by Shane Henson — December 31, 2012—The Colorado Convention Center (CCC) has become the first event and conference venue in the world to be certified to a new international sustainability standard introduced earlier this year to promote responsible environmental and social practices in the event industry, says the Center. CCC achieved Level One certification with the ASTM standard pertaining to the evaluation and selection of venues for environmentally sustainable meetings, events, trade shows and conferences (E2774-11).
E2774-11 is one of nine formal, voluntary standards developed by the meetings, conventions, exhibitions and events industry to provide event planners and suppliers with specifications for producing events in a more sustainable manner. The standards were created in partnership with ASTM International, an organization that develops international standards for materials, products, systems and services used in construction, manufacturing and transportation.
The E2774-11 Venue Standard delineates the procedural requirements for venue selection—the practice of researching, evaluating and choosing the facility for an environmentally sustainable event. The standard also specifies specific performance criteria for staff management, communications, waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement, and community partners.
iCompli, a division of BPA Worldwide, a Connecticut-based nonprofit international auditing organization, developed the certification protocols for the new standards and performed the independent third-party certification of CCC’s compliance with the venue standard. The CCC is an SMG-managed facility.
