Designing an event that is gentle on the earth requires planting seeds early rather than trying to put a patch on at the end of the process. Hence, the advent of the “Green RFP” that makes questions about everything from food recycling to energy efficiency as front-and-center in the sourcing process as square feet of the ballroom and number of guest rooms.

Smart Meetings worked with Destinations International to survey the meeting professional community to determine what steps are being taken and what free or almost free strategies could be added at the very beginning of the process further to shrink the carbon footprint of meetings and events.

Add a Question to the RFP

We found that 42% always or usually include questions about sustainability in their requests for proposals. That means that the more than half of meeting planners who sometimes, rarely or never do so could start including queries about composting, public transportation options and housekeeping practices. In addition to unearthing valuable details about what resources are available so you can make a more informed decision about which venue will align with your environmental goals, it indicates to the supplier that the issue is important and they might work harder to find creative solutions. Destination Marketing Organizations can be another valuable partner if brought in early to help find local vendors and CSR experiences, such as beach cleaning or cultural and environmental education. Sometimes they can even help find dollars and resources to facilitate leaving the place better than when the group arrived.

Rethink the Menu

The meat and potatoes issue meeting organizers ask about first is food sourcing and waste handling. More than 61% of survey respondents said they are looking for venues that have detailed programs around ethically and locally sourced ingredients. Many are looking for chefs who can create tasty meatless meals or staged buffets that don’t put food out until it is needed so there will be less left over. A venue with established protocols for minimizing food waste can be a partner in reaching sustainability targets. Similarly, recycling programs that go beyond a catchall bin with differentiated openings could include a combination of composting, dehydration and donations. If enough meeting planners ask about those measures, venues that don’t currently have programs in place may make it more of a priority.

Location Matters

Many event organizers are considering how far their attendees will have to travel to get to the convention center and how many sprinter vans and bus loops will be required to keep them going once they are on site. Walkable cities get bonus points in this calculation. Some are breaking the big annual meeting into smaller regional ones that don’t require an airline flight. For those that do, choosing a bucket list destination and negotiating rates for shoulder dates could allow attendees to consolidate their vacation and business travel trips, resulting in fewer overall flights.

You might be surprised how much of a difference a few simple changes can make in the overall environmental picture of a conference when you tap into the experts for thoughtful adjustments attendees will applaud in the end.