LAS VEGAS—Hospitality Design magazine’s 2009 Exposition & Conference will include a Green Day once again. It will be held on May 13, a day before the May 14 to 16 Exposition & Conference, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. Green Day is one of the hospitality industry’s leading events focused on education, idea exchange, and marketplace trends related to sustainable design and operations. New this year, Green Day will exceed the annual AIA sustainable design mandatory continuing education requirement. Green Day will include sessions focusing on sustainability strategies, third-party product certification and what some of the leading chains are doing to build their green brands.
The following is a summary of this year’s Green Day highlights:
• More Continuing Education—With five accredited hours on sustainable design, designers and architects will be able to fulfill the annual AIA sustainable design mandatory continuing education requirement in one day.
• Luncheon Keynote—As MGM MIRAGE Design Group president, William “Bill” Smith has spent the past few years managing the design and construction of one of the largest green developments in the world—CityCenter. Smith, along with Cindy Ortega, senior vice president, Energy and Environmental Services, MGM MIRAGE, will discuss their “Lessons Learned,” sharing both their challenges and successes during the luncheon keynote address.
• Real Strategies for Sustainability—The Puntacana Resort & Club has been a leader in sustainability for 40 years. The resort was the first hotel in the region to construct a water treatment facility, first golf course in the Dominican Republic to use seashore paspalum hybrid grass, and is currently operating a pilot worm composting operation. Environmental director Jake Kheel will kick off the day with unique insight into his successes and strategies to creating green cache without the help of elephants, whales, or other, what he calls “charismatic mega-fauna.”
• Brand’s Perspective—Whether creating a LEED-certified brand prototype or simply maximizing the cost benefits of energy efficiency across a company’s portfolio, environmental issues are playing a major role in corporate hotel strategies. Tara Mastrelli, Hospitality Design’s managing editor, will sit down with Brigitta Witt, vice president, Environmental Affairs, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Christopher Jones, senior vice president of development and construction, NYLO, and Brian McGuinness, senior vice president, element hotels to discuss what it takes to “green” a brand.
• Decoding Third-Party Product Certification—Heather Gadonniex, LEED AP, co-founder, Green it Group, and Kim Gordon, LEED AP, director, TODL Green, will be joined by representatives from some of the leading, and most controversial, certification bodies. Presenters will take off the green colored glasses and get real about topics such as certification cost, multi-attribute certification versus single attribute certification, and answer the question: Who can you trust when looking for a green or sustainable product?
• Association Awards—Fittingly, two leading industry associations will be presenting awards designed to promote the sustainable design and designers of the future at Green Day. The Earth-Minded Awards (EMA) program, sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Hospitality Design, was launched last year to recognize exceptional sustainable design in hospitality projects and products. This year includes a new category for interior design and architectural students: The Earth-Minded Award for Tomorrow. NEWH, Inc. —The Hospitality Industry Network will present the NEWH Sustainable Hospitality Student Design Competition award winner, which includes a cash scholarship, courtesy of JLF/lone meadow and Designtex, to the student, and a matching grant to the university.
• The Green Room—Attendees, sponsors and presenters will have a chance to mingle, discuss, and see the latest green products for hospitality throughout the day. The Green Room will also host greenSCENE, a free-flowing exchange of ideas and cocktails to end the conference.
HD Expo is presented by Hospitality Design magazine and produced by the Hospitality Design Group, part of Nielsen Business Media. The event is in association with International Interior Design Association (IIDA), International Society of Hospitality Purchasers (ISHP), National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and NEWH, Inc.—The Hospitality Industry Network.
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