Successful Meetings - November 2008 - (Page 18)

Planner Spotlight > Chris Samila GreenSummit, Phoenix, AZ Green Giant GREENSUMMIT EXPO AND CONFERENCE Attendees: 5,000 Exhibitors: 110 Conference sessions: 40 Length of time for trade show signage to biodegrade: 30 days Chris Samila is green—in both senses of the word. That is, he’s committed to the environment, and he’s a newbie when it comes to meeting planning. Yet that didn’t stop him from successfully pulling off one of Arizona’s largest environmental sustainability events: the GreenSummit Expo and Conference. Held at the Phoenix Convention Center on September 5 and 6, GreenSummit featured booths hawking everything from organic food to building materials made from recycled glass and other environmentally friendly components. While organic restaurateurs competed in Iron Chef-style cooking competitions, educational sessions offered information on ways consumers can reduce their carbon footprints. says. “I really consider this the first year, because doing it in a convention center was totally different.” But Samila’s method wasn’t. Undaunted by the fact that he’d never planned a real event before, he “winged it,” googling terms like “event management” and attending like-minded trade shows such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild. He got a stroke of “dumb luck” when NBC Nightly News did a TV special on ASU’s sustainability school, in which Samila appeared on camera saying, “If you can spell ‘solar,’ you’ll get hired right now”—a reference to the growing demand for “green-collar” jobs. “The vice president of Arizona Public Service—one of the largest public utilities in the country—saw me on that program, contacted me and asked me to meet with him,” Samila says. “I didn’t even know who he was until I googled him. He became GreenSummit’s title sponsor, which helped us gain legitimacy.” FAMILY GUY Samila also got help from his mom and stepfather, who run a marketing company in Atlanta. “They helped me articulate things when talking to big companies,” Samila says. “I relied on them during the negotiations with our title sponsor, for example.” The three worked 16-hour days for months, calling potential exhibitors, speakers, government agencies, industry associations, and other stakeholders. In the end, Samila got half the attendance he was hoping for—he says construction of Phoenix’s new light-rail system discouraged many from attending—but nonetheless managed to turn a profit and please his exhibitors, who were “thrilled” with GreenSummit’s highly educated, informed attendees. “We differentiated our event by vetting our exhibitors,” Samila adds. “We turned away at least 50 companies that weren’t there yet as far as sustainability.” “The sustainability movement isn’t just a trend,” Samila concludes. “For businesses, it’s the ultimate competitive advantage. It’s going to change the way we do everything.” By Sara J. Welch Does your meeting deserve to be in the Spotlight? Write us at vince.alonzo@nielsen.com, and you could be profiled in SM. NOVEMBER 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS “When I started reading about sustainability, I saw there was a massive business opportunity,” says Samila, a 23-year-old college senior pursuing global studies and political science at Arizona State University. “I came up with GreenSummit as a way to connect people with businesses and resources to make change happen, because I didn’t think things were moving fast enough.” FROM SOUNDBITE TO SPONSORSHIP This was actually GreenSummit’s second year; it started last year as an on-campus class project for Samila, who got quite a surprise when 4,000 people showed up. “We held it in some tents at ASU and used volunteers,” he 18 successfulmeetings.com http://www.successfulmeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - November 2008

Successful Meetings - November 2008
Editor's Note
Supplier News - Wyndham Worldwide Launches Green Program and Website with a "Global Green Day"
On the Record
Calendar
Supplier News - Oregon Convention Center Earns Silver LEED�Rating
Planner Spotlight
Management Matters
Meetings Law
Mouth for Sale
Websites of the Month
Professional Development - 25 Eco-Friendly Holiday Business Gift Ideas
Pre-Event
Professional Development - The Green Meetings Glossary
Tools of the Trade
On Site
When Red and Blue Make Green
Green Your Golf
Green-Centric Events Have Spice
The Green Continent
Places & Spaces
Las Vegas
South Africa Supplement
Bermuda
Dallas Metroplex
Kansas City / St. Louis
Boston
Gurus
California: New Perspectives

Successful Meetings - November 2008