Successful Meetings - October 2009 - (Page 28)

Conference Centers Not Another Whitewash Conference centers get real about going green By Andrea Doyle andrea.doyle@nielsen.com UNFORTUNATELY, —WHEN SOMETHING IS CALLED ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THAT CAN’T BE PROVEN TO HAVE A NET POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT—HAS BECOME PART OF SOME MARKETING PROGRAMS IN THE MEETINGS AND HOSPITALITY COMMUNITIES. In order to ensure greenwashing does not occur in the conference center industry, the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) has implemented a Code of Sustainability, that encourages member properties to follow environmentally sound practices. The industry has to get serious about the issue. Going green is no longer a fringe concern. A recent survey of corporate travel managers by the National Business Travel Association indicates that nearly 30 percent of the hospitality industry incorporates green issues into their travel policies and that nearly 25 percent prefer green meeting suppliers. The fourth annual “focus group” survey on the greening of business tourism coordinated by the Frankfurtbased IMEX exhibition revealed that buyers saying that they, or colleagues, “would deliberately avoid destinations or venues known to have a poor environmental record” increased to nearly three-quarters (73 percent) compared to a figure of 66 percent in 2006. Business and organizations that are committed to sustainability find they are not just surviving—they are thriving. According to “Global Hospitality Insights,” a December 2008 Ernst & Young report, “green programs can provide a competitive advantage as long as green activities are still optional in the market … over time, green practices will become a baseline requirement to doing business in the “GREENWASHING” READER ROI • New IACC code helps planners select green centers I SM I October 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - October 2009

Successful Meetings - October 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
Tackling H1N1
Management Matters
Incentive Insights
The Big Time
Green in More Ways Than One
Not Another Whitewash
Place + Spaces
Austin
New Orleans
Reno/Lake Tahoe
San Jose
Colorado
Mexico

Successful Meetings - October 2009