Green / Sustainable Meetings
May 16, 2013
Is green the new black… Again?
Has a focus on sustainability diminished as we faced a global recession, lowered budgets, increased expectations with reduced resources being common themes faced through all areas of the industry? Is producing more sustainable events truly more expensive? Is this a cost we need to bear in order to be responsible global citizens as we bring groups together? Or is it possible to actually save money while making sustainable choices?
April 25, 2013
Travel intentions survey shows travellers leaning towards “greener” lodging options
The survey has been tracking the green tendencies of both business and leisure travellers since 2009. This year’s results show an increasing trend by the traveller to take specific ‘green’ factors into consideration when making their travel plans.
April 18, 2013
Feeling blue in a world of green
Here it goes: “I am a Green Meeting Planner and I think/ am pretty sure/not officially diagnosed yet, that I might be suffering from green fatigue.”
March 18, 2013
Earth Day promotional product green trends and tips
We’re coming up on another Earth Day celebration. So it’s probably a good idea to do some promotional product trend updates for the green arena, especially those relating to corporate meetings.
February 27, 2013
The name game: What defines a green meeting or event?
One of the biggest challenges facing proponents of the green meeting industry is the idea that a “green” meeting is something completely different from a “traditional” meeting. This misperception is perpetuated by many of us within the industry, where we continue to differentiate them so definitively in every conversation that we have. We cannot resist the urge to label everything, create an acronym, establish a #hashtag and go on a speaking tour.
December 18, 2012
Site International Foundation’s annual forecast indicates motivational travel volume on upswing
The Site International Foundation has released results of the latest Site Index Annual Survey. The Site Index compiles and compares data over a number of years to track changes and forecast trends in the motivational events industry. This third year of the study measures movement in key indices as well as introduces new topics of discussion.
December 11, 2012
There’s a green app for that!
Conferences and meetings can have significant carbon footprints. Power, ground transportation, air travel, paper and many aspects of an event can all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Knowledge is the key towards sustainability and increased social responsibility. More and more meeting planners are recognizing the importance of planning a green event and want to do their part in helping the environment.
November 30, 2012
The Westin Ottawa awarded highest Green Key Meetings rating
Green Key Global, the largest international certification body evaluating sustainable hotel operations, has awarded the prestigious "5 Green Keys" rating to The Westin Ottawa for its Green Key Meetings Program. The hotel is the first Starwood Hotel to have received 5 Green Keys for both the Green Key Eco-Rating Program and Green Key Meetings Program.
October 30, 2012
Metro Toronto Convention Centre brings home the prestigious Sustainable Tourism Award
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is pleased to share their recent announcement as the proud winners of the Ontario Sustainable Tourism Award at the 2012 Ontario Tourism Summit, held in London, Ontario.
October 15, 2012
Walking the talk
“Walking the talk”, “thinking outside the box” - both sayings make my teeth ache and a tiny vessel on the side of my head pulse ever so slightly. In fact, every time I catch myself saying or using these phrases, I envision a unicorn disappearing POOF!
September 19, 2012
Social responsibility in the events industry – who benefits?
Angie Draskovic, founder and CEO of Zoe Alliance Inc. talks about the trickle-down of groups that benefit economically when the meeting and events industry sources socially responsible products. Draskovic also offers tips for incorporating social responsibility into an event and speaks of the challenges related to selecting a socially responsible supplier.
September 13, 2012
Thirty days to a more sustainable you – Ready, set, go!
What are the rules? The rules are simple: make one environmentally friendly change/choice each and every day for 30 days. If you feel like sharing, you can tweet about it using the hasthag #30DaysofGreen and we can follow your progress.
September 5, 2012
Top 10 green meeting apps
Joseph Lo, Meeting Appspert and Kirsten Strand, BSc, CITE, CMM, LEED Green Associate select the top 10 green meeting apps. Knowledge is the key towards sustainability and increased social responsibility. Whether your goal is to decrease CO2 emissions, travel-related fuel consumption or paper usage, the following smart phone apps will assist meeting planners in operating a green meeting.
August 16, 2012
Taste the four seasons: how food preservation can add local flavour to your event menus year-round
If you are a sustainable meeting planner who has an event (large or small) happening in the very early spring, you should be thinking about winter and how it might effect your “locally grown” menu selection. There will be minimal quantities of local, fresh produce available in the early spring, and that presents a bit of a problem for those who want to showcase regional, seasonal items.
July 23, 2012
Paperless versus paper-free: How clear is your sustainability policy?
We see it frequently: usually in bold and coloured type, sometimes italicized and generally with exclamation marks behind it. We are going green! The (insert name of conference) is going to be paperless! What does it mean?
July 20, 2012
Ten easy tips for making your event more sustainable
Ten easy tips for making your event more sustainable
July 10, 2012
Why communication is key to sustainable meeting success
One of the first tips I share with event professionals who are beginning to plan sustainable meetings and events is to remember to tell everyone what they are trying to accomplish (i.e. strategies they are using to minimize the environmental footprint). And then I tell them to ensure that afterwards, they express to everyone involved how well they did (i.e. how much waste was diverted, energy saved, etc.).
July 4, 2012
Major benefits of green meetings for event planners
Corporate Meetings & Events editor Sean Moon discusses the substantial cost savings and marketing benefits that result from implementing a green meeting strategy and also provides tips to reduce the environmental impact of your next event.
June 28, 2012
The business case for sustainability at your events
The research tracked 184 companies between 2003 and 2010 and identified seven key benefits that companies reported experiencing as a result of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. It was immediately apparent to me how this research could make an excellent basis for any meeting planner looking to promote change within their organization by incorporating sustainability and CSR to their events.
June 26, 2012
Green party tricks
Some planners use pyrotechnics, others hire magicians, but green event specialists try to make the ordinary, extraordinary. The challenge for a green meeting planner is to rethink and reimagine, and by doing so, they often come up with some green “party tricks”.
June 12, 2012
GBTA Foundation re-launches Project ICARUS to create the travel industry’s first global sustainability program
The GBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) today announced the expansion of Project ICARUS, the first global travel management sustainability body, representing the interests of the global travel and meetings industry. Project ICARUS will include recognition and awards programs highlighting leading organizations in sustainability and a Global Advisory board with representatives from buyers, suppliers, academics and subject matter experts from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand and Latin America to provide expertise, leadership and guidance on sustainability.
June 4, 2012
The golden moment: when social responsibility becomes profitable
Lately we have seen an influx of stories in the media about very large corporations taking large steps towards becoming better corporate citizens. Whether it’s through green initiatives, buying local food, or demanding meat from more humane sources, large companies are hearing what used to be small blips on the radar, and shouting it from the rooftops. People want better, are demanding better, and companies are listening. Of course, doing the “right thing” must also be the right thing for the business. There is that golden moment when social responsibility becomes profitable, and that’s when real change can happen. So, what’s wrong with that?
June 1, 2012
Sustainable event planning
Sustainability is a powerful conversation within major corporations and the corporate meetings marketplace. According to the 2011 Carbon Disclosure Project Canadian report, the top 200 largest Canadian companies report that the three main drivers for increased transparency related to sustainability impact monitoring are: 1) new revenue streams, 2) an increase in brand value, and 3) reducing cost and mitigating the risk of rising oil prices. The CDP Canadian report notes: “In short, the majority of companies see a clear economic benefit in implementing efficiency initiatives that replace emissions-intensive technologies and processes with cleaner and cheaper alternatives.” Source: By Tamara Kennedy-Hill, CMP
May 22, 2012
MPI unveils comprehensive functionality upgrades in breakthrough Sustainable Event Measurement Tool
MPI and MPI Foundation announced a substantial upgrade of its Sustainable Event Measurement Tool (SEMT) now residing on the evolution Platform. The enhanced functionality of SEMT 2.0 will help meetings and events professionals save money, reduce resources and elevate their sustainability credentials.
May 3, 2012
MPI creating breakthrough sustainability leadership with association industry’s first Global Reporting Initiative™ event report
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and its Foundation is committed to thought leadership in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability efforts. In demonstration of that, MPI is setting the example for standards-based reporting that everyone in the industry – no matter how large or small the event – can use to benchmark their own reporting programs.
April 16, 2012
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Saint-Hyacinthe wins Environment & Energy Award at HAC Conference
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announces The Holiday Inn Express® & Suites Saint-Hyacinthe was recently awarded the Environmental & Energy Award at this year’s Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) Conference, highlighting their commitment to environmental sustainability.
March 29, 2012
How much goat cheese did you say you needed? Serving up the best local food for 2000 people
If you read the newspaper, listen to the news, eat in restaurants, or peruse the cookbooks in your bookstore, you may have noticed a bit of a local food revolution going on. Maybe it’s less of a revolution and more of a revival, because eating locally by purchasing food from farmers nearby, and respecting the rhythms of the seasons is how we used to eat. More than a trend, it’s a widespread realization that we have moved away from a natural, logical way of feeding ourselves that works. My prediction? The local food “movement” won’t be moving anytime soon.
March 1, 2012
The Fairmont Waterfront receives ‘4 Green Key Meetings’ rating
Consistently recognized as an industry leader in environmental stewardship, The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel has once again been lauded in the highest category for sustainability in its meeting and conventions programs.
November 22, 2011
Sustainability - the new buzz word or the real thing?
We’ve now moved from ‘green meetings’ to ‘sustainable meetings’ which have a much deeper meaning. Sustainable meetings go beyond waste management, carbon off-sets and using bamboo rather than paper plates.
May 1, 2011
Sustainable storytelling skills
Once upon a time, there was a talented meeting planner named Plannerella who believed with her whole heart that meetings should be more sustainable. She paid attention to all the details in planning her annual convention: her rooms had recycling bins, her exhibitors were emailed instructions on reducing paper use, and her menus were planned with local, seasonal produce. Her greatest pride was a community service project to restore a park habitat. Plannerella was excited “This is going to be the greenest, most sustainable, most fantastic convention ever!” she exclaimed. Source: By: Judy Kucharuk and Mariela McIlwraith
