14,000 residents and tourists to evacuate, injured 134 and killed 14. The fire, which started on Monday evening, when embers from a wildfire burning in the national park were blown into Gatlinburg, is now mostly contained.

News reports indicate that the center of Gatlinburg’s tourist district avoided heavy damage. Country star Dolly Parton, who was born and raised in the area, stated that her Dollywood theme park and DreamMore resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, were evacuated but spared the worst of the wildfire. Dollywood has reopened as of Dec. 2.

In the aftermath of the devastating fires, Sevier County cities such as Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Townsend have announced that they are now open for business as usual. Gatlinburg will be reopening its downtown Parkway and River Road on Dec. 7.

Mike Werner, major of Gatlinburg, who lost his home and business to the fires, urged visitors to return to the country’s most visited national park. In a press conference, he said, “If you want to help Gatlinburg, come back and visit us. We’re going to be back—better than ever.”

Pigeon Forge businesses were not damaged during the fire and are open as usual. The city’s 27th annual Winterfest celebration continues as scheduled until Feb. 28, 2017. Sevierville and Townsend businesses and attractions are also open and operating as usual.

The National Park Service announced that the Townsend, Tennessee entrance into Cades Cove, one of the Great Smoky Mountains’ most famous scenic routes, has now been reopened to the public.

This year, 44 venues from the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, Thailand, China and India participated in the 142-question Green Venue Report survey, providing the most comprehensive collection of results yet on topics ranging from food waste to energy efficiency and sustainability.  All of the participating venues hold a sustainability certification or accreditation.

green-convention-centers

North American venues that participated include the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey; Austin Convention Center in Texas; Boston Convention & Exhibition Center; Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah; Cobo Center in Detroit; George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston; Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta; Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City; Moscone Center in San Francisco; Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas; Oregon Convention Center in Portland and Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, among many others.

Trends and Takeaways

Perhaps one of the most uplifting trends is the rise in the actual reporting of these green standards. More venues are reporting their efforts and recording their waste numbers so that they can measure their progress year to year and also so that planners who want to host meetings in green venues can evaluate the venue based on the center’s practices.

More convention centers and other venues are getting creative with ideas to efficiently use once-wasted space, by converting roofs, for example, into green roofs, bee sanctuaries and gardens. (We’ve noticed this trend taking place with hotels, too!)  Additionally, 11 percent of venues have an apiary on their roof.

apiary

Venues Leading by Example: The Colorado Convention Center in Denver boasts 5,000 sq. ft. of garden onsite that produces fruits, veggies and herbs as well as beehives.

Venues are also getting more creative with how their catering departments can help the waste-reduction effort, by donating food, recycling kitchen grease tracking production waste, overage and spoilage.

The role of sustainability manager/coordinator has doubled from one year to the next, proving venues are making a serious commitment to sustainability.

green-staff

Capturing rainwater for reuse or storm water management rose from six percent to 21 percent, illustrating the growing awareness of water waste.

Waste, Water & Energy Efficiency 

Fifty-seven percent of the conference and convention centers polled have active manual waste-sorting programs in place.

In 2015, more than 52 percent of costs spent on F&B were considered local (within 250 miles).

On average, thirty-four percent of event planners answered that they discussed sustainability when talking with a venue in 2015, which is itself a 27 percent growth from the previous year.

greening

Twenty-one percent of venues claimed to capture rainwater for different purposes, figure that was only at six percent the previous year. Additionally, 89 percent use high-efficiency faucets and 66 percent use high-efficiency toilets.

Nearly half of the venues responded that they use solar panels, wind turbines or some other form of renewable energy technology.

energy-sources

Venues Leading by Example: Mandalay Bay has an extensive waste management and recycling program, and offers planners the opportunity to not only sort their waste and recyclables from a particular event, but measure and report it. The center also boasts 26,000 solar panels on its roof, which will annually generate the equivalent energy needed to power 1,340 homes for a year.

Oregon Convention Center has enforced a specific waste diversion policy that prohibits foam core signage and single-use conference bags.

Saint Paul RiverCenter in Minnesota offers WindSource for Events, a renewable energy program that allows planners to choose to offset energy usage with the purchase of wind power in the region, thanks to 20 different wind farms in the state.

Reporting

Seventy-nine percent of venues are able to provide a waste diversion report to planners upon request, and 60 percent do so at no added cost.

green-tracking

According to the survey, nearly all venues were able to provide annual impact data for their use of energy, water and waste.

Eighty-one percent of respondents said they track food waste management, including the amount of overage and spoiled food for events. An impressive 93 percent compost food waste.

Venues Leading by Example: Virginia Beach Convention Center provides meeting planners the online resources they need to find out about hybrid vehicles, carpool parking, green dining, efficient hotels and community outreach programs.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center uses a service called EnerNOC to track real-time electricity use and other metered data, which can be provided to planners looking to meet a specific budgeting or output goal.

Transportation

Ninety-three percent of venues reported that they’re accessible by train, light rail or subway with an average distance of one mile.

86 percent claim to have public bike racks; 64 percent are within a half-mile of a city bike share station; 64 percent offer charging stations for electric cars; and 26 percent offer programs that encourage mass transit for event attendees.

Venues Leading by Example: The Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, provides all visitors arriving at the airport with a free ticket that’s good for ninety minutes of transportation to their hotel.

Steps to a Greener Tomorrow

Green View, the organization that publishes the Green Venue Report, suggest 4 steps for venues to take for more sustainable events:

  1. Build a “Green Team” responsible for discussing, planning and implementing green initiatives.
  2. Reduce the amount of printed literature at your events.
  3. Encourage exhibitors to take advantage of rentable and reusable booth designs.
  4. Use sustainable products for things like signage that can be recycled to reduce landfill waste.

Venues Leading by Example: Metro Toronto Convention Center hosts annual Habitat for Humanity projects in which venue employees can attend without using vacation days.

See the full report, here.