WASHINGTON, DC
The Convention Industry Council has completed eight of the nine APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting standards. "This is a major accomplishment for the collective conventions, meetings, events and exhibitions industry," said Karen Kotowski, CEO of CIC.
The standards were compiled by the Green Meetings Industry Council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The development of the documents took place through a partnership between CIC's Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and the American Society for Testing and Materials International. The APEX/ASTM standards are comprised of nine separate "sector" standards, covering every aspect of meeting planning and management. The eight ratified standards cover audiovisual, communications and marketing materials, destinations, exhibits, F&B, meeting venues, on-site offices and transportation.
"The level of specificity required and accountability of both the planner and supplier that is built into these standards is unprecedented,” says Amy Spatrisano, chair of the APEX Green Meetings and Events panel, and principal at Portland, Ore.-based planning firm MeetGreen. “It's a game changer." The completed standards will be published in November as both electronic and paper documents. Information on publication date and availability will be announced and posted on www.conventionindustry.org when the standards are available.
The ninth standard, on accommodations, is undergoing final balloting through the ASTM.
