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Conference Centers Go Green
Conference centers and meeting rooms are a common additional revenue source for hospitality venues. Regardless of your property's size, having space for a meeting or conference is a smart move. Consider, while you are developing your conference center space, creating a green environment and practice for that space. If you already have a conference center, that could be a great place to begin your sustainable practices.
Areas you can implement sustainable decisions include the room finish (flooring, wall and window coverings, lighting, and climate control systems); furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E); and operational policies (recycling, reduced use of non-recyclable items like paper plates and napkins, composting, climate control, reduction or elimination of poisons used at the facility (such as pest control and toxic cleaning products), and water and energy conservation).
The advantage of having a conference center as part of your property is that it attracts business. Not only will you make money with the room space, but it will also attract guests to your main hospitality business, be it lodging, recreation, or restaurant.
Clearly having a conference center is a synergistic expansion of your existing hospitality business. Making it a green conference center opens doors to clientele who care about their surroundings and want a green facility for their meeting -- a growing segment of the business world. One bonus for going green is your operating expenses will be lower, giving you a savings. Increased income and reduced expenses are additional rewards for creating a green conference center.
Here are a few suggestions you can implement in your green conference center that are easy, but have a big impact:
- Modify the air conditioning to be warmer and heating to be cooler. Install setback thermostats.
- Turn down the lighting. Retrofit or install energy efficient lighting, like compact fluorescent bulbs.
- Encourage a minimal use of paper for meeting materials, and offer to shred and dispose of or recycle any that is left over.
- Recycle (paper, plastic, glass, and cans) with visible bins for everyone to use.
- Offer only linen table covers and napkins, no disposables.
- Use china, glass and silverware, not disposables.
- Serve beverages and condiments in bulk dispensers, state law allowing, minimizing individual servings and their associated waste.
- Consider providing foods that will either keep longer, can be donated as excess, donated to pig farmers, or composted.
A green conference center addition is an ECOnomically Sound option.
Green Meeting Planners
Green Conference Centers
Posted by Kit Cassingham
