Prevue September-October 2013 - (Page 36)

McCormick Place GMIC 2013 [ON LOCATION] DANIELLE ADAMS, CMP & KATHERINE MANFREDI, CMM/CIS Green meeting pros meet and give back in Chicago Last April, the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) held its annual Sustainable Meetings Conference in Chicago. During the conference McCormick Place Convention Center was awarded the “Venue” standard certification under the new APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards. It is only the second convention center in the world to achieve this milestone. The 2.6 million-sf convention center includes 173 meeting rooms, one of the largest ballrooms in the world and a 4,250-sf theater. “GMIC seriously takes our role to challenge the destination and supplier partners to meet ever more rigorous expectations for engaging sustainable practices,” says Michael Luehrs, GMIC president. “McCormick Place, through their leading efforts to embrace the environmentally sustainable meeting standards, gives inspiration to event venues everywhere.” During the conference, a variety of student scholarships were offered along with sessions on corporate social responsibility (CSR). For a group activity, Cornerstone Community Outreach: Helping the Homeless in Chicago organized a couple of options. Attendees were offered the choice to build vegetable/herb boxes for rooftop gardens or design centerpieces from used corks. “I learned that where corporate social responsibility is concerned, the comfort level of each individual must be considered,” says Michelle Wong, one of the 2013 scholarship recipients. “Organizations must choose a community service that would have several engagement opportunities catering to several different personalities.” The GMIC closing general session included ideas on sustainability and event architecture when MCI’s sustainability director Guy Bigwood led the World Café Sustainability Topics & Trends event. Each participant chose three of a dozen discussion topics. Challenged with finding solutions to real sustainability issues, such as engaging exhibitors in the conversation about “reduce, reuse, recycle,” they rotated around to designated roundtables. The conversations were recorded pictorially. Each table was lined with craft paper, creating a canvas for graphic representations of salient points. With speed-dating swiftness, the next group of delegates built on the previous groups discussion with the help of a table lead who remained for the duration. After three rotations, one person from each table rapidly highlighted key takeaways to the entire group. GMIC: LOOKING AHEAD In July, GMIC launched an online certification registry for ASTM certified suppliers, making it easier for planners to locate more sustainable suppliers. GMIC also announced a certificate course in sustainable event planning in its quest to transform the global meetings industry through sustainability. The 8-month course is aligned with the 2014 Sustainable Meetings Conference, hosted at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, running April 14-17. greenmeetings.info; choosechicago.com 32 | prevue magazine 20-34_COVER STORY_OZ.indd 32 9/4/13 2:33 PM http://www.greenmeetings.info http://www.choosechicago.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue September-October 2013

Planner's Pick: Orlando
Fresh Meets: Omni Nashville
Bureau Buzz: Puerto Rico
Good Business: Prevue Visionary Awards
Sea Shores: Crystal Cruises
Innovation & Inspiration
On Location: GMIC 2013, Chicago
Special Section: The West USA
Green Luxury
On Location: Club Med Rio Das Pedras
On Location: La Playa, Naples, FL
Stockholm
Korea
On Location: US Virgin Islands
On Location: Starwood New Orleans
Torchbearers 2013
On Location: Westin Snowmass/Aspen
On Location: Paradisus, Dominican Republic
Check Out: Christchurch, New Zealand

Prevue September-October 2013