When it comes to making sure that cities, convention centers, and hotels offer green meeting options, one thing is clear: Meeting professionals are in the driver's seat. That point was driven home at the September 21 Convene Green Alliance (CGA) Focus Forum. During the forum, a panel of three convention and visitors bureau (CVB) executives spoke to a group of meeting professionals about green meetings and the commitments and options they should expect from destinations and properties.
Todd Charlebois, president of Associated Marketing Partners and the moderator of the forum, kicked off the session by noting, "Green initiatives are among the key business engines behind companies and the people they serve. People are green in their everyday lives and they expect the same from their associations and the meetings they attend." An important part of the equation is meeting in a destination where the community has committed to operating in a sustainable way, which often provides more opportunities for green meetings.
All three executives emphasized that green programs are buyer demand driven, and each of them encouraged planners to speak up strongly to let destinations and properties know that they must have sustainability programs in order to win meetings. Jason Fulvi, CDME, executive director of convention sales for VisitPittsburgh, explained, "Planners can not only influence companies but also local governments. They are the ones who need to approve money to make things happen."
Even when the hospitality community of a city understands the importance of implementing green initiatives, their voice can only go so far with city decision makers. It is when the recommendation comes directly from the meeting planner buyer that it carries some weight. Michael Smith, vice president of convention sales for Travel Portland cited an example: "The Portland City Council was talking to a major fraternal organization a few years ago, thanking them for bringing their business to the city, and one of the leaders spoke to them sternly about the green issue and the need for more initiatives." Smith noted that this got the attention of the mayor and that it helped for him to hear the importance of green initiatives from the organization.
One attendee, whose association requires a city's compliance with a laundry list of green initiatives, understands the value of meeting planners and association executives in driving environmental change. She cited examples of green initiatives that cities and hotels have made in order to win her organization's meeting business. Brent Foerster, vice president of sales & marketing for VISIT Milwaukee explained, "I would like to see planners make green meetings an even bigger issue. When they go to talk to convention centers, hotels, caterers, transportation companies, and other suppliers they have to keep saying, 'Here is where we need to go' and explain why. This will influence them to get there."
The hospitality community has seen a dramatic increase in concern for the environment coming from the association and meetings communities. Despite the challenges brought about by the economy over the last year, the environment continues to be a top priority and a primary factor in buying decisions.