Balancing profits against losses is no longer the sole primary objective for managers of large convention and exhibition halls. This is especially true for the Portland Expo Center (Expo) and Oregon Convention Center (OCC), which are owned and operated by Metro under its visitor venues umbrella.
Thanks, in part, to the leadership of the Metro venues, the convention and exhibition industry has experienced a paradigm shift in the way it views business success. For industry stand-outs like the OCC and Expo, evaluating the venue's impact on the 'triple bottom line' – the benefits to people and the planet in addition to profits - now defines business success.
Two recent examples demonstrate this shift in industry philosophy.
Example #1: Diversion rates at the Portland Expo Center.
Before many exposition centers around the country began studying the contents of their trash bins, the Portland Expo Center launched a landfill diversion initiative in earnest. Working in coordination with clients and the visiting public, Expo makes it easy to prevent piles of show materials from ending up in local landfills. Instead, most materials are sorted and either recycled, composted, donated or reused. The facility's third-quarter report (January – March) for fiscal year 2010-11 revealed a diversion rate of 69%, reflecting a 23% increase over the previous quarter.
Certain recent consumer shows held at Expo have achieved an even higher diversion rate, thanks to the coordinated efforts of staff and clients. For instance, at the March Better Living Show, 85% of all show materials were diverted. And, during February's Spring Home & Garden Show, the diversion rate was 86%.
Example #2: Fresh food donations by the Oregon Convention Center.
Catered meals and show concessions account for a large portion of convention and conference waste. Traditionally, food scraps and leftovers collect in landfills and generate harmful methane gases into the environment. More than a decade ago, the OCC began researching ways to sustainably handle its food waste as it pursued LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings) certification, a first for convention centers throughout the United States.
Now recertified as LEED-EB Silver, OCC staff composts nearly all food waste and donates tons of fresh leftovers to charities serving low-income, disadvantaged individuals. In 2010, nearly 140 tons of food and organic waste was diverted from landfills. The OCC's clients are embracing the effort too. Consider the recent Northwest Foodservice Show produced by the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association and the Washington Restaurant Association. Through concerted pre- and post-event planning and coordination between staff and clients, 15,450 pounds (nearly 8 tons) was donated to St. Vincent de Paul and the Oregon Food Bank in April.
As many corporate leaders have stated, it makes good business sense to incorporate sustainability measures into an organization's operations because it reduces costs. But Expo and OCC have demonstrated that leveraging those cost savings, or profits, into benefits for people and the planet, reaps dividends for the venues, their surrounding community and future generations to come.
The Oregon Convention Center, Portland Expo Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts and Oregon Zoo comprise the family of visitor venues owned and/or managed by Metro, the regional government. Metro serves 1.5 million people who live in the 25 cities and three counties of the Portland metropolitan area, and provides planning and other services that protect the nature and livability of our region.