Green Meetings

Atlanta is known for its lush landscape, rolling hills and red clay, and the city is trying to preserve this environment one establishment at a time. Many Atlanta caterers, restaurants and even hotels are doing their part to extend Earth's time clock in little ways. You, too, can make a difference the next time you host an event in Atlanta.

The Crown Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia was recently reported to be the first hotel in Georgia to be certified by Green Globe Recognizing Sustainable Practices. What are these sustainable practices? They include the hotel's extensive recycling and waste program, low flow shower heads promoting water conservation, and the donation of hotel linen and furniture to local charities following recent renovations. Feel free to host your next green meeting in this Atlanta hotel's 32,000 square feet of meeting space.

Doubletree Hotel Atlanta Buckhead welcomes guests with its Green & Sustainable Initiatives, designed to address the hotel waste issues. Currently the hotel allows visitors to recycle by placing both trash and recycle bins in every room. If you ever wondered what happened to the other half of that chicken sandwich you couldn't finish, rest assured that the kitchen's garden is layered with a compost mixture of food waste.
 
Events at the Doubletree can take advantage of the the Peachtree Ballroom, seating 300 guests, which is complete with energy efficient compact fluorescent lighting.

For more information about these and other green hotels in Atlanta, visit the Cvent Supplier Network.

Great news for green meetings from Las Vegas. MGM's CityCenter has announced that its two hotels, ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa, have received LEED Gold certification, making them the first hotels in Las Vegas to to so.

Eco-friendly features at the two hotels include water conservation technology programs, stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas and a large-scale recycling operation. CityCenter has also announced that 97 percent of the imploded Boardwalk Hotel has been recycled.

Designed by world-renowned architectural firm Pelli Clarke Pelli, ARIA will feature 4,004 guest rooms and 300,000 square feet of Las Vegas meeting space. The 18-story Vdara will offer 10,000 square feet of ground-level conference space. Both Las Vegas hotels are set to open in December this year.

CityCenter expects Gold or Silver LEED certification for its other developments, which include the Crystals retail district and Las Vegas' first Mandarin Oriental.

View more information about these hotels and more on Cvent's Las Vegas venue directory.

Increasingly, meeting planners are holding their Green meetings exclusively at Green hotels, and major hotel chains are updating their properties to meet the growing demand. IHG is one chain leading the way in the race to be the industry’s environmental leader. For example, the InterContinental Hotel San Francisco has made great strides to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification, hoping to achieve this goal by 2010. The LEED certification is widely considered the highest mark of environmental-friendliness, and is still a very rare accomplishment with only about 20 certified hotels nationwide.

The LEED certification process takes into account all aspects of the property’s operations, as well as the building itself.  The InterContinental Hotel San Francisco has implemented several green initiatives towards the strict LEED criteria, including a linen and towel re-use program, mold-free drywall, double-paned windows, motion sensors in the guestrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the property, digital reader boards throughout the property, automatic sensors on sinks and toilets, and local & organic food served in the Luce restaurant. In addition to these green features, the property also uses energy-efficient kitchen equipment, reduced flow showers and sinks, reusable service ware, energy efficient lighting, and has a comprehensive recycling program.

So, if you’re hoping to hold your next meeting in San Francisco and being green is a top priority, then the InterContinental Hotel San Francisco is an ideal choice. This San Francisco meeting venue makes it easy for your group to cut back on the amount of paper used during meetings with electronic technology, and also encourages reusable service ware, filtered non-bottled water service, food waste composting and recycling. Also, with an abundance of natural light in the 45,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, artificial lighting is cut to a minimum.

View more information about the InterContinental Hotel San Francisco on the Cvent Supplier Network

Any tradeshow planner or attendee knows that by the time the show is over you'll have accumulated a LOT of paper. Flyers, brochures, business cards, event agendas, presentation print-outs—the list is staggering, really. In fact, the EPA reports that attendees on average produces 61 pounds of solid waste during a three-day conference.

In the past, I've recommended using recycled tote bags as a green giveaway so that attendees could carry all these materials. I've also suggested posting your documents online to reduce printed waste. But why not combine these green ideas at your next conference by going entirely virtual?

I just read about the Virtual Totebag in my Meetings & Conventions Daily Hot Ideas newsletter. Exhibitors can load up to four files or links to a repository, which attendees access via a coded text message. Attendees can then share presentations online, and exhibitors track what attendees received and manage any follow-up.

It's a win-win-win solution: attendees don't have to deal with stacks of papers; exhibitors decrease cost and environmental imprint of shipping and printing; and meeting planners become an environmental leader.

Planners can secure the Virtual Totebag for all exhibitors or make it available for individuals. Learn more at VirtualTotebag.com.

Sarah recently wrote a post about the trend for big hotel chains going green, and properties like the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare are following suit. Hotels in Chicago and nationwide are focusing more and more on the environmental impact of their facilities and increasingly offering Green meetings options.

Open for business since last September, the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare is approaching its one-year anniversary as an eco-savvy, luxury hotel in Chicago. The property utilizes 100% renewable energy credits from wind, features a green roof, recycles all materials used throughout its hotel and convention area, and helps businesses and organizations support sustainability with its “Green Meetings” program.

As part of the “Green Meetings” program, meeting planners have the ability to choose from a selection of organic and sustainable local meals, recycled paper and pencils, LCD projectors and screens, biodegradable water bottles, biodegradable centerpieces, and other amenities. In a previous post on the Cvent blog, we outlined the benefits of using Green Meetings programs like the one at this Chicago event venue.  For one, these programs help reduce overall costs of your meetings; they give you increased reputational effects for being environmentally conscious; and, finally, they are more likely to boost attendance and employee retention at your company.  You can learn more tips on “greening” your meeting space, as well, on the Cvent Meetings & Events blog.
 
If environmental-friendliness is a hot-button issue for your next event, consider the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare.  This Chicago Airport Hotel is less than 5 minutes from the O'Hare International Airport, making it easy for guests to get to and from your event; and, with over 53,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, the hotel has a meeting room for any occasion.

View more information about the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare on the Cvent Supplier Network

Scheduled to open in June 2010, the JW Marriott Hotel Chicago will be the product of a $396 million restoration of a historical Chicago building, originally architected by Daniel Burnham.  Burnham was the urban planner for Chicago’s modern city plan, and his architecture has a distinctive style that is now accompanied by 21st century amenities at the JW Marriott. The site for the hotel is a 975,000 square-foot-former bank building in the center of Chicago’s financial district. This area has been featured often in Hollywood films thanks to its 1920’s neo-classical architecture—most recently, in the latest chapter of the Batman series, “The Dark Knight.”

The JW Marriott Hotel Chicago will have 43 meeting rooms, each equipped with wireless high-speed internet and videoconferencing capabilities, making this an ideal location for corporate meetings.  The property also offers Green Meeting packages for environmentally-conscious planners to reduce the impact of their events. Additionally, two of the ballrooms in the hotel will be carved out of what was formerly a three-story barrel-vaulted banking hall in the center of the building, and the larger ballroom, the Burnham, will be able to seat up to 918 people. With so much space and a brand new financial district, this upscale hotel is a perfect place to hold your next Chicago event!

View more information about the JW Marriott Hotel Chicago on the Cvent Supplier Network. 

The meetings industry is one step closer to having standards for green meetings. A final draft of standards for green meetings and events, developed by the Convention Industry Council's Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) Green Meetings and Events Practices Panel, is ready for your consideration.

The APEX Green Meeting and Events Voluntary Standard covers nine areas: accommodations, AV, communication, destinations, food and beverage, exhibits, meeting venue, on-site office, and transportation. The Standard is available online at the APEX blog, where visitors can comment on each section.

In addition to providing online feedback, APEX is also hosting another round of City Discussion Groups in major cities across the country. These CDGs allow industry members to publicly participate in the discussion of the Voluntary Standard. So far the schedule is as follows:

• August 16, 2009: Atlanta event at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia
• September 1, 2009: Denver event at The Ritz-Carlton Denver
• September 3, 2009: Baltimore event at the Baltimore Convention Center
• September 9, 2009: San Antonio event at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter
• September 11, 2009: Washington, DC event at the U.S. Green Building Council Board Room

You can register online, and don't forget to keep checking as more dates are announced.

The headquarters of three major hotel chains, Hilton, Marriott, and Wyndham, are all going green!

Hilton, who recently relocated its headquarters from Beverly Hills, California, to McLean, Virginia (the same neighborhood as Cvent HQ!), occupies an LEED Gold-certified building owned by B.F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust. A reflective roof, sustainable wood in doors and lobby millwork, high energy efficient windows, and low-flow plumbing fixtures are among the features helping to make Hilton's home base eco-friendly, according to Green Lodging News.

Marriott is working to obtain LEED rating for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance for its offices in Bethesda, Maryland. Its efforts include shifting to biodegradable disposable containers in the cafeteria (and eventually to all permanent-ware), utilizing energy efficient lighting, and enforcing a building-wide program that sends appropriate wastes to a compost farm as opposed to a landfill.

Wyndham, meanwhile, opened its headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, and expects to achieve LEED Silver certification by early 2010. A reflective roof, energy efficient lighting, low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paint, carpeting and furniture, and zoned heating and cooling systems are among the measures helping Wyndham go green. Employees can also take advantage of a on-site gym, green dry cleaner, credit union, cafe, cafeteria and gift shop with groceries like milk and eggs so that they don't have to drive as much.

In addition to helping the environment, the three hotels have found that their green initiatives are saving money and boosting morale. Faith Taylor, vice president of sustainability and innovation for Wyndham Worldwide, told GLN that the new amenities and working in a healthy building have boosted morale; Wyndham's even seeing a 10 percent to 30 percent improvement in efficiency at its HQ.

At Marriott, the eco-friendly efforts are saving thousands of dollars. Energy efficient lighting has resulted in $155,000 in electricity savings, while eliminating disposables in the cafeteria will likely save $65,000 over the next three years.

Saving the environment and saving money—sounds familiar, right? If you want to follow in the footsteps of these hotels, get a refresher on green meetings by looking through some of these earlier posts:

• Go Green, Save Green by Posting Your Event Document Library Online

• Green Your Meeting Space

• Avoid Meeting Mistakes: Incorporate Green Practices to Your Events

As a meeting planner you've no doubt heard time and time again that it's great to go green. Source organic foods. Use items made from recyclable goods. Recycle all your packaging and containers. The list of action items goes on and on.

But let's be honest. When it comes down to it, if you're faced with going green or saving money, there really isn't any option these days. Saving money wins every time.

However, despite what most planners believe (and really, what was true in many cases in the past), green meetings need not add extra costs. In fact, I recently read a great article on MeetingsNet about just that. Below you can read some common hesitations given by meeting planners when it comes to green strategies, and how they can be resolved.

• Sustainable goods are more money, simple as that.

Products you'd want for your conferences (for example, tote bags, pads of paper, etc.) have in the past carried an extra cost if you wanted them to be made with 100 percent recycled goods or according to green standards.

However, in this economy, suppliers simply cannot afford to keep prices high. More often then not, you'll find green items priced equally to or less than their counterparts.

• A big list of green demands will be met with a bigger price tag.

You may have been hesitant to ask for certain eco-friendly items from your venue in the past. But in today's buyer's market, planners have much more power in their hands.

Hotels and other venues are not only more willing to implement green strategies at a reasonable costs, they can actually provide some solutions as well. As President and COO of the Creative Group Brad Langley told MeetingsNet, "It's amazing how creative our hotel partners have become in this area [of green meetings]."

• Food and beverage costs are high enough already, let alone trying to factor in organic meals.

Organic foods don't always mean additional expense. Many organic foods are more easily accessible during warmer months, for example.

Nancy Wilson, CMP, principal of MeetGreen, also has a great tip: "For all our clients, we ask the hotel to provide us with the first 30 percent of our local or organic F&B at the same cost as non-organic. The venue is usually responsive to that."

There's no denying that planning and hosting a full-on green meeting these days is a challenge, both financially and logistically. But you'll be surprised to find that many eco-friendly options aren't as expensive as they once were. Remember, just a few changes go a long way!

Every planner knows you are only as good as your last event.  Reputation is everything and distinguishing yourself from the competition is the key to success. 

So, how can you continue to generate cutting edge event designs event after event?

1. Pay attention to what is in your own backyard.  Some of the best inspiration can be found at places you regularly visit.  Do you love the way the sushi place downtown delivers your plate on a conveyor belt?  Have you always thought it was really cool that the Italian restaurant has live basil and other spices on the table for patrons to use to season their food?  Is your favorite part about your neighborhood park that they have cut all of the shrubs into animal shapes?

Think about how you can incorporate these things into your next event design.  Could you deliver all of your hors d’oeuvres on a series of conveyor belts during your next cocktail reception?  Could live herbs and spices serve a dual function at your event for the Green Meetings Industry Council - condiments and centerpieces?  Would it be possible to create mini animal shrubs to use a center pieces for next month’s Zoo benefit?  

2. Look for ideas in places beyond the traditional hospitality industry resources. Read magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living and Interior Design.  Visit web sites like marthastewart.com, rachelray.com and hgtv.com.

Not only do these resources offer great ideas, but often cost saving ideas.   Learn how to make paper lantern vases for a garden party, all-purpose spice rub for a cooking class favor, origami gift bags for an Asian-inspired affair and more - all with supplies found in your local arts and craft store. 

3. Look for ways to make the ordinary extraordinary.  An event with dry ice may remind you of an old school Halloween party, but what if you used the dry ice to make frozen drinks for your guests?  Cut large blocks of dry ice.  Have guests choose their favorite soda flavor.  Pour the soda and a little rum into the dry ice.  Stir and the result is a fabulously unique slushy-like cocktail. 

Another candy bag favor may seem totally overdone, but what if you create a candy bar reminiscent of an Old Soda Fountain or General Store?  Use an assortment of types of candy, but use only one color such as red.  Provide each guest a Chinese carry-out box and let them create the candy favor of their choice.  I have a feeling this might turn into something to talk about.

When you think your creativity is running dry, you may be trying too hard to think of the perfect event design.  Take a step back and focus on the resources you have right in front of you.  Sometimes the next bubble-bursting idea is right under your nose.

Planning a green meeting for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. Though there are now plenty of resources to assist planners in making smart, eco-conscious decisions, one of the best and easiest ways to ensure a successful green event is to pick an environmentally-friendly venue. Already experienced in green programs and procedures, a green venue can be invaluable in assisting a planner in making the most sustainable choices.

I recently heard about a venue taking green events to new heights, and when I found out it was not too far from Cvent headquarters, I decided I had to share. Located in Warrenton, Virginia, about 50 miles southwest of Washington, DC, the Airlie Center makes it a priority to balance the natural environment and conference operations.

Its green initiatives include a linen and towel reuse program, organic culinary garden, energy efficient lighting, and non-toxic biodegradable cleaning products. It has received certification from Green Seal's Environmental Lodging Program and the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program.

The Airlie's serene location is literally green itself. Located in the gorgeous Piedmont region of the state, Airlie's lush landscape, dotted by shady trees and vibrant blooms, is ideal for jogging, biking, fishing, volleyball, tennis and more. Groups can even book a tour at the Environmental Studies on the Piedmont, right across from the Airlie campus, to explore the diverse woodland area, over 50 active beehives, and the resident swans that form its
internationally-recognized Swan Research Program.

Back in the boardroom, this DC conference center offers natural lighting, ergonomic chairs, and the latest in technology in its 17 conference rooms. Private dining can be arranged in a range of settings, from the Boardroom, accented by a roaring fireplace, to the formal garden. The Airlie Center also has 150 guest rooms.

Not surprisingly, the center has a number of repeat guests and hosts about 600 government, non-profit and private sector groups annually. A member of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) since 1990, Airlie Center really does pack a punch when it comes to conference programs. Consider it when you want to host a productive DC event that will keep your guests and the earth happy!

View more information about the Airlie Center on the Cvent Supplier Network

Earth Day was Wednesday, but that doesn't mean you should stop thinking about going green with your events! If you read last week's post, you'll remember that Portland and San Francisco were the top-ranking cities in which to host a green meeting, according to Meeting Strategies Worldwide's Best Places to MeetGreen Scorecard.

I blogged about Portland, Oregon, event venues earlier this week, so let's look at what awaits for your San Francisco events!

Moscone Center

If you need San Francisco meeting space with an eco-friendly conscious, the city's grand Moscone Center is ideal. Energy efficient lighting combined with the 60,000 solar array atop the center, which is the largest city-owned solar installation in the country, will reduce carbon emissions of carbon dioxide from the center by 34,000 tons. Not surprisingly, Moscone's green efforts have been recognized with awards such as the 2009 Environmental Achievement Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Southwest Region 9.

The impressive San Francisco convention center can accommodate events of all sizes. Its three components (Moscone North, South and West) consist of over two million square feet of building area, including over 700,000 square feet of exhibit space and up to 106 meeting rooms. In addition to versatile space, meeting planners can enjoy services such as an in-house audio-visual provider, state-of-the-art sound systems, sponsored wifi, and catering by SMG, the premier large-scale caterer in San Francisco.

AT&T Park

Green venues are by no means boring, as AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, proves. In 2007, the Giants and the Electric Company completed the first solar energy system installation at a Major League Baseball park. The system was just one of several green initiatives at the park, as it also uses fluorescent lighting, motion sensor lighting and energy management systems.

Recognized not just for its eco-friendly efforts, AT&T Park has also been noted by Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily as the 2008 Sports Facility of the Year. With a number of San Francisco event venues, the park invites planners to host cocktail receptions in the dugout or business lunches in the Clubhouse. Catering services—from appetizers to boxed lunches to seated dinners—are provided by Bon Appetit.

Don't forget: you can read all about San Francisco's meeting venues for planners at the Cvent Destination Guide.

The Green Meetings Industry Council has launched its second major initiave today as it unveiled the Million Tons of Trash Challenge. As we mentioned in March, the challenge calls for global meetings, events and hospitality industries to divert, recycle or compost a million tons of waste by the end of 2009.

Such an effort can go a long way, seeing as how the average meeting produces 90 pounds of waste per person, per day. With an estimated 700 million event attendees each year in the United States and Canada alone, they create an estimated 10.5 tons of trash annually. If the challenge is met, it can reduce the amount of waste by approximately 10 percent.

GMIC will recognize the organizations with the best recycling and waste diversion rates and plans to use the results of the challenge as a best practices guide for the industry.

"We see the trash challenge as a way to build awareness, educate and engage the industry in reducing our environmental footprint," said Nancy J. Wilson, CMP, co-founder of GMIC, in a statement. "This is a great way to
challenge your colleagues and competitors to participate in something we all benefit from."

To learn more about joining or sponsoring the challenge, visit the Trash Challenge website or email challenge@greenmeetings.info.

Just in time for Earth Day, the Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) has launched the Green Meetings Portal. Designed as a one-stop source on green meetings practice, policy and technology, the Portal offers a wealth of resources for planners, venues, hotels and destinations to get a better idea of how to make meetings and events sustainable.

"There may be dozens or hundreds of conferences around the world that touch on the process of greening meetings, or reducing the environmental footprint of the buildings and services that make meetings possible," said The Conference Publishers President and CEO Mitchell Beer, CMM. "The Green Meetings Portal will give the meetings industry a single window on the green strategies that will help it survive and thrive."

Visitors to the Green Meetings Portal can catch up on the latest news or browse articles by topic. Topic areas include case studies, green destinations, green food and beverage, and corporate social responsibility.

Created in partnership with Conference Publishers, the developers of the Portal expect to consolidate content from at least a dozen conferences in its first six months of operation. The existing content was drawn from GMIC's annual meeting, the 2009 Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference held February in Pittsburgh.

Visit the Green Meetings Portal for more information.

Not sure what to serve at your next cocktail party, wedding reception or catered affair? You could use some advice from the people who know best, the professional chefs of the American Culinary Federation.

The National Restaurant Association surveyed of 1,600 of these chefs on what menu items are going to be hot in 2009. Here are the top 20 trends:

1. Locally-grown produce
2. Bit-size/mini desserts
3. Organic produce
4. Nutritionally balanced children's dishes
5. New/fabricated cuts of meat such as Denver steak, pork flat iron and bone-in Tuscan veal chop
6. Fruit/vegetable children's side items
7. Superfruits such as acai, goji berry and mangosteen
8. Small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum
9. Micro-distilled artisan liquor
10. Sustainable seafood
11. Nutrition/health (reduced sodium or low-fat items, for example)
12. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious cuisine
13. Non-traditional fish such as Arctic char and barramundi
14. Artisanal cheese
15. Exotic fruit such as passion fruit and guava
16. Culinary cocktails
17. Micro-vegetables/micro-greens
18. Organic wine
19. Dessert flights/combos/platters
20. Free-range poultry/pork

For planners, a number of these trends can not only make your events chic, but they can also help your budget. A few passed small plates or tapas can create an inexpensive cocktail menu. Locally-grown produce, the number one trend, will cut back on catering costs normally associated with shipping food in from far distances. It will also further your efforts to host a green meeting.

Earth Day is this week, and to celebrate, we're taking a look at green meeting venues across the United States. As I mentioned last week, Portland, Oregon is the number one destination for going green with your events, according to Meeting Strategies Worldwide's Best Places to MeetGreen Scorecard.

Check out a few great venue options for your green events in Portland:

Oregon Convention Center

Portland's Oregon Convention Center is at the forefront of green buildings and eco-friendly practices. In September 2008, the center was recertified with the LEED-EB Silver rating from the United States Green Building Council. As such, it became the first convention center in the country to receive recertification at a higher rating. It is also the first convention center in the United States to earn Salmon-Safe certification, awarded for its commitments to protect water quality and Pacific salmon habitat.

Meeting planners can easily go green at the Oregon Convention Center with its two-tier level of service. Just for using the facility, planners can enjoy recycling bins provided in all meeting and ballroom lobby areas, locally-grown
food products used on menus, recycled biodegradable plates for catered events, and cardboard collection handled by staff when placed in waste receptacles, among other services.

The Oregon Convention Center boasts and an impressive 255,000 square feet of exhibit space, two grand ballrooms and 50 meeting rooms. Exhibitor services include booth cleaning, audio-visual specialists, high-speed Internet access and catering with "Northwest Fresh" menus.

Hilton Portland and Executive Tower

If you're looking for meeting space and overnight accommodations, the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower offers some of the best of both, all with a touch of green. The hotel—the largest in Oregon—is Green Seal certified. The property has implemented green efforts such as low-flow toilets and showerheads (which caused a decrease of 50 percent in overall water consumption); thermostats that operate by motion sensor, thereby conserving heat or air conditioning when guests exit the rooms; and the donation of leftover food to a local food bank.

This 100 percent non-smoking hotel is in the heart of downtown, just two blocks away from a MAX light rail stop. It features over 780 guest rooms and suites with recently remodeled bathrooms, as well as more spacious accommodations in the tower. The property also features 66,000 square feet of meeting space including a grand ballroom.

Earth Day is next week, so if you haven't starting thinking about greening your events, now is a great time to start. But if you feel overwhelmed when it comes to making your events more environmentally friendly, here's some advice: start at the beginning with the destination. Choosing a green meeting destination betters your chances of finding green venues, abundant natural spaces and an overall eco-friendly attitude.

Meeting Strategies Worldwide has put together the Best Places to MeetGreen Scorecard. It recognizes the ability of a city to provide green meeting services, raking them according to environmental programs in place at the convention and visitors' bureau, convention center and hotels in the city's conference package.

So what cities are your best bet for green meetings, according to the scorecard? Here are the six ranked destinations:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. San Francisco, California
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Orlando, Florida
6. Montreal, Canada

In honor of Earth Day, I want to pick a one or two venues from each of these cities that make it easy for you to host an environmentally friendly meeting. If you have any venue suggestions, let me know! In the meantime, I'll be searching the Cvent Supplier Network for ideas.

Looking to host green meetings in Houston? Consider the Hilton Americas-Houston, the first hotel in Texas to reach Green Seal certification. This recognizes the hotel as complying with the environmental and performance requirements of the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties at the silver level.

What did the Hilton do to become more eco-friendly? Extensive recycling efforts, composting food waste, and replacing guest room lighting with compact florescent lighting are among its green initiatives.

With 1,203 guest rooms, the Hilton Americas-Houston has an impressive 91,500 square feet of meeting space. Amenities include a lobby bar, three on-site restaurants, and a full-service spa and health club.

View more information on Hilton Americas-Houston at the Cvent Supplier Network.

Benchmark Hospitality International has released its Top 10 Meeting Trends for 2009. You can check out their full list of 2009 trends, as observed at BHI's 30 award-winning properties, or review our recap below:

1. Meetings have never been more focused—right now it's all about Return on Investment (ROI)

2. Going green is important, but can be too costly for some planners

3. Booking pace is best described as book now, for now, but will probably recover by the end of 2009

4. Budget-conscious planners spend more time negotiating, and are looking for working lunches and dinners and value-adds

5. Team building activities are still going strong

6. These activities aren't as likely to be golf, spa treatments or other so-called extravagances

7. Part-time planners are more common thanks to industry consolidation

8. Meals are limited to basic breakfasts, lunches or dinners

9. SMERF (Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal Organizations) meetings are on the rise, as are those in the medical, biotech and pharmaceutical markets

10. Conference centers are a more attractive option over resorts, glamorous hotels, or other environments that may create the wrong perception

What do you think of the trends? After all the benefits I've covered on green meetings, it's a little disappointing to think that planners don't see it as a budget-friendly way to go. Are you seeing these trends, either at your venue or in your own planning?

"Give away permanent stuff" is the advice Andy Sernovitz recently gave in his newsletter. One of his tips is to use packaging that lasts, citing the example of Spanish waste management and consulting firm Grupo Hera that sent clients wine in a case that converted into a desktop lamp. He also recommends giving out reusable bags, saying "give your fans something they can reuse and show you off with."

Though his tips are not necessarily targeted for event marketing, they can certainly apply when it comes to conference and meeting takeaways and promotional materials. Not only do they keep in line with the move toward green meetings (permanent goods mean less waste), they also just make sense. After all, you want your meeting attendees to keep thinking about the event after it's happened and to spread the word to others for next year.

Tote bags, T-shirts, USB memory sticks—what permanent giveaways do you like to give to meeting attendees? Or, because of the economy, is this an area that's being cut out of the budget?