The Events Industry Council (EIC) is partnering with Oak View Group (OVG) in sustainable venue operations. OVG plans to certify its entire convention portfolio of more than 60 venues to the EIC Sustainable Event Standards. The company plans to carry out the certification using a phased approach.
“The positive ripple effect will be felt throughout our industry,” says EIC CEO Amy Calvert. “OVG and its leadership team are taking significant enterprise-wide actions, inspiring, and modeling the way for others.”
Chicago’s McCormick Place, the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, and the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, are among the venues to be certified.
Oak View Group Turns Heads
Oak View Group’s OVG360 took over management of the McCormick Place Campus from competitors ASM Global in July of 2023. OVG heralds itself as a positive industry disruptor, and this deal certainly grabbed the industry’s attention.
EIC has long focused on sustainability. In 2022, for example, it launched a Sustainable Event Professional Certificate (SEPC). The EIC Sustainable Event Standards consist of eight specific standards that assess events and industry suppliers. The standards also launched in 2022, are based on the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards launched in 2019.
The partnership will work in concert with the GOAL platform (Green Operations & Advanced Leadership). In addition, OVG is also set to invest in EIC certifications for its staff. They include the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and the Sustainable Event Professional Certification (SEPC).
“The partnership is grounded in our shared goals of promoting event industry excellence. Advancing uniform standards of practice, and setting the highest standards for professional and personal growth for those in our industry,” says Calvert. “We are thrilled to work with Oak View Group to certify their convention centers to EIC’s Sustainable Events Standards. This work will benefit our industry and the countless event professionals we serve.”
“Oak View Group is excited about this partnership because it provides real resources and support to our convention centers,” said Greg O’Dell, president of venue management, Oak View Group. “This partnership with EIC is about walking the talk in sustainability. Regardless of where our venues are in their journey, we are excited to leverage OVG’s practices to achieve EIC’s best-in-class certification in sustainability. We are excited to drive by example in this space.”
(From left to right) Greg O’Dell, president of venue management, OVG; Chandra Allison, senior VP of strategy and growth – conventions, meetings and exhibitions, OVG; Amy Calvert, president and CEO, EIC; Chris Granger, president, OVG360, OVG