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What was more of a conceptual, innovative trend for 2008 is quickly becoming the industry standard for 2009. Meeting Strategies Worldwide says that, for green meetings, “The move from fringe to mainstream is well underway.”

A separate but similar finding from Meetings Media shows that there was a sizable jump from 2008 to 2009 with 51% of independent planners, 46.8% of corporate planners and 44.4% of both association and government planners currently planning or expecting to plan a sustainable meeting in the upcoming year.

And while it would seem that such an unpredictable economy would slow things down, this isn’t proving to be the case with sustainable meetings. If anything, it’s helping business. Meeting Strategies Worldwide discovered that “In this environment, those organizations that are committed to sustainability are finding they are not just surviving, they are thriving.” The theory behind this is the fact that green meetings offer a competitive edge and, in the end, what makes the most business sense is being environmentally and socially responsible.

Technology also plays a role in greener meetings through webinars and podcasts as a replacement for in-person meetings, as well as other innovative strategies such as electronic badges that can be reused instead of paper badges.

But, most importantly, meetings are all about people, and the human factor plays a much larger role in the demand for sustainable meetings than the industry often gives credit for. The bottom line is that people recognize the need for change even in times of economic hardship, and what was once an innovative concept is now a demand.

For a more in-depth look at the Meeting Strategies Worldwide report and to read more about their predictions for 2009, visit their site at http://www.meetingstrategiesworldwide.com/files/docs/MSWW_2009SustainableMeetingIndustry.pdf