Black Meetings & Tourism - Minneapolis Convention Center Achieves International Sustainability Standard Certification

Greening of Hospitality Industry
Minneapolis Convention Center Achieves International Sustainability Standard Certification
The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), the largest convention center in the Upper Midwest, has achieved Level One certification to the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences. The new international sustainability venue standard is one of nine standards introduced by the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and events industry in 2012 to provide event planners and suppliers with specifications for producing events in a more sustainable manner. "We are proud and excited to attain the ASTM Venue certification," said Jeff Johnson, executive director, Minneapolis Convention Center. "Certification to the industry's global standard is further evidence of the MCC's ongoing commitment to sustainability." "This is great news for the MCC and all of us working to make Minneapolis the sustainable destination choice of convention planners," said Melvin Tennant, president and CEO, Meet Minneapolis, convention and visitors association. Meet Minneapolis is in the process of obtaining Level One certification to the ASTM Destination Standard later this year. The ASTM Venue Standard delineates the procedural requirements for venue selection -- the practice of researching, evaluating and choosing the facility for an event. The standard specifies specific performance criteria for staff management, communications, waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement and community partners. The standards were created in partnership with ASTM International, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standards development organization. Michael Luehrs, president, Green Meeting and Industry Council (GMIC), the nonprofit professional meetings association that led the development of the ASTM Sustainable Meeting Standards, added, "Responsible environmental and social practices in the meeting industry is a global concern. We congratulate the Minneapolis Convention Center on this achievement and hope that this will encourage others in the Minneapolis meetings and convention industry to pursue certification." iCompli, a division of BPA Worldwide, a nonprofit international auditing organization headquartered in Shelton, CT, developed the certification protocols for the ASTM standards and performed the independent third party certification of MCC's compliance with the venue standard. Glenn Hansen, CEO of BPA Worldwide, said, " Our certification of the event sustainability standards driven by GMIC and now adopted by the Minneapolis Convention Center continues our long-standing partnership with the event industry to promote transparency."

Greening of Hospitality Industry

Minneapolis Convention Center Achieves International Sustainability Standard Certification

The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), the largest convention center in the Upper Midwest, has achieved Level One certification to the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences. The new international sustainability venue standard is one of nine standards introduced by the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and events industry in 2012 to provide event planners and suppliers with specifications for producing events in a more sustainable manner.

"We are proud and excited to attain the ASTM Venue certification," said Jeff Johnson, executive director, Minneapolis Convention Center. "Certification to the industry's global standard is further evidence of the MCC's ongoing commitment to sustainability."

"This is great news for the MCC and all of us working to make Minneapolis the sustainable destination choice of convention planners," said Melvin Tennant, president and CEO, Meet Minneapolis, convention and visitors association. Meet Minneapolis is in the process of obtaining Level One certification to the ASTM Destination Standard later this year.

The ASTM Venue Standard delineates the procedural requirements for venue selection -- the practice of researching, evaluating and choosing the facility for an event. The standard specifies specific performance criteria for staff management, communications, waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement and community partners. The standards were created in partnership with ASTM International, an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standards development organization.

Michael Luehrs, president, Green Meeting and Industry Council (GMIC), the nonprofit professional meetings association that led the development of the ASTM Sustainable Meeting Standards, added, "Responsible environmental and social practices in the meeting industry is a global concern. We congratulate the Minneapolis Convention Center on this achievement and hope that this will encourage others in the Minneapolis meetings and convention industry to pursue certification."

iCompli, a division of BPA Worldwide, a nonprofit international auditing organization headquartered in Shelton, CT, developed the certification protocols for the ASTM standards and performed the independent third party certification of MCC's compliance with the venue standard. Glenn Hansen, CEO of BPA Worldwide, said, " Our certification of the event sustainability standards driven by GMIC and now adopted by the Minneapolis Convention Center continues our long-standing partnership with the event industry to promote transparency."