Association Marketing Springboard

My recent post on the Traps of Marketing a "Paperless" Conference spawned several great comments. Just yesterday, I received a comment from Steve Smyth that turned into this post. First, here are the comments you need for context...

Maddie Grant said...
"I feel pretty strongly about this issue too and particularly felt that the ASAE annual meeting had lots of excess (daily now glossy dailies, unwieldy and unnecessary conference bags, etc) that did not jibe at all with their social responsibility message."

Steve Smyth said...
"Going back a few comments to Maddie's post - ASAE did have a few "paper" products at annual - but I do believe there were fewer than in years past. The Daily Now, BTW was printed on recycled stock (30% post consumer) using vegetable-based ink this year - and hopefully will be migrated toward a higher recycled paper content as it is more widely available. It's a start - and with ASAE getting into the "green" - others are sure to notice."

I do appreciate Steve's point...it's a start, and it's more than ASAE has ever done before. It's good to know the show daily at ASAE was produced with environmentally friendlier options. Still, recycled paper is not "paperless." Lisa Junker makes the point again in a recent Acronym post, Contradictory impressions...

"Once attendees have the expectation that the conference is paperless, they will notice every time you use paper throughout the event, and question it."

The Business Case is the Bottom Line
Right or wrong, for the majority of Americans, green is a pragmatic choice. In the past, the green movement has surged during times of war or oil shortages, then fallen away when the circumstances reverted to normal. To make green stick this time around, we must communicate the pragmatism behind what Thomas Friedman calls a more muscular and strategic ideology.

For organizers of green meetings, that means...
1) Instilling the belief that green choices--no matter how small--make a global impact.
2) Proving a logical business case for changes and communicating that business case honestly.
3) Providing the leadership to bring environmental issues to the forefront of your association.

The fact is, paper is not the biggest environmental threat from the meetings industry. I question the business case of going truly paperless. Attendees need guidance, like schedules, session listings, room numbers, speaker bios, even note paper. In some cases there may be valuable speaker handouts as well. On-site paper handouts can be efficient and effective. But Lisa Junker's point--notice it and question it--underscores the importance of outlining and truthfully communicating a logical, comprehensive greening strategy that makes business sense--not just to conference organizers, but also to our audience.

>> Stay tuned for green meetings resources and more ideas about greener marketing.