'Green' meetings take off here

More firms ask hotels, convention centres for eco-friendly measures
Tessa Wong, Straits Times 3 Sep 08;

WHEN local think-tank the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) organised a conference earlier this month at the Regent Hotel, it made a few unusual requests.

The firm asked for sugar in bowls, not sachets. It wanted milk and water in jugs, instead of single-serve plastic containers. And it had the hotel bump up the thermostat by a few degrees.

Environmentally friendly requests like these are becoming increasingly common in Singapore and abroad as more companies start holding 'green meetings'.

A check with several local hotels and convention centres revealed that demand for eco-friendly conferences has snowballed during the last three years.

Companies are asking for things like recycled notepads and natural lighting while cutting back on buffet lunches and catered snacks.

The Grand Copthorne Waterfront saw about 30 requests for green meetings last year, and has already seen 50 this year. Suntec City, meanwhile, will host 10 such meetings this year, up from five last year. The Royal Plaza at Scotts has also received 10 bookings this year.

'(They) make good business sense as they save money in the long term by conserving resources,' said Mr Aloysius Arlando, an assistant chief executive at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The trend is already well-established in the United States, Australia and Europe. It has been earmarked by trade journals as one of the top fads in the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, or Mice, sector.

Companies say the explosion of green meetings is the result of companies incorporating eco-friendly ideas into their social responsibility policies. At the same time, going green can save firms big bucks, especially during large gatherings.

A USA Today report in April said an American company saved US$50,000 (S$70,700) for a 3,500-person event by providing water coolers instead of bottled water.

Eco-friendly meeting policies can save a profound amount of trash as well.

Following a convention organised by McDonald's in April, everything from paper to the carpet used in trade booths was recycled. That kept 244,000kg of rubbish from landfills.

But do such efforts make a difference? Mr Lee Eng Lock of Trane, an energy solutions firm, does not think so. 'I think it's part of corporate social responsibility and that everyone has to be seen to be getting on the bandwagon.'

He called the green meeting trend 'cosmetic' and said few companies take substantial steps like cutting back on their energy and water use. 'I hope people focus on the bigger picture. You have to do substantive things, or else nothing will change.'

Organisations remain optimistic that it will make a difference.

'We practise what we preach, and we believe everyone has to play a role for the environment,' said Mr Anndy Lian, communications manager of SIIA.

'This is not something that can be changed overnight, but people need to know the importance of going green.'

Meanwhile, at least one Asian conference organiser has embraced this trend. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau launched a two-year green meeting campaign among local operators earlier this year.

When asked if it had similar plans, Mr Arlando said STB will continue to work on 'intensifying our collective efforts with industry partners and sister agencies' to ensure Singapore is a prime destination for meetings and conferences.