Green Benefits
Savings Benefit Meetings Business
By Joan Drammeh
Companies report that good environment choices often make the best financial sense. Organizations committed to sustainability say that their bottom line is better, employee retention is increased, and consumers want to do business with them, according to Meeting Strategies Worldwide, which specializes in the meetings and hospitality industries. The environmental consulting firm produces the Best Places to MeetGreen Scorecard and released a white paper on the economy in December 2008, “The Economy and the Environment: One Solution for Two Meeting and Event Industry Issues.” The paper outlines the benefits of sustainable practices for the meetings industry.
“In today’s tougher economy there is no better time to look for ways to improve efficiencies, maximize investment, reduce cost, and innovate,” says Nancy J. Wilson, CMP of Meeting Strategies Worldwide. “The solution to overcoming economic challenges can be found in the environmental and social opportunities that are calling on meeting professionals to create the most sustainable and value-added approach to their activities.”The report highlighted two primary reasons for the economic benefits resulting from the commitment to sustainable practices: leaner operating practices lead to savings on energy costs and overall input costs, and consumers now place a premium on goods produced in a sustainable manner.
In 2008, a Meeting Market Trend Survey found that 43 percent of association meeting planners were planning green meetings. This was up from just seven percent two years ago.
The white paper details five reasons the meeting industry should incorporate green initiatives: cost savings, competitive advantage and promotional benefits, increased delegate satisfaction, greater employee retention, and fewer risks.Meeting Strategies Worldwide recently honored Montreal as the newest city to join the Best Places to MeetGreen Scorecard, The Canadian city, a popular meetings destination, joins Portland, Oregon; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Orlando, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and San Francisco, California.
The MeetGreen Scorecard is designed to help meeting and event planners select the best green destination for their group. Cities are ranked according to the green programs implemented by the destination’s conventions and visitor’s bureau, convention center, and hotels in the city’s conference package.
Similarly, the nonprofit organization Climate Counts recently began ranking airlines and hotel companies in the United States. Among the airlines, Northwest scored the highest in attempts to assess carbon footprints, reduce pollution, support climate legislation, and communicate their efforts to the public. Marriott topped the hotel list.
