Save the World, One Conference at a Time

Eco-friendly get-togethers aren’t just good for the environment—they’re good for business

 

Here’s a surefire way to blow the big pitch meeting the next time an important client flies into town: Serve the coff ee in Styrofoam cups with disposable spoons. And while you’re at it, make sure there’s plenty of bottled water on hand, sourced from as far away as possible. The hotel you choose? Check with management to ensure the property washes every sheet and towel every single night. Only then, after handing out phonebook-sized meeting agendas in three-ring binders filled with non-recyclable paper, can you truly look like a company that has no clue.

According to a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management, 68% of more than 700 companies surveyed have a sustainability policy in place. And the benefits can extend beyond simply reducing carbon footprints: Among those calculating an ROI, 47% reported a positive return on investment. And 55% of those surveyed reported improved employee morale, while 43% claimed the efforts brought a stronger public image.

If you’re one of the holdouts that think all this green busi ness is nothing more than a passing fad, be aware that your attitude could send your company in the same direction as the pager and fax machine. “If you’re not walking and talking [sustainability], you absolutely are behind the times,” says Nancy Zavada, the principal behind MeetGreen, which works with organizations to inte grate sustainable meeting practices. “If you say you’re a good corporate citizen, and then you have meetings where you’re using plastic, that’s what people are looking at. That’s what your image is.”

A common myth is that it costs more to go green. If you switch to 100% organic products, that might be true, but Zavada says most suppliers are amenable to providing up to 30% organic foods for meetings and events at no extra cost. Organic, however, may not always be the most sustainable option. If the meat or produce has to travel across the country to get to your plate, non-organic locally-sourced food may be the greener solution.

Doing away with disposables is a natural first step—but beware of naysayers who tell you that the water used to wash silverware and glassware negates the environmental benefits. “It’s just not true,” Zavada says. In fact, the Environmental Defense Fund indicates that using 1,000 disposable plastic teaspoons consumes more than 10 times as much energy and natural resources as manufacturing one stainless steel spoon and washing it 1,000 times.

Once your food is covered, attack your paper waste. Most companies already utilize online registration instead of send ing out packets. But think about other ways to reduce paper: Do you need handouts onsite or can people get them elec tronically? If printed materials are an absolute necessity, look for recycled paper with high post-consumer content, which means it’s already been used once, disposed of and made into a new product.

One of the most effective things you can do to plan a more eco-friendly meeting is to choose a good location—one that requires the least travel distance (and results in the least carbon impact) for the largest percentage of attendees. Look at other transportation factors, too, like whether mass transit is available from the airport to hotels and convention centers. Consider cit ies that feature properties within walking distance of restaurants, shopping and other amenities to further reduce the need for cabs and rental cars. For example, cities such as Kansas City and Indianapolis recently revamped their downtowns to make them more pedestrian-friendly.

Finally, whether considering the food you serve or the host property, always look for third-party certification to prove green bona fides. Green Seal, for example, is a science-based accreditation covering everything from cleaning products to food packaging to hotel properties. (For hotels, the standard focuses on high-impact, low-glamour areas such as waste minimization, energy conservation, management of fresh water resources and environmentally sensitive purchasing.) And on packaging, Zavada adds, “A lot of things biodegrade. The question is, how long does it actually take to do that?”

By the end of 2011, the Convention Industry Council is expected to finalize its own, long-awaited standards for green meetings. That means it will soon be easier for meeting planners to verify whether restaurants, venues and even exhibit decorators are not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk.

 

Top Eco-Friendly Hotels for Meetings

Emory Conference Center Hotel
ATLANTA
This property on the bucolic Emory University Campus — the first LEED Silver Certified conference center hotel in Atlanta—introduced a program to recycle partially used soap and shampoo. It also achieved 100% compliance of the International Association of Conference Centers’ rigorous Code of Sustainability, which includes 55 tenets in areas such as waste management, water conservation and energy management. emoryconferencecenter.com

Hotel George
WASHINGTON, DC
The National Environmental Hall of Fame named this capital hotel “the USA’s greenest.” It’s a part of the Kimpton Hotel chain, which has company-wide eco event standards that call for practices such as paperless sales services, cloth or recycled napkins and the elimination of disposable cups and individually packaged condiments. hotelgeorge.com

Grand Hyatt
NEW YORK
One of only three hotels in New York to be certified “Green” by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, this Midtown hotel is a champion of the New York State Department of Transportation’s Clean Air NY Initiative and manages a sustainability program that includes energy and water conservation, waste reduction, linen-free restaurants and composting. grandnewyork.hyatt.com

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Best In Show

Malcolm Gilvar, VP of sales for The Trade Group, and Amy Cleary, senior director of operations for TechTarget, weigh in on how to design a winning trade show booth.

BY LAYLA SCHLACK

DO try to create a space that people can walk up to or through, says Cleary. Never forget, your main objective is to make a connection with a potential client or lead. If you create a welcoming environment, it will help you achieve this goal.

DO make sure your booth reflects what your company does, says Gilvar. A paper company doesn’t need 3-D holograms, but a special effects company might.

DO keep people coming back. “Contests or raffles are a great way to get people to remember you and keep visiting your booth,” says Cleary. Snacks, which appeal to senses beyond sight and sound, are also a good idea.

DO have demos. “Even if your space is just a 6-foot table with a branding wall behind it, put up a flatscreen monitor and demo your product so that people can see what you do,” says Cleary.

DO make your space inviting. If it’s a walk-through, Gilvar advises multiple well-marked entrances. “No matter what type of space you’re in,” says Cleary, “be sure to have staff available to welcome and attract people to your booth.”

DON’T have salespeople acting clique-ish. “When people see all the staff talking to each other, they feel shut out,” says Gilvar.

DON’T be on your smartphone. “It’s so second-nature to us to check our phones constantly,” says Cleary. “But you want the people in front of you to feel like they have your undivided attention.”

DON’T bother with dime-a-dozen giveaways that have nothing to do with your product, says Gilvar. Sure koozies are cheap and have your logo, but they’re not going to help buyers remember you — unless you have a brewery, in which case, koozie away!

DON’T let staffers be too blingy. The Trade Group’s blog says that wardrobe is important, and jewelry or body modifications can give the wrong idea about your brand.

DON’T eat or drink at the booth. It looks sloppy and turns off buyers.