< PreviousTips for Handling Remote Teams Be a Better Leader Virtually and Online BY SCOTT STEINBERG F rom the smallest local businesses to the largest global enterprises, the mass onset of COVID-19 and its con- tinuing array of variants (hello, Delta and Omicron) has impacted the fun- damental way in which today’s teams connect and communicate in the work- place. With experts estimating that tens of millions of professionals will be continuing to work remotely in coming years, and predicting peri- odic returns to virtual and online work as new viral surges ebb and flow, it’s becoming increasingly vital for business executives to master the art of remote leadership. Luckily, as we explain in the new book, “Customer Experience: The Ultimate Guide,” inspir- ing and motivating your workforce via email, and audio or videoconferencing solutions, doesn’t have to be difficult. Nor, for that matter, does maintaining a reassuring sense of order and presence when you utilize the following strategies to make the most of virtual meetings. STEP 1: IMPLEMENT AND REGULARLY REVISIT REMOTE WORKING GUIDELINES Lack of face-to-face supervision, support and oversight, as well as lack of access to feedback and information, often threaten to undermine team pro- ductivity and engagement. As a remote leader, you can offset these challenges in several ways, such as by setting aside regular, structured daily check- ins with remote workers; making yourself available during preset office hours and providing your team with multiple high-tech ways of getting in touch with you. Similarly, to be more effective when work- ing remotely, it’s also important to preassign dif- ferent communication methods to different types of exchanges — sensitive or subtle interactions are often best handled via videoconference versus email or instant messages, where personal nuance is often lost. Likewise, as you transition to — or reimplement — a work-from-home setup, teams should also know what are the best ways to reach you and times to reach you during the workday, and how you’d like emergency and high-priority queries to be tack- led — say, by calling your home phone or texting if an urgent matter pops up. In addition, to minimize team disruption, it’s also advised that any preexisting meetings you had in place prior to the operating shift remain on the calendar, and that teams maintain the same meeting schedule that they did while work- ing in the office. STEP 2: TAKE A MORE PROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO COMMUNICATING ONLINE Although it may be tempting to adopt a more leisurely attitude when working and communicat- ing with employees from home, note that it’s also important to maintain a sense of professionalism in all exchanges. The same rules of conduct and dress codes that you adopt when working at the office should also be applied when working remotely. Likewise, be mindful of what’s visible in the back- ground of any given scene when you’re presenting via video or web camera — several providers offer free virtual backdrops that can dress up any garage or spare bedroom. In addition, when presenting, INDUSTRYINSIDER themeetingmagazines.com 10 FEBRUARY 2022 | INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENTmake a point to look into the camera directly, and avoid typing or check- ing emails and instant messages while others are talking. Giving others your full attention is vital when engaging in remote one-on-ones, as is actively making a point to take time to listen to and properly absorb the information they’re sharing before jumping ahead to a quick response. As you switch to a remote setup, be sure to let work- ers know that you’re available if they have questions or concerns, and set predetermined points to check in and follow-up with them as well. Also be sure to take the lead on setting remote meetings yourself too, especially one- on-one exchanges — doing so helps let others know that these gatherings are a priority to you. STEP 3: PROMOTE INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM INTERACTION Many remote leaders make a point to set 50% of the topics to be dis- cussed during remote meetings and let direct reports determine the other 50% of topics that will be explored. In addition to making sure that every- one’s concerns are addressed, sched- ules are being maintained, and proj- ects are staying on task, adopting this approach also allows you to create healthy forums for dialogue and social interaction. Consider that remote work can often be isolating and create a sense of removal from one’s team, visio and purpose. Noting this, even taking a few minutes at the start of a conversation just to get colleagues’ feedback and input, or simply catch up and see how others are doing, can go a long way toward helping rekindle empathy and a sense of connection. Similarly, from a team-building stand- point, be sure to set aside times for workday gatherings, such as virtual happy hours and office catch-ups — participants can bring their own beverages and food — that your col- leagues can engage in. Doing so helps keep familiar faces front and center and can help increase employees’ sense of belonging while offsetting the isolating effects of social distancing. STEP 4: BE HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE During times of uncertainty, it’s especially important to keep peers abreast of current events, maintain a firm sense of direction and help mini- mize colleagues’ sense of disruption. You can put anxious workers at ease by keeping them informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings that impact your employer and workplace. During remote one-on-ones, make a point to regularly check in with direct reports and explicitly state what your company action plan is for dealing with current events, and how the actions that you’re taking are helping create positive out- comes. Similarly, if you have to convey bad news, be short, be straightforward and be empathetic. While furloughs, project delays and other changes in plan aren’t always easy to break the news about, being honest and respect- ful with co-workers is the best policy. Whatever the nature of your remote one-on-ones, or group events, prepare for possible questions that employees may ask, have any supporting infor- mation ready to go in advance and take time to walk through how any impending changes impact your team, and next steps to take with colleagues as well. Whatever the future brings — and it’s worth remembering that many companies are well-poised to ride out temporary disruptions — it pays to be on the level with your peers. In uncer- tain times, people want to know what’s happening, so be sure to take the lead and let them know where things stand and what’s coming next. STEP 5: PRIORITIZE WORKERS’ HEALTH AND PROVIDE CONTINUING SUPPORT Like senior managers, employees are often left stressed and anxious in the wake of unexpected events. During these tough times, leaders are encour- aged to acknowledge these concerns, set aside time to listen to others’ worries, and actively seek ways to empathize. Especially when working remotely, it’s important to regularly drop-in and ask others how they’re doing. Similarly, you might also pose other questions to them — “Interesting times we live in … how are you guys adjusting to the work from home routine?” — that may help provide insight into the state of their thoughts, and ways you can lend a hand. Remember: Exercising emotional intelligence, and providing others with comfortable contexts in which to air their feelings and opinions, is a crucial part of modern leadership. In addition, making others’ concerns an area of focus — as opposed to your own — dur- ing times of disruption is also crucial, as is projecting a sense of reassurance at every turn. The more you acknowledge colleagues’ feelings and make serving others a top priority, while simultane- ously projecting an air of calm and control, the more successful you’ll be. Top leaders not only inspire confidence in their peers, they provide a sense of encouragement at every turn. I & FMM INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT | FEBRUARY 2022themeetingmagazines.com 11 Scott Steinberg is among today’s best-known trends experts and futurists, and the bestselling author of “Think Like a Futurist: How to Plan Around Uncertainty and Future-Proof Your Business”; “Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate, and Succeed Despite Uncertainty”; and “Fast >> Forward: How to Turbo-Charge Business, Sales, and Career Growth.” He is the president and CEO of BIZDEV: The International Association for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships. His website is FuturistsSpeakers.com. THE AUTHOR Giving others your full attention is vital when engaging in remote one-on-ones.Make the Most of Mentorships Your Company Should Create a Mentoring Program in 2022 BY BERT THORNTON AND DR. SHERRY HARTNETT C ompanies face numerous challenges going into the new year: a shortage of skilled workers, employee churn, eco- nomic aftershocks from the COVID- 19 pandemic, and shifting consumer behaviors, just to name a few. While there’s no one-size-fits-all fix, there is a powerful tool that can help you suc- cessfully navigate many of the obstacles 2022 might throw at you: mentoring. Especially as the world struggles to regain its equilibrium in the wake of the pandemic, the future is a moving target — and navigating this ongoing chaos requires a workforce with the right mind- set and skillset. Employees and leaders alike must be adapt- able, engaged, emotionally intelligent, and solution- focused — but those aren’t skills you can teach in a webinar. Mentoring is the obvious answer. We wanted to meet the “huge and ironic need” for savvy leaders to share insights with the multitude of rising high achievers who crave that guidance. It makes sense for companies to bring the two groups together. But first they must know what good men- toring looks like, and they need a way to scale it in the organization. Our new book, “High-Impact Men- toring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People’s Lives,” helps on both fronts. Part 1 offers “across the table” advice on one-on-one mentoring. Part 2 lays out a framework to help companies put their own program in place. “High-Impact Mentoring” serves as a blueprint for hardwiring the program into your culture so that every mentee gets a consistent experience every time. This includes those who might be working remotely — there’s a whole chapter devoted to virtual mentoring. Mentorship doesn’t happen on its own. Individuals must make a conscious choice to become mentors and learn how to do it well. And companies need to plan and execute a mentorship program that delivers consistent, quality results to all participants. Creating a good mentoring program can be the decision this year that helps you thrive despite the turbulence ahead in the rest of 2022. Consider these powerful benefits: Mentoring helps attract and retain talent. Espe- cially in today’s environment of uncertainty and upheaval, companies need a strong team of employ- ees. And it’s just as crucial that, once hired, good peo- ple stay on board. A mentoring program shows them there’s a path for advancement inside your company. Millennials, in particular, deeply value train- ing and development. By sharing their knowledge and experience with younger employees, mentors help them grow and progress. At the same time, they teach younger people how to navigate chal- lenges specific to their workplace so they are less likely to leave. INDUSTRYINSIDER themeetingmagazines.com 12 FEBRUARY 2022 | INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENTMentoring helps new employees hit the ground running a lot faster. We no longer have the luxury of long onboarding periods for new hires. The pace of business requires everyone to become a contributing member of the team almost immediately. Assigning new employees a mentor early on can help expedite progress while helping them avoid pitfalls. A solid mentoring program can help cushion training budget shortfalls. Quite often in times of economic tur- moil — like now — training budgets are on the chopping block. Mentors play a huge role in transferring knowledge and vital skills. They are a great source of on-the-job training that costs very little. Mentoring sets the stage for the ongoing learning that will be needed in the future. Increasingly, we need our employees to have a “just-in-time” skill set. The education system can’t keep up, and companies will need to ramp up their training to bridge the skills gap. Mentors will likely play a vital role in helping employees perform well while they integrate new learnings. Mentoring helps people weather tough storms. COVID-19 has put incred- ible stress on leaders and employees. In fact, many organizations have moved beyond stress and into the realm of trauma. By putting things in perspec- tive — “We’ve lived through other hard times and survived” — providing a safe space for mentees to vent about their stresses and struggles, and sharing coping skills, mentors can go a long way toward helping employees build resilience while easing their loneli- ness and isolation. Mentoring makes it more likely that people will “lean in” to their work. They’re being challenged to learn new things, so they don’t become complacent. Mentees have a chance to prove themselves daily, and to use their skills and talents in new ways. They may become a wellspring of new ideas when they feel invested in and valued. All of this sparks their passion and energy for their work and shores up their commit- ment to the company. Mentoring sharpens a company’s abil- ity to execute. Companies must be agile, fast-thinking and fast-acting if they’re to survive. By sharing their years of accu- mulated wisdom, mentors help people broaden their perspective, cut through the information overload and get to the heart of what matters. When we aren’t bogged down in extraneous details, we can move quickly and purposefully. It helps people build the relation- ship skills today’s companies need to survive. Strong relationships — based on honesty, trust, transparency and empathy — matter more than ever now. Companies must be masters at innovation, collaboration and team- work. All of these things hinge on our ability to foster strong relationships. Mentoring builds relationships in two ways. First, the mentor/mentee rela- tionship creates a powerful bond as it evolves. But also, both parties apply the skills they learn in the process to other relationships. Eventually, a strong web of accountability, sup- port and continuous learning spreads throughout the company. Mentoring helps organizations become more diverse and inclusive. There is a huge focus right now on these issues. In many organizations, older employees may need to learn how best to work with those from different racial and cultural backgrounds, belief systems and orientations. This is where reverse mentoring — when a junior person mentors a more senior one — shines. But actually, any type of mentoring that puts people from different age groups together helps create more diverse, inclusive workplaces. The more folks from differ- ent generations get to know each other and have meaningful exchanges, the more we break down barriers and the more unified we become. Mentoring is a “must-have” for com- panies wishing to proactively meet the challenges of 2022’s rapidly evolving workplace, while still driving growth and success. And what many people don’t realize is that mentoring is an incredibly rewarding experience, not just for the mentee but for the mentor, also. What’s good for employees is good for your whole company. As your pro- gram grows, word will spread and even more top talent will be drawn to work for you — this year and beyond. I & FMM INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT | FEBRUARY 2022themeetingmagazines.com 13 Bert Thornton is the former president and COO of Waffle House. His first book, “Find an Old Gorilla: Pathways Through the Jungle of Business and Life,” is a well-received leadership handbook for rising high achievers and emerging leaders. Dr. Sherry Hartnett is a marketing and leadership professor, consultant, author and mentor. At the University of West Florida, she founded the pioneering, high- impact, experiential learning Executive Mentor Program. THE AUTHOR By sharing their years of accumulated wisdom, mentors help people broaden their perspective and get to the heart of what matters. THE AUTHOR INDUSTRYINSIGHT themeetingmagazines.com 14 FEBRUARY 2022 | INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT CHRISTOPHER BARR PHOTOGRAPHY Joe Fijol, left, and Michael Burke, right, wear masks at the recent 2021 FICP Annual Conference as part of the safety protocols. Face to Face is Safe Planners Are Doing More to Ensure Safe Meetings BY MARK ROWH W hen it comes to the working vocabulary of meeting plan- ners, is there a more important word nowadays than safety? Of course, this has always been a major responsibility, but since March 2020, perhaps nothing ranks higher on any “gotta-take-care- of-that” list. That’s the view seen by Michael S. Burke, CMP, director – conference & travel services for The Hanover Insur- ance Group. He affirms that while attendee safety has always been a pri- mary focus for meetings professionals, the pandemic has amplified that empha- sis. “Meeting attendees have always expected that events would be safe and that protocols would be in place to ensure their safety,” he says. “Now more than before, I believe attendees want to be aware of what those protocols actu- ally are, and how it would be handled if someone does become ill while attend- ing an event.” One offshoot is that, in many cases, this has necessitated the need to hire third-party companies to help to manage these protocols, while also being sensitive to the handling of personal information. But even where such concerns are handled in-house, giving top priority to safety remains a planning imperative. “Safety should always be top of mind for any event pro- fessional,” says Burke, past president of FICP. “While it’s impossible to plan for every possible scenario, it’s important to have plans in place and resources available to react appropriately.” Fortunately, today’s planners have shown they are up to the task, thanks in part to insights gained over the long months of dealing with COVID-19. That progress represents a continua- tion of long-standing practice, accord- ing to Patricia Kerr, CMP, associate vice president, meeting and event planning with Nationwide Insurance. She says ensuring the safety of attendees is one of the four basic roles for any event manager, along with overseeing the exceptional and seamless execution of meetings and events, creating meaning- ful and exceptional experiences that strategically align to the events’ goals and objectives, and mitigating financial and logistical risks. “In today’s environ- ment, a laser focus must be paid to insti- tuting policies, procedures and proto- cols that are solely aimed at keeping people safe,” she says. “Event planners need to rethink agendas, event activities and how events will be managed.” That means the traditional event agenda needs to be put aside, she says. “Plan- ners have a great opportunity to rethink the best way to deliver events, ensuring goals are met while instilling trust in your event’s delivery to attendees.” Eric Holmen, CEO of event mar- keting platform Splash, says whether plans are focused on COVID or other potential challenges, it’s important to define safety protocols. While safety must obviously be among the most basic factors considered when choosing an event venue, that’s just the start. “Once you’ve vetted and selected a venue for an event, you’ll need to define your own safety protocols,” he says. Along with following local guidance, these should address the most current thinking related to safety. As the pandemic continues, any requirements should be clarified for testing, vaccina- tions and symptom checks, as well as procedures for reporting and following up on violations. That was the process Burke and his team followed at an event where all attendees, including vendors, were required to provide proof of vaccina- tion or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival. Using the CLEAR app, they were able to track the infor- mation and minimize the likelihood of someone contracting COVID while attending the event. Events were hosted outdoors whenever possible, and masks were required while on transfers. “Our attendees appreciated that there were visible efforts in place, and that they didn’t detract from the overall expe- rience of being face-to-face,” Burke says. “Ultimately, the meeting was very successful.” Considering the unexpectedly long duration of the current pandemic, such measures may be needed well into the foreseeable future. Kerr, for one, thinks that, given the persistence of the pan- demic and unknown nature of current and future variants, testing will become more commonplace. “Ensuring a safe environment, and ideally creating an event bubble, can only be achieved if each attendee is COVID negative,” INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT | FEBRUARY 2022themeetingmagazines.com 15 CHRISTOPHER BARR PHOTOGRAPHY Meeting planners say all aspects of meetings and events have changed due to the pandemic, including hosting more activities outside and clearly communicating protocols. Eric Holmen CEO, Splash Once you’ve vetted and selected a venue for an event, you’ll need to define your own safety protocols.she says. “Further, mitigating the risk of positive, asymptomatic, fully vacci- nated event attendees will be impera- tive to ensure each event controls, to the best of your ability, virus spread.” As the pandemic continues, Holmen suggests considering keeping events on the smaller side, since they are easier to control, while ensuring attendees are following all safety protocols. “Small events also encourage more interaction, participation and engagement, while at the same time, allowing attendees to feel safer engaging,” he says. “Outside of the safety benefits, small events also let you target more specific audiences, which helps to drive real business out- comes.” He adds that, in planning safety protocols, it’s essential to have a clear, comprehensive and up-to-date under- standing of local guidelines in addition to your own standard practices. “Ensur- ing you know the protocols for the city you are planning an event in will help you determine essential pieces of your plan, like whether you will require testing, proof of vaccination, and/or masks, and how you will handle viola- tions,” Holmen says. This will also help in communicating all safety measures to attendees ahead of time, so no one will feel unprepared or blindsided when they arrive. While anti-infection measures understandably hold the spotlight at present, other threats must also be considered. For example, advance thinking about possible emergen- cies requiring quick action is always well advised. This might involve steps ranging from studying building maps for best exit points from meet- ing rooms, to working with a venue’s security staff to agree on protocols to be followed in the event of an emer- gency. Similarly, keeping data safe, while obviously second- ary to the safety of partici- pants, is also important. One strategy is to set up a private Wi-Fi connection for an event and encour- age attendees to use it instead of free services offered by a hotel or other venue. Compared to free Wi-Fi, such arrangements, thanks to online access available only by user name and password, offer stronger security. Whatever measures planners embrace, an important step is to com- municate them to participants and others who may be affected. On one level, this applies to the fundamental need to assure potential attendees that adequate safety measures are in place. In conference registration materials and other information, best practices include providing details on factors such as how food will be handled, ways space will be configured to minimize crowded conditions, and other strate- gies focused on safety. Holmen says that clear communica- tion about safety is vital both in advance of an event and while it is under way. “Transparent communication is criti- cal,” he says. “Whether through signage or a mobile app, participants should be fully informed about safety measures and expectations.” This should include frequent updates as needed during the course of an event. Even the most well- thought-out safety protocols can be undone by event attendees not know- ing or understanding what’s expected of them, Holmen adds. Maintaining a steady stream of clear communication between organizers and attendees is crucial in the era of COVID and beyond. “All requirements and guidelines should be clearly communicated to all participants,” says Greg Duff, a part- themeetingmagazines.com 16 FEBRUARY 2022 | INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT Patricia Kerr, CMP Associate Vice President Meeting and Event Planning Nationwide Insurance Ensuring a safe environment, and ideally creating an event bubble, can only be achieved if each attendee is COVID negative. COURTESY OF THE ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER Venues, like the Orange County Convention Center, pictured, have boosted cleanliness measures to ensure health safety.ner at Foster Garvey in Seattle, who focuses his practice on hospitality. “If a location’s conditions are worsening or requirements are insufficient and likely to cause concerns among participants, consider what additional protocols might be needed or whether the event should be canceled.” He adds that it’s also important to understand the poli- cies and practices of the venue where the event is being hosted and commu- nicate those clearly to participants. He emphasizes that when it comes to not only coordinating meetings but also communicating with key parties, flex- ibility is a key. “What constitutes a safe meeting can change rapidly,” he says. “Communication with the venue, air- lines or other means of transportation, participants and others is critical.” In the same way meeting planners focused on physical security follow- ing 9/11, meeting planners are now rightly focused on the health and safety practices and protocols of the venues, caterers and other contractors that host or service their events, Duff says. Although there isn’t much evidence yet of meeting planners or venues being sued for COVID exposure, it is not beyond the realm of possibility. “For some time to come, travelers in all seg- ments — leisure, corporate and group — will be concerned about health and safety issues, and meeting planners will be forced to address those issues to host a successful meeting,” he says. Duff recalls an event where plan- ners had to locate, retain and then coordinate COVID tests for a group with hundreds of participants, all at the last minute. This was before test- ing became a regular requirement, and included all employees serving the event as well as all attendees. “We broke some new ground in the way that we pulled things together, with lots of lessons learned,” he says. “We’ve also seen some really bad examples of where groups tried to game the system, and COVID, to avoid holding a meeting that the group wanted to cancel for reasons other than COVID. Regardless of the time frame involved, attention should be placed on making all concerned feel com- fortable with the arrange- ments, Holmen says. “It’s so important that attendees and presenters not only are safe, but also feel safe and confident that their health and wellness are a priority,” he says. “When deciding on event size, choosing a venue and defining safety protocols, meeting and event organizers should take the latest information and CDC guidelines into account. Advance prep is needed to get a venue ready to enact those safety protocols and clearly communicate them to attendees before, during and after the event.” Along the way, planners must rec- ognize that everyone won’t be in total agreement about what precautions should be taken or the best strategies for promoting safety. “Everyone thinks about COVID risks and mitigation mea- sures differently, and it’s important to respect those different opinions,” Burke says. At the same time, whether with the current pandemic or in other areas, attendees generally appreciate “reason- able and logical” efforts made to ensure their safety. From the planner’s viewpoint, the careful thinking required for other aspects of event preparation is a must in promoting safe practices. “Approach each in-person event with caution, well thought-out safety protocols and extensive communications,” Kerr says. “These should clearly align each of your event attendees to the policies and procedures that will be implemented for your event.” Once protocols are established, ade- quate follow-through is also a key. That, along with the commitment to commu- nicate health and safety preparations and expectations, the integrity of following thorough with those preparations is vital. And, as with other aspects of the plan- ning process, teamwork and diligence will go a long way to assure that meetings are as safe as possible. I & FMM INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT | FEBRUARY 2022themeetingmagazines.com 17 COURTESY ROBERT WILSON FOR HSMAI Greg Duff, a partner at Foster Garvey, stresses that planners must clearly communicate with attendees, venues and other entities involved with an event to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to health safety. Michael Burke, CMP Director – Conference Travel Services, Hanover Insurance Group Meeting attendees have always expected that events would be safe and that protocols would be in place ... O ne of the benefits of the shift to virtual meetings is that Zoom gatherings and Teams trainings tend to have a much lower carbon footprint. According to a report by the event planning firm MeetGreen, attendee air travel makes up a whopping 70% of an event’s overall carbon foot- print. Ground travel makes up another 15%, and everything else — energy usage in attendee guest rooms, energy at the venue, catering and freight — accounts for the other 15%. However, the many benefits of meeting in person have only become more apparent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and that has left meeting planners in with a conun- drum: How can they both lower the carbon footprint of their meetings and bring people together for meaningful experiences? Though the pandemic may be slowing down, insurance and financial companies’ focus on fighting climate change is actually picking up steam. Nancy J. Zavada, CMP, founder and president of the meeting planning con- sulting firm MeetGreen, points to the growing adoption of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) investing as an example of how financial firms are taking climate change seriously. Insurance companies have a front- row seat to the financial realities of cli- mate change, but are also sophisticated enough to understand ideas like the social cost of carbon concept, which Chelsea Anderson, senior partner- ships & events manager at the sustain- ability consulting firm Verdical Group, describes as “the idea that there is an often overlooked, but real dollar value associated with the damage that results from emitting carbon dioxide.” Luckily, there are many things plan- ners can do to lower the carbon foot- print of even face-to-face meetings. “One of the most interesting aspects of working on sustainability from the lens of the meetings and events industry is that there is an opportunity to touch many key environmental impact areas — from energy to waste to materials procurement,” says Ali Ames, director of sustainability for the environmen- tal consulting firm Three Squares Inc. Wherever you choose to start — or whatever new ideas you bring into a plan already in motion — those efforts can make a big impact on the ability to continue to hold in-person meetings in the future. START EARLY Any company trying to make its events more environmentally sustain- able should begin by developing cli- mate-friendly goals and sharing them with partners. “An event organizer can’t control a building’s operations, but they can control which venue they select,” says Diana Connolly, founder of Groundswell Marketing. “Start by put- ting sustainability requirements in your RFP, and ask a lot of questions when vetting your options.” Anderson suggests querying pos- sible venues about the building’s energy and water efficiency, waste reduction and disposal practices, and what outdoor areas are available for use. “Usually when we’re looking for locations, we’re looking for something that’s close to public transportation and has a high walkability or bikeability score,” she adds. When planners discuss their sustainability goals early with their potential host site, they can tap into the venue’s general expertise with green events, as well as their specific knowledge of community resources. “Collaboration can yield improved results, bringing the best ideas of the organizer and event host beyond their PLANNERTIPS themeetingmagazines.com 18 FEBRUARY 2022 | INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT CARBON CONTROL Tips to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of F2F Meetings BY SOPHIA BENNETTnormal capability,” says Greg DeSandy, director of sales and event services for Huntington Place (formerly the TCF Center) in Detroit. Engage potential event contractors in conversations about sustainabil- ity too. “For your exhibit floor, select a general contractor who is ready to help with sustainable choices, such as minimizing aisle carpet, reducing the use of plastics and helping with exhibi- tor recycling and donations,” Connolly says. Caterers can also play a significant role in making an event greener, as can renting IT equipment from a local ven- dor as opposed to buying new items. The earlier you can set and begin working on carbon-reduction goals, the better. Anderson has worked with a number of financial institutions to plan events, “and they had a lot of red tape and approval processes that needed to be met before anything was approved,” she says. “The more information you can provide from the start, the more you can ensure the process is streamlined.” REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS “The most important aspect of mak- ing meetings carbon neutral is deploy- ing emissions reduction strategies — or taking actions to reduce the emissions of meeting activities,” Ames says. Keep- ing in mind that air travel is responsible for the vast majority of these emissions, there are a few things planners can do to shrink emissions while still bringing people together. One option is to host regional gath- erings when possible, Zavada says. In some cases, regional meetings mean people can drive or take trains. Even if the majority of the meeting’s attend- ees can fly to the host city on just one airplane, “they’re not hopping between cities to get there,” Zavada says, which can make a difference for emissions. Another possibility is to think about hybrid meetings or even limit the number of times groups meet face to face. Zavada points to a study titled “Trend Towards Virtual and Hybrid Conferences May Be an Effective Cli- mate Change Mitigation Strategy” in the journal Nature Communications, which showed that hybrid meet- ings with a 50% in-person participa- tion rate could cut an event’s carbon footprint and energy consumption rate by as much as 66% over a fully in-person meeting. “People want to meet. I get that, but there’s a time to decide how you accomplish what you want to accomplish without meeting face to face,” Zavada says. “People are getting much more specific about when they’re traveling for business and when they’re not, which I think makes face-to-face meetings even more important.” Even when an in-person meeting is important for some people, can speak- ers or staff with a smaller role attend virtually so they don’t have to fly to the venue for a short period of time? These and other hybrid options are all worth considering — especially now, when people are more accus- tomed to and better trained on how to participate in virtual events. “The pan- demic has presented both challenges and opportunities for event sustain- ability,” Ames says. “One opportunity is that it has normalized hosting events virtually. I foresee more events includ- ing virtual attendance options in the future. By allowing attendees to expe- rience events from the comfort of their homes or offices, virtual events signifi- cantly reduce travel-related emissions inherent to events that bring together people from different areas.” When face-to-face meetings are a necessity, firms might purchase carbon offsets or refer individuals to a service such as TerraPass, which offers a travel calculator so individuals can calculate the impact of their travel and buy their own carbon credits to offset it, Con- nolly says. Offering a carbon credit sponsorship option has become popu- lar in recent years. “The sponsor offsets carbon credits for attendee travel while creating great brand awareness for their organization,” she says. Carbon offsets are an important tool for achieving carbon neutrality, but they should be used as a last resort, Ander- son says. “The goal should be to reduce your emissions as much as possible through [other steps] and then, when you’ve done as much as possible on your end, purchase offsets to cover the remaining amount of emitted carbon. Simply offsetting your entire event’s emissions without making any changes on the front end may be considered green washing, as it does not reflect lasting behavioral or policy changes.” INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MEETINGS MANAGEMENT | FEBRUARY 2022themeetingmagazines.com 19 COURTESY OF VERDICAL GROUP Chelsea Anderson, far left, suggests planners ask venues about waste handling and recycling. Nancy J. Zavada, CMP Founder/President MeetGreen There’s a time to decide how you accomplish what you want to accomplish without meeting face to face.Next >