eco conferencing - a new way to meet
Browse by state for ecotourism venues offering genuine environmentally friendly meeting places, conference venues and associated accommodation for your next company event...
INFORMATION FOR HOTELS, RESORTS AND OTHER VENUES
Does your hotel, resort or facility offer meeting and/or conference space?
Have you noticed a change in the requests you receive from groups, asking about your green or sustainable initiatives?
All signs are pointing in the direction of a widespread increase in this trend.
So what exactly is a “Green or Eco Conference?” A green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment.
Green meetings can have a tremendous impact on our environment. Most hotels purchase more products in one week than 100 families typically purchase in a year. There are almost a limitless number of ways to green a meeting – and many of these offer opportunities to save money and increase efficiency. Event planners look at numerous aspects of your hotel’s efforts toward sustainability, including such areas as:
- Food and Beverage: maximizing the use of reusable, rather than disposable glassware, flatware, tablecloths, etc.
- Registration and Exhibitions: the use of electronic communication over paper as often as possible. And encouraging exhibitors to do the same.
- Location: offering low carbon emission transport options such as shuttle services and hybrid cars.
- Energy and Water Use: making sure that the energy and water consumption is kept as low as possible.
There are many reasons that this green trend is growing exponentially across Australia. Consumers and businesses are becoming much more aware of their carbon footprint and as more companies feel the pressure to create sustainability goals, they increasingly are asking their employees to stay in green-certified hotels. Companies that are closely scrutinized by the public do not want to present a mixed message – stating they want to help the planet, but ignoring a hotel’s approach to sustainability when planning for a company meeting.
However when a product or building (such as a hotel) boasts the virtues of being green, but does so in a misleading or exaggerated way, it is described as “greenwashing”. Unfortunately we repeatedly find plenty of instances in the accommodation sector. That can be a difficult label to shed, and guests and/or groups may feel as though they’ve been misled. While green standards are in their infancy and thus still ill-defined, we believe that there is no need to try to fool meeting and event planners, as many of them are looking for some effort toward sustainability, and will be happy with the progress you’ve made so far and the goals you have set.
And remember that prospective clients won’t know what your hotel is doing to limit its impact on the environment if you don’t tell them! Advertise your green initiatives on your website and in sales kits, proposals, your in-room directory and social media activities. You'll be surprised who may be reading about your initiatives.... our stats show that there are plenty of organizations searching for eco hosting of conferences. We would love to welcome you!
