By their very nature, conventions produce a lot of waste. When a meeting concludes, food waste, session handouts, booth scraps, and hundreds of other items are left over. Multiply those items by hundreds or even thousands of attendees and exhibitors, and you can have several tons of waste produced from just one convention. The good news is that increasingly, meeting planners and convention center personnel are looking for ways to reduce the waste produced at their events.

"I truly believe that being environmentally friendly and being able to demonstrate this with conventions makes a powerful statement in terms of one of the core values or beliefs of an association or organization," said Vince Quattrociocchi, vice president of operations for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC). "This is true especially these days when more and more people are recognizing that the ecosystem has become more fragile and everyone in some part has already begun or is starting to think of ways to reduce waste, recycle, or conserve energy. Green is in!"

Beyond Recycling

While recycling has caught on, most conventions only recycle less than half of the waste that is produced. However, some convention centers are taking the lead in encouraging groups to go even further - in some cases, striving to achieve "zero waste."

"Part of a growing international movement, 'zero waste' goes the logical next step beyond recycling," Quattrociocchi said. "Rather than striving to divert some waste from landfills and incinerators, it emphasizes resource conservation, efficiency, reduced consumption, maximum reuse, and recycling. Its focus is on waste prevention and even the total elimination of waste, all as part of sustainable economic growth."

While hosting a recent convention and trade show, MTCC partnered with the show organizer and a recycling and waste management company to attempt to produce a "zero waste" event. The show, Construct Canada, drew nearly 23,000 attendees and 1,100 exhibits - and during the previous year, produced 23 tons of waste, only 10 percent of which was diverted from landfills and recycled. During the "zero waste" challenge event, organizers developed a multi-level strategy.

"The first tactic was to substitute plastic cups and plates for the non-recyclable ones made of Styrofoam," Quattrociocchi said. "Secondly, training all staff properly was an important part of the program. To show that we were serious about this initiative, the Centre's seven garbage compactors were removed from the building during the three-day event. To maximize convenience, Turtle Island [the waste management company] installed customized three-bin separated waste containers for bottles and cans, paper, and organic waste at all concessions and food service locations. Its staff also supervised the docks at the end of the show to ensure departing exhibitors were clear on which bin to use and what materials to take back home with them."

The experiment was successful: More than 26 tons of waste was recycled, achieving a waste diversion rate of 95 percent. "The remaining 5 percent consisted mainly of carpet scraps left behind by exhibitors," Quattrociocchi said. "Almost half the diverted waste was paper fibers. We calculate this saved 238 trees, approximately 4,300 gallons of water, and close to 30 cubic yards of landfill space." Want to try reducing waste at your next convention? Plan for success by starting with these three important steps:

• Create a partnership. Ask convention center representatives what they do to promote recycling and what you and your staff can do to help achieve better results. "When everyone is focused and working toward the same objective, it greatly enhances everyone's ability to succeed," Quattrociocchi said.
• Communicate your goal with exhibitors as far in advance as possible. "By explaining to exhibitors the importance of what you are trying to achieve and, for example, requesting them to limit or reduce the amount of waste materials used for their displays, you'll greatly improve your ability to produce a successful environmentally friendly event," Quattrociocchi continued. "For our 'zero waste' event, we asked all exhibitors at their move-in to think of the materials they could either reuse or return with them after the event ended."
• Create an awareness campaign. To be successful, you need to create as much buzz as possible about your initiative, in your written material and Web sites about promoting an environmentally friendly event, Quattrociocchi said. For instance, for the Construct Canada "zero waste" event, organizers used the slogan, "Let's All Pitch In" and created a logo to go with it. The logo and slogan appeared on t-shirts worn by convention center employees, on paper napkins, and posters during the event to keep attendees and exhibitors mindful of the goal.

Be Prepared

No matter how well you've planned your group's convention, there's always a chance that something could happen beyond your control. Wise planners always plan for the worst so they'll be equipped to handle a crisis. It's a good idea to work with your convention center representatives to plan for unexpected emergencies. The following tips can help you get started.

• Develop an Emergency Management Plan prior to arriving on site at the convention. When you and your team take time to put your plans into writing, there's a much greater chance that everyone will actually follow the plan in the event of a crisis. 
• Review your insurance coverage well in advance of your event. It's likely that your insurance needs may be different from year to year depending on the venue you're using and the types of events included in your meeting.
• Hire Emergency Medical Technicians to work on site at your meeting. Make sure they will be available throughout the event and that all staff members know how to reach them.
• Communicate safety information to attendees. Consider providing safety tips and emergency procedures in individual registration packets.
• Stock your staff office with emergency gear. Some important items to keep on hand include a first aid kit, a weather radio, and an attendee list with their emergency contacts. Some planners even print emergency contact information on the backs of attendee name badges.

Convene's Meeting Budget series is sponsored by The Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Visit its Web site at www.mtccc.com.