Prevue September-October 2017 - 19

goodbusiness

Redefining Added Value
Sustainable hotels and venues align conscientious meetings attendees with their values

Hyatt Regency Indianapolis

I

f it hasn't happened already, requests for
event sustainability metrics may soon be
the norm, according to a recent report by
the Green Meeting Industry Council, which
found increased interest in and oftentimes
expectation for sustainable meetings. As the
following cities will attest, even when it comes
to green meetings, the devil is in the details.

Indianapolis
Six major convention hotels in Indy have
partnered to significantly reduce their CO2
carbon footprint by 20 million pounds
annually-and all are connected to the
Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil
Stadium. A percentage of electricity at the
JW Marriott Indianapolis, Indianapolis
Marriott Downtown, Westin Indianapolis,
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, Omni
Severin Hotel and Crowne Plaza Union
Station will now be generated by wind.
This is in addition to having the nation's first
LEED-certified airport, a number of green
buildings (the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
is home to the largest sports venue-based
solar farm in the world), and, the latest news,
the new $63 million Cultural Trail, adjacent

to the convention center, which connects
attendees to restaurants, shopping,
attractions and miles of bike paths.
"Indy has established itself as one
of the greenest tourism and convention
destinations in America," explains Leonard
Hoops, president and CEO of Visit
Indy. "From our walkable downtown
to our electric car sharing service and
environmentally friendly hotels, Indy is a
great choice for groups that believe in
reducing their carbon footprint."
Daren Kingi, Visit Indy's senior VP of
sales, says that sustainability boils down
to supporting a value-oriented economy,
or one that aligns with the values of visiting
groups. Mindfulness on everything from
"food sourcing, transportation options,
recycling, and what happens to on-site
signage, registration bags and all of the
other promotional material attendees
collect throughout the event can make a
big impact."

Las Vegas
Among Las Vegas' neon-lit skyline is a
plethora of eco-friendly options for groups-

"Indy has established itself as one of the greenest
tourism and convention destinations in America."
18 | prevuemeetings.com

whether organic dining and sprawling green
spaces to dine in or LEED venues. The
Smith Center is the largest performing
arts facility of its size to have LEED Gold
certification. The 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall
is the largest indoor venue here, and the
Courtyard and nearly two-acre Symphony
Park with views of downtown Las Vegas are
primed for cocktail receptions and outdoor
concerts that require the "wow" factor.
The 180-acre Springs Preserve is a
true oasis in the desert, offering botanical
gardens (complete with a state-of-the-art
outdoor amphitheater for up to 1,500), a
museum and nature trail to attendees, as
well as classes on sustainable gardening,
horticulture and nature-all in LEED
Platinum-certified environments.
MGM Resorts International is also
doing its part to promote sustainability;
Vdara Hotel & Spa, Aria Resort &
Casino, The Park and the new T-Mobile
Arena are all LEED Gold-certified, and
solar arrays on the Mandalay Bay Resort
and Casino's convention center roof can
generate around 20 percent of the resort's
electricity during peak production. An
on-site greenhouse supports 100 percent
sustainable menus, but it's the built-in
sustainability, including the fact that 80
percent of all convention materials are
recycled, that is truly impressive.
"If done well, many of the aspects
of sustainability will go unnoticed by
attendees as just part of the fabric of what
hotels do every day," explains Michael
Dominguez, SVP and chief sales officer for
MGM Resorts International. Dominguez
points to MGM Grand's Stay Well meetings
experience that "optimizes productivity,
creativity and collaboration" through
integrated resort wellness. Stay Well will
also roll out at Park MGM resort when it
debuts next year."-Johnalee Johnston
icclos.com; thesmithcenter.com;
springspreserve.com; mgmresorts.com:
visitindy.com
http://www.icclos.com http://www.thesmithcenter.com http://www.springspreserve.com http://www.mgmresorts.com http://www.visitindy.com http://www.prevuemeetings.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue September-October 2017
