PORTLAND, ORE.—Planning is underway for the 2008 Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference. The event will be held February 19 to 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver in British Columbia. The conference is targeted at the following industry types: association, independent and corporate meeting planners, convention and visitors bureau staff, conference center managers, hotel catering, sales and management staff, city and urban planners, transportation providers, and exhibition producers and decorators.
The conference is the third of its kind. Previous events were held in 2005 and 2007. It is being organized by the Portland, Ore.-based Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). The keynote speaker will be Rohit Talwar. He is regarded as one of Europe’s leading professional futurists who brings a truly global perspective to his work—drawing on experience gained from speaking and working on all five continents. He combines in-depth research and more than 20 years of practical experience to help global businesses develop real insights into future possibilities and act on them to create powerful strategies and deliver innovative change.
The event will begin on Tuesday, February 19 with an opening reception. Wednesday, February 20 will include the following sessions: Community & Global Citizenship, Sustainable Catering, Standardization & Certification, Sustainable Travel & Tourism, Measuring & Benchmarking, Reducing Your Climate Footprint, and The Future of Green Meetings. Wednesday will also include a networking reception and keynote speech.
On Thursday, February 20, sessions will include: Ethics of Sustainability and Green Meetings, Partnering for Sustainability, Green Facilities, and GMIC and Your Personal Action Plan.
Prior to the conference, a Green Meetings 101 session will be presented by IMEX MPI Future Leaders’ Forum. To be held on Tuesday, February 19, it will be delivered by GMIC member Meeting Strategies Worldwide.
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Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
