If you are in the hunt for some spring and summer conferences and trade shows that offer an opportunity to learn about green trends, practices, products and technologies, get out your calendar and start planning your travel. There are numerous events to consider and they are all approaching quickly. Many of the events are ones we have all come to expect from year to year; others are new. Be sure to check our Events calendar for a complete list of events.
From April 14 to 18, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show will be held in Chicago. Numerous educational sessions with a green focus are planned. Examples include “Green Remodeling,” “Ventilation 101: Clearing the Air,” and “Design & Inspiration Session: The Green Competitive Edge.” Vendors who will be offering green kitchen and bath products are highlighted on the show’s website.
This spring’s Coverings show in Orlando, Fla., held April 27 to 30, will have a green programming component with sessions such as “Using Tile in Your Next Green Building Project” and “Performance, Energy Efficiency, and Improved Indoor Environmental Quality with Tile, Marble, and Terrazzo.”
Focus on Sustainable Tourism
From May 9 to 12, the Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development will be held in Bridgetown, Barbados. This year’s theme: “Creating Opportunities Through a World Class Sustainable Tourism Product.” The keynote speaker will be Jonathan B. Tourtellot, director and geotourism editor, National Geographic Traveler.
From May 12 to 14, LIGHTFAIR International will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event is the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference. This year’s LIGHTFAIR will feature the launch of a Building Integration track. Its purpose is to educate attendees on energy efficiencies and optimizing overall building performance.
Hospitality Design Expo, held May 19 to 21, will once again include a Green Day, this time on May 18. Heather Gadonniex, LEED AP, and JoAnna Abrams from MindClick SGM will lead a session titled, “Responding to Demand for Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry.” One of the highlights during Green Day will be the unveiling of the winning design from the inaugural Sustainable Suite Design Competition, presented by the U.S. Green Building Council in conjunction with the American Society of Interior Designers and NEWH, Inc.-The Hospitality Industry Network.
The National Restaurant Association Show, held in Chicago from May 22 to 25, will include many exhibitors offering waste-reducing and resource-saving products. Numerous educational sessions will include a green focus. Some examples include: “Greener is Better,” “LEED: Focus on Efficiency,” and “Go Green: An Illinois Hospitality Perspective.”
On May 25, the New England Eco-Hospitality Expo will be held in Concord, N.H. The day-long event will include three concurrent session tracks and vendor exhibits.
Green Travel Summit Planned
From June 10 to 11, the Green Travel Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. The forum will focus on exploring green travel strategies and their impact on business travel and corporate meetings. A few of the sessions planned include: “Recession-Proofing Your Travel Program with CSR,” “The ROI of Green and the Journey of Getting There,” and “Green Meetings Guidelines & Checklist.”
This year’s NeoCon, held June 14 to 16 in Chicago, will include an environmental design track, a green building trolley tour, and LEED-Platinum showrooms.
HITEC, held June 21 to 24 in Orlando, Fla., will include exhibitors offering the latest building energy management technologies and will also include a “Green/Sustainable Super Session.”
The West Coast Green Lodging Conference, a first-time event planned for August 22 to 25 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., will include educational sessions on topics such as “The Financial Benefits of Going Green” and “Choosing a Green Venue from a Corporate Planner’s Perspective.” Attendees will also have an opportunity to tour the host hotel—the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort—and participate in round-table discussions with vendors.
Watch for coverage of many of the above events in Green Lodging News.
Last Week’s Bags Article
In last week’s newsletter I ran an article on bags (see article). In that article I featured vendors who have developed biodegradable bags or bags made from recycled content. After running that article I heard from Rick Siegel, CEO of The Green Garmento, LLC. He wanted to let you all know about his company’s reusable garment bags. They are currently being used in Four Seasons, Marriott, Hyatt and Fairmont properties, among others. Be sure to check out his company’s website by clicking here.
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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