Speaker - November 2010

REALITY CHECK
Putting a fine point on the speaking industry
Think Green

So, what is the deal with focusing on green meet- ings in this issue of Speaker magazine? Does the editorial advisory team not realize that speakers have been facing significant challenges over the past two years, and we need to focus on getting everyone back to work? Social responsibility is all well and good when we are making money and running successful speaking businesses, but shouldn’t speakers work on repositioning themselves as experts and thought leaders in their field to get hired?

I just don’t see how green meetings are going to help NSA do that. In fact, using recycled paper, posting online handouts and developing applications for mobile devices are creating even more expense when revenues are down. Come on, team, let’s focus on the future!

There it is—I said it. I may
not win a popularity contest, but I
think many speakers share my view-
point: We need to go back to the
way things were before
the recession and
downturn in meet-
ings. What does
social respon-
sibility and
sustainability
really mean
anyway? It
seems like a
foreign lan-
guage to me
and, when
work, family,
volunteering,
recreation and travel are competing
for my time and energy, I don’t have
time for one more thing. But, just for
kicks and to humor the editorial team,
I thought I would Google “green meet-
ings” to see if it really affects the future
of speaking.

And once I did, I found …

The Convention Industry Council
(which NSA is an active member of) is
investing tens of thousands of dollars
in partnering with the Green Meetings
Industry Council (GMIC) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to develop standards that all hotels,
meeting facilities, meeting planners,
vendors and travel-related groups will
adopt and adhere to in the
future. (Hmmm, if the
people who hire speak-
ers are committed to
green meetings, maybe we
should pay more attention
to this movement.)
Green meetings are not
just about recycling
badges and
developing
electronic
handouts.
Meeting
plan-
ners and
hotels are
consider-
ing ways
to save
money,
such as
making pitch-
ers of water—not

individual bottles—available in meeting rooms, and asking hotel guests to use their bath towels for more than one day before replacing them.

But, the green movement is not just about cutting costs. It also is about reducing the carbon footprint in landfills and minimizing usage of natural resources, like water and energy.

The green movement is a business opportunity for speakers. There are not many experts in this field who are speaking and consulting on how to implement the new standards—a topic that will be in demand when the standards are released.

Finally, there is a real opportunity for speakers to find new ways to differentiate themselves with materials that support their message, and market them in unique green ways. In fact, when I think back on my 19 years at NSA, the marketplace has helped us evolve into a greener profession with online demo videos, content from cassettes and CDs offered via MP3 files, and many printed marketing materials being consolidated to a variety of websites and mobile applications.

If speakers really are the thought leaders, motivators and experts who are hired to deliver a glimpse into the future, we should pay attention to how we can be part of the solution to our clients’ challenges.