Designation: X XXXX-XX
Work Item Number: WK22668
Date: August 1, 2009
Standard Practice for the Evaluation and Selection of Destination Selection for Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences
1. Scope
1.1 This standard practice delineates procedural requirements for destination selection for events. Destination selection is the practice of researching, evaluating and choosing the location for an event. This standard coordinates a core activity that planners conduct to plan an event and bring it to fruition.
1.2 This category will identify sustainability criteria that should be included in destination selection by planners.
1.3 This category will also list best sustainable practices that can be adopted by suppliers, which in the case of this sector are called “destination professionals”. Destination professionals may include destination marketing organizations (DMO’s or convention and visitor bureaus (CVB’s)), third party site-selection companies, destination management companies, chambers of commerce, economic development departments or regional authorities.
1.4 A destination may be defined as a city, area or country which can be marketed to groups or individuals as a place to visit or hold an event. Although destination selection may consider country, regional and city attributes, planners most often consider the capacity of a city and its metropolitan area to host their experience, rather than country or regional capacity .This standard will therefore focus mainly on destination city attributes, as opposed to regional or country characteristics.
1.5 This category will include aspects of transportation as it relates to host cities. This includes the process of evaluating destinations on the basis of how close they are to attendees, as well as the availability of public transit. Additional transportation specifications related to events are covered by the transportation specification.
1.6 Sustainability includes practices that reduce environmental impacts and provide positive benefits to destination cities.
1.7 This standard will not consider specific sustainability attributes of the meeting venue (i.e. conference or convention center), accommodations, or transportation contractors. Sustainable destination selection considers the availability of these in a general sense.
1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, is any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Terminology
2.1 Definitions:
2.1.1 Alternative fuel, n—Can be contrasted with conventional fuels such as fossil fuels. Alternative fuels include biodiesel, methanol, ethanol, and biomass sources
2.1.2 Biodegradable, n—Describes the process whereby organic substances are broken down by the enzymes produced by living organisms.
2.1.3 Compostable, n—Organic substances are broken down by the enzymes produced by living organisms within a tested time frame. Implies certification by the Biodegradable Products Institute and US Composting Council.
2.1.4 Convention & visitors’ bureau, n—Convention and visitor bureaus are not-for-profit organizations charged with representing a specific destination and helping the long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy. Convention and visitor bureaus are usually membership organizations bringing together businesses that rely on tourism and events for revenue. For visitors, CVBs are like a key to the city. As an unbiased resource, CVBs can serve as a broker or an official point of contact for convention and event planners, tour operators and visitors. They assist planners with event preparation and encourage business travelers and visitors alike to visit local historic, cultural and recreational sites.
2.1.5 Destination, n—a city, area or country which can be marketed to groups or individuals as a place to visit or hold an event. Although destination selection may consider country, regional and city attributes, planners most often consider the capacity of a city and its metropolitan area to host their experience, rather than country or regional capacity .The practices considered in this category will therefore focus mainly on destination city attributes, as opposed to regional or country characteristics.
2.1.6 Environmental management system, n— A management and operation process that is operated and documented to support identification of objectives, implementation processes and performance measurement related sustainable practices.
2.1.7 Hybrid, n—when referring to vehicles this indicates use of a mix of power or fuel sources, such as electric and petroleum, for example.
2.1.8 Natural fiber, n— made of naturally-occurring materials such as plants and animals. Can be contrasted with synthetic fibers such as plastics
2.1.9 Planner, n— Person whose job it is to oversee and arrange every aspect of an event. Person can be an employee or hired ad hoc by large companies, professional associations, or trade associations to plan, organize, implement, and control meetings, conventions, and other events. Planners may include professionals who work for government, association, corporate or independent agencies. The planner is the buyer of event services.
2.1.10 Post-consumer, n—When referring to waste, post-consumer waste is produced by the end-user of a product. It is different from pre-consumer waste, which is the re-introduction of manufacturing scrap into the production process.
2.1.11 Recycled, n—A new product that has been made from re-processed materials. Recycled products can be made from post-consumer or pre-consumer waste.
2.1.12 Recyclable, n—A product that can be re-processed where facilities exist.
2.1.13 Renewable power, n— Energy that is generated from natural sources that can be replenished easily, such as sunlight, tides, wind and geothermal.
2.1.14 Supplier, n—Purveyor, provider, vendor, contractor offering facilities, products and/or services (i.e. a convention and visitors’ bureau). For the destination sector suppliers will be understood to be destination professionals. Destination professionals may include destination marketing organizations (DMO’s or convention and visitor bureaus (CVB’s)), third party site-selection companies, destination management companies (DMC’s), chambers of commerce and economic development departments or regional authorities.
2.1.15 Sustainable, n—Activities that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development). This infers attention to balancing economic, environmental and social goals.
3. Significance and Use
3.1 Lacking standards around destination selection, planners and suppliers (destination professionals) are challenged to design and implement more sustainable events. This standard represents the interests of all parties to create green events.
3.2 This ASTM practice offers a comprehensive view of destination selection and differs from short checklists.
4. Procedures
4.1 Develop environmental policy and goals for evaluating and selecting destinations for meetings, events, trade shows and conferences.
4.2 Assess sustainability attributes of destinations during site visits. Planners should incorporate sustainability into their overall decisions on destination selection. Suppliers should incorporate sustainability into their overall operations. At a minimum the criteria for sustainable destinations includes the following characteristics:
1.0 Staff Management/ Policy
2.0 Communication/ Policy
3.0 Waste
4.0 Energy
5.0 Air Quality
6.0 Water
7.0 Procurement
8.0 Community Partners
4.3 Evaluate using the checklists as indicated in Annex A1. Exemplary performance is indicated for Suppliers and Planners in Annex A2
5. Keywords
5.1 Destination, green events, meetings, conferences, sustainable
