Association Marketing Springboard

The word "paperless" is a black and white term covering many shades of gray. Unless your conference is truly going paperless—and that means cutting out direct mail during the marketing cycle—using the term is opening a door to criticism. Here's what I've heard from attendees...

• They'll waste the paper sending this 40-page brochure to thousands of people, not knowing if they'll register...but once I register, they skimp on session handouts?
• I paid $1000 to attend this meeting, and they can't spend 5 dollars per registrant to give me the information I need to follow along on-site?
• Paper is renewable. What about all the energy they're wasting by keeping the session rooms so cold?

Greener Conferences Require Greener Marketing Decisions

Most comprehensive conference marketing campaigns still require extensive direct mail marketing to succeed. It's not enough to run an environmentally conscious direct mail campaign—you have to show people that you are making greener choices. Here are some ideas I'm considering for a meeting next year. For any of these ideas to alter people's perceptions about our direct mail efforts, we have to be sure to tell the story of what we've done and why.

• Use recycled or renewable paper
  
• Make the pieces smaller or fewer pages than the previous year
• Re-use undeliverable mail (covering the address) as meeting takeaways...or even re-mail it.
• Replace one direct mail piece (this client does four) with a PDF version. "We would have mailed this...but we're saving the energy and paper by e-mailing it instead."

The Paperless Message, Re-Mixed

When we say "paperless" do we really mean "greener?" When greening a conference, the environmentally conscious choices we make go beyond just the handouts. So why not present the entire picture? Talk to attendees about the meeting room HVAC, greener decorating choices, how using silverware instead of plastic utensils makes a difference, how reducing handouts is really one of many small steps toward a greener conference. Also, talk about ways meeting attendees can take personal action to reduce the meeting's environmental impact--use recycling bins, drink water from pitchers in meeting rooms instead of buying bottled water, ask the hotel to change the linens every other day instead of daily...and more.

What's your experience with paperless meetings? Do you think an audience is more likely to accept reducing handouts if they see the whole picture?