Chicago Meetings and Events

Meeting and event planners all over the country are modifying their programs to fit the needs of their eco-friendly clients. By demonstrating a green initiative to their customers and employees, corporations can send a great message to their event attendees about the importance of being good to the environment.

In order to execute a green goal at an event, planners must demonstrate and incorporate the green initiative to their best ability. Here are 6 ideas for hosting a green event in Chicago:

1. Hold the program for your guests in the ballroom of the Chicago hotel that is hosting your group rather than at an off-site location. This will eliminate the carbon output from transportation to and from an off-site venue.

2. Ask the hotel if it is possible to bring in food that is locally and/or organically grown, a much more sustainable option. Also, donate leftover food from the event to a local shelter in the city.

3. Rather than flowers, use plants for event decor. Flowers are usually thrown away at the completion of an event, while plants can be used numerous times. Plants can even be re-potted or gifted for attendees.

4. Request that your centerpieces be made from recycled materials. For example, try the popular arrangement of green dendrobium orchids, pine and green fuji mums.

5. Add some sort of educational piece into your event agenda that highlights the importance of being eco-friendly. A nice decor idea would be to include a water wall in the center of the ballroom, symbolizing water as the center of the earth's ecosystem. This water wall could have images or facts pertaining to the theme projected into it in order to grasp guests' attention while educating them at the same time. 

Use your local resources to get an idea of what each city does to work toward sustainability. Contacting a local representative from an eco-friendly organization to bring in some educational materials or even give a short speech at an event can help stress the importance of helping the environment.

6. While in the planning stages of such an event, research the hotel brands you are considering. Many well-known hotels in Chicago have taken on new efforts to support the green movement.