Home Publisher's Point of View New Green Meeting and Events Voluntary Standards Expected in June

New Green Meeting and Events Voluntary Standards Expected in June

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I just returned from the Sustainable Meetings Conference in Denver. It is an annual event organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). I had attended the conference two previous years. This year’s event was the most exciting of the three for several reasons. First of all, the turnout for this year’s event was strong for a GMIC event—approximately 250—and up significantly from last year when the event was held in Pittsburgh during the worst of the recession. Second, it is clear that GMIC has found a business plan that works—developing chapters to build membership. Over the last two years, membership has grown from 185 members to 577. There are now four chapters with four more in the process of forming. GMIC’s goal is to reach 1,000 members and 10 chapters by the end of this year. If your property or company has a stake in the green meetings business, I strongly encourage joining GMIC.

The third reason I was encouraged by this year’s conference: According to Tamara-Kennedy Hill, executive director of GMIC, the Green Meeting and Events Voluntary Standards—the result of an effort led by the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), GMIC, and ASTM International—should be reviewed and passed by June of this year. If your organization is involved in the meetings business in any way, you must pay attention to these Standards.

“Once finalized, the standards will give both meeting planners and suppliers such as hotels or transportation companies concrete guidelines and performance measurements that the meetings industry and others have vetted and agree are best practices for creating green meetings,” said Karen Kotowski, chief operating officer of the Convention Industry Council, in a news release distributed last week. “There is so much conflicting information out there, and the industry wants and needs guidance.”

‘Accommodations’ Among Topic Areas

More than 200 volunteers have been working more than two years to develop the Standards. As explained in this column in late summer of last year, there are nine individual topic areas that comprise the standards. Sections include Accommodations, Audio Visual, Communication, Exhibits, Food and Beverage, On-site Office, Destinations, Meeting Venue, and Transportation.

The Standards are voluntary; there will be no policing body to make sure they are followed. Over the past few years, however, private corporations, nonprofits, governmental organizations and others have increasingly been including environment-related requirements in their requests for proposal. Expect that trend to continue and grow. If you have a meeting facility and are not prepared to at least meet some of the Standards, meeting planners will take their business somewhere else—probably to one of your competitors.

At the conference, in a session on “Selection, Contracts and Brand Standards,” Megan Rooksby, American Express Business Travel, recommended that meeting planners include an “Environmental Provisions Clause” in their contracts that explains exactly what green steps are expected during an event. That makes a lot of sense. She also suggested including a “Performance Clause” that dictates the amount of penalty or “credit” the facility would be responsible for if all environmental action steps are not carried out. Should suppliers of meeting space be penalized monetarily or in other ways when they fail to deliver on their green promises? I believe they should. What do you think?

As June approaches, I will be sure to update you on the progress of the Standards. If you have an opinion on the Standards as they currently are written and wish to share that with our readers, contact me at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by phone at (440) 243-2055.

Advertising Opportunities in 2010

There are still some excellent Green Lodging News advertising opportunities available for 2010, including ad spots on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. There are also many Green Supplier Spotlight dates available throughout the year. If your company has a product or products it would like to feature in Green Lodging News in 2010, be sure to contact me at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. The 2010 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

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