You could say that meeting organizers for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) were blown away by the numbers. In the face of a tanked economy and the threat of a global pandemic, attendance at the association's recent annual conference nearly doubled.
Held at McCormick Place in Chicago from May 4-7, the WINDPOWER 2009 Conference & Exhibition drew 23,000 attendees - a buoyant increase of 77 percent over last year's equally record-breaking attendance, which grew by 83 percent over the previous year. Among those attending this year's show were seven governors, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Texas billionaire (and wind-energy booster) T. Boone Pickens, along with industry professionals from all 50 states and 70 countries.

The number of exhibitors also grew this year - to 1,280, triple the number in 2007 - as did total exhibition space, to more than 290,400 square feet, which was larger than the exhibit halls in 2007 and 2008 combined. Stephen Miner, AWEA's conference and education director, credited the influx of exhibitors to the potential of the renewable-energy industry to create green-collar jobs and business opportunities. In the midst of economic gloom, Miner said, "renewable energy is the hope for many people involved in manufacturing."

But the tremendous increase in attendance also raised the potential environmental impact of
the conference. "When you gather that many people together," Miner said, "you have to be conscious" of the waste you are creating. And as part of an industry involved in renewable energy, AWEA is obliged to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, on sustainability issues. "I'd like to think we would do it anyway," Miner said. "We are constantly looking at ways we can improve."

At WINDPOWER 2009, AWEA emphasized the use of mass transportation as well as environmentally friendly disposable straws, cups, and other serviceware. It made sure that show participants followed through on recycling programs instituted throughout the conference, including on move-in and move-out days. And, through a sponsor, the association purchased renewable-energy credits for the power that was used during the show, and gave attendees the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets from a wind-energy company to balance the environmental impact of their travel to the show.

AWEA also arranged for the distribution of leftover pens, conference bags, and other materials in the community. Instead of the usual giveaways or promotional materials that might get tossed or stuck in a closet, at least one exhibitor handed out certificates reflecting a small investment in renewable energy.

And the huge and largely unpredictable swell in attendance - about 5,700 people registered on site - had its own environmentally friendly upside. Said Miner: "We didn't have a lot of material left over at the end of the show."

A Fevered Start:
Less than a week before WINDPOWER 2009 opened in Chicago, Vice President Joe Biden remarked that the threat of swine flu would lead him to tell his own family to avoid travel in confined spaces, including airplanes or trains. That same day, a food-marketing trade show scheduled to open in Dallas the same week as WINDPOWER 2009 canceled, citing the flu.

AWEA's meetings team consulted with city and state officials and convention center staff, and held a pre-con meeting with Chicago hoteliers. They stocked up on hand sanitizers at both the convention center and the headquarters hotel, and went over their own procedures to follow if anyone became sick at the conference.

In the end, only a few exhibitors and a handful of attendees canceled because of flu concerns.

Barbara Palmer is senior editor of Convene.

Green Meetings is sponsored by Seattle's Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.visitseattle.org.