Couple of weeks ago I participated in a webinar by CMPs Nancy Wilson & Cathy Kretzz: Eco-Tain Your Meeting Attendees: Ideas For Engaging Your Attendees And Making Green Meetings Fun. These women are eager in what they do and here are some of the ideas they shared.

• Market to your attendees

• Theme your meeting and let them know is going to be green and sustainable
• Use social media to involve attendees through facebook, LinkedIn and twitter
• Since your using your company website, set a Blog so people will share ideas like carpooling to the airport or meeting
• Electronic marketing,  save money by sending via e-mail the meeting materials
• Educate attendees, show them in a visual way how to recycle or throw the garbage they'll produce during the meeting
• Involve your attendees, they get actually excited in taking part

• Green group activities & team building

• Clean a park
• Paint a school
• Plant a tree or work in an inner city garden
• Build bikes and give them to the local girls and boys club
• Plan activities known in the destination: sustainable pub crawl or wine tour
• Incorporate yoga and green tea during AM/PM breaks
• Geo-catching or teaming: high tech treasure hunt
• Make center pieces with recycled materials
• Provide bikes to your attendees and keep track how much carbon they save during he conference

• Creative ideas that involve F&B

• Attendees can make their own margaritas using pedal power bikes, it's a really fun activity. Also they can use the bikes to recharge they mobile phones
• Farmers market scavenger hunt. Get local fresh food and a chef can put it together for the attendeesHave a person making ice cream delivery to the meeting on a bicycle
• Use compostable items, if there's a need to use disposable make sure they are biodegradable
• Serving in bulks, for example sugar cubes and avoid packages. It'll save a lot of food waste since attendees only eat what they need.
• Use dessert as center pieces.  Look for ideas that can be eaten or donated
• Look for something that is sustainable in the location you are visiting. Like a living salad bar

Flickr image by MyLastBite

• Offsite Events

• Look for pubs or restaurants that are located within walking distance
• Utilize green venues or certified buildings. A fun idea is integrating the arts, for example use the local theater
• Use local entertainment and vendors
• Use local AV, equipment, workers and local talent
• Be green with transportation: use the free transportation of the city or schedule shuttles. To make it fun, provide tickets for public transportation together with maps.

• Encourage/Award attendees

• 'I was caught green handed' buttons or pins to make them distinguished
• Carpool contest, award the members who do it by giving them a pin and let them be the first ones in the buffet line
• Carbon offset program, offer it at the registration of the conference. Attendees can follow up how many miles they fly, the type of transportation they use during the event, etc.
• Ask attendees to bring their own water bottles or coffee cups or get sponsors.
• Offer attendees to choose between having a conference bag or other item that can be cheaper and more useful

• Giving back: Pick a local charity to donate used items

• Conference bags
• Leftover meeting supplies
• Blankets
• Children books
• Schools supplies
• Craft items
• Centerpieces (If they're plants, donate them)
• Leftover banquet food (www.feedingamerica.org)
• Toiletries from the hotel (set a drop basket to donate to a local shelter)
• January re-gift drive (ask attendees to bring gifts they don't like to give them to charity)
• Recycling clothing

Since the destination of your meeting is one of the first steps to consider for your next event. Best Places to MeetGreen is a great tool that can help you to determine it.

No doubt Green Meetings are a trend nowadays and they are here to stay, besides helping the Meetings Keep Their Budgets on Black, they help the environment and more important they offer Social Responsibility.

Have you applied one of these ideas into your Events, how was the impact to the attendees?
Do you have other great ideas to make Green Meetings Fun? Share!