Green Meetings
« Previous EntriesFour Tough Challenges that Make Sustainability Easier
Saturday, July 16th, 2011Earlier this month, a colleague shook up my thinking about green meetings with an idea that could shift any organization’s sustainability program in a more practical direction.
And here’s the twist: the surest way to simplify our industry’s approach to sustainability might be to sharpen our focus on the toughest sustainability issues we face.
Thanks for this [...]
Remembering What Matters
Thursday, June 16th, 2011Memo to Vancouver hockey rioters: Get a grip.
Last night, the Boston Bruins broke millions of Canadians’ hardened hockey hearts with what really was a well-deserved win in the Stanley Cup final. The street riots in downtown Vancouver began within minutes, making headlines as far away as India and Australia and gaining prominent play on the [...]
Building a Better Platform
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011Our son, Adrian, is a software developer, and frequently brings us his observations on the IT business. Sometimes, those observations hit closer to home.
A conversation a few months ago had to do with a hardware manufacturer that may be nearing its sunset. It’s a company that once shone brightly, but is being overtaken by more [...]
The Conference Your Conference Could Be
Thursday, June 9th, 2011If you could reach a wider audience with your next conference and deliver a far more engaging, immersive experience onsite, would you want to?
How you answer that question—and the steps you’re prepared to take to set a new plan in motion—may not be as obvious as you might think. Your response will tell you how [...]
The Building Your Building Can Be
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011When I stepped onto the construction site for the new Ottawa Convention Centre late last week, during an advance tour for members of the OCC Advisory Board, I saw the end of a 15-year campaign that burned through at least three generations of local industry volunteers.
The original Ottawa Congress Centre opened in 1984, and it [...]
Sweating the Small Stuff on Sustainable Hotels
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010I’ve just recently returned from a month in Western Canada, about half of it spent onsite. It was a good trip, but I have a quibble with one of the hotels where I stayed.
It’s a small quibble, as quibbles go. You wouldn’t be wrong to conclude that if this was my only complaint, I actually [...]
Meetings that Changed the World
Monday, August 16th, 2010Anyone who has ever worked as a meeting professional can tell you about their favorite meetings and proudest moments onsite. When planners and suppliers begin swapping those war stories, they’re usually talking about meetings that changed the world.
When Fusion Productions and The Conference Publishers set out to gather testimonials in advance of MPI’s 2010 World [...]
Out of Chaos: SMMP at Microsoft
Thursday, July 29th, 2010To move from “a state of chaos” and implement strategic event management at his organization, Jeff Singsaas, general manager of Microsoft Studios and global event marketing for Microsoft Corporation, said he focussed on building partnerships.
“We can’t do it all, and don’t want to do it all,” Singsaas said at a session Tuesday afternoon at MPI’s [...]
Green Meeting Standards Mark Industry Transformation
Thursday, July 29th, 2010After three years of rigorous debate and extensive input from more than 200 volunteers and pan-industry experts, a uniform set of green meetings standards is set for release before the end of this year.
A joint project of the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), the APEX/ASTM Green Meeting and [...]
Tread More Lightly on the Planet: Advice for Meeting Planners
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010Planning a sustainable event is about doing more with less, said Andrew Walker, Toronto-based founder and managing director of Eco-Efficient Events, who led participants in an interactive Tuesday morning session at MPI’s 2010 World Education Congress.
Participants discussed strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of the meetings industry, which has a reputation for unsustainable practices. Walker [...]