Selling Green Meetings to Your Stakeholders

By Nancy J. Wilson, CMP — MeetGreen

Associations were the “early adopters” of green meetings practices. They were the first to understand how sustainable meetings can bolster a group’s reputation and the bottom line. Corporations quickly caught on; today, corporate planners lead other planners in adopting green practices, with more than 51 percent organizing green meetings.

Now more than ever, stakeholders such as boards of directors, senior management, and sponsors are looking for ways to cut costs and improve image. If your stakeholders are not quite convinced but have begun to show interest, here are a few sample answers to commonly asked questions to help you sell green meetings.

Question: Isn’t this just a fad?

Answer:  The sustainable meeting industry is growing and rapidly becoming mainstream. According to the December 2008 Ernst & Young Report, Global Hospitality Insights: Hospitality Going Green, “Green programs can provide a competitive advantage as long as green activities are still optional in the market. However, over time, green practices will become a baseline requirement to doing business in the hospitality industry, particularly as the cost of non-renewable energy continues to increase. Thus, those companies with business models that revolve around green practices will have the strongest opportunity of achieving a ‘sustainable’ competitive advantage.”
 
Question: Times are tough; can we afford to go green?

Answer: The cost savings of green meetings are real. There are many examples, but to cite just one, a conference saved $60,000 just by reducing — not eliminating — shuttle transportation to the hotels closest to the meeting venue.

In an unsolicited testimonial, one fellow planner recently stated: "I developed and introduced our ‘Green Initiative’ at our annual convention ... overall, the initiatives saved us money. The biodegradable cups were obviously less expensive than bottled water, and the grocery bags saved us about 65 percent compared with the cost for our typical tote bags. We also did a good job of promoting the Green Initiative in advance (through e-mails) and on-site in our Show Daily. Of those attendees who responded to our electronic convention evaluation, 72 percent were aware of our Green Initiative, and of those who had an opinion about it, 89 percent approved of our new program. These were small steps, but now that I have demonstrated cost savings and buy-in from attendees, I know that we can continue and expand upon our Green Initiative."

Question: Will our going green help members and participants?

Answer:  Absolutely. One of the benefits is retention. Sustainability really means balancing the triple bottom line of economics, the environment and social components. It has been called the “three-legged stool” because without all three of these factors, an organization can simply not sustain itself. Organizations committed to sustainability are finding they are not just surviving; in fact, they have been thriving. “The bottom line is better, employee retention is increased, and consumers want to do business with them,” according to a recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Also, consumers are driving the demand for sustainability. A 2008 survey by the National Geographic Society and GlobeScan examined current behavior regarding consumer choice and the environment in fourteen countries (including Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States). The study found signs that consumers in all countries “feel empowered when it comes to the environment and are taking some action in their daily lives to reduce consumption and waste.” More than a third of U.S. respondents in a TripAdvisor survey said they will visit an environmentally friendly hotel or resort in 2009. Additionally, 32 percent of respondents said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions than they were the year before.

Question:  How will holding green meetings affect our reputation?

Answer: In recent months, the media has reported on numerous organizations being taken to task for sponsoring events seen as wasteful or excessive. This is a reminder of how closely an organization’s image is linked with their events — good or bad. When considering plans for a meeting or event, now more than ever, your reputation is on the line. Stakeholders and the media are asking questions, like: Do the organizers have sustainable policies? What are they? Are the results of these efforts being measured?

This is an opportunity for you to show your stakeholders how important your role is to the organization. You are on the front line of presenting your organization to the world and you hold the key to saving costs by including green meeting practices.

 

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