Comments on: The meetings industry is a paper tiger

By: Thomas Persson

Thomas Persson — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:43:35 +0000

This is an interesting discussion.
All paper in meeting industry is so unnecessary. Todays technology with email an PDF viewer should be used more often in Meetings. Attendants should get an agenda and a digital link to refer to in this agenda where to download The information and consider themselves which info to read on web and which info to print. If you are not familiar with attendants be sure though it is easy to leave contacts to receive info. If you have à list of attendants already before, you can even send it before meeting.

Paper is still the small problem in the Meetings industry. Still you can gain credibility in reducing paper and you don’t put the problem in your attendees hands to recycle.

Ideas?

By: tulum

tulum — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:26:30 +0000

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By: Michael Luehrs

Michael Luehrs — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:31:59 +0000

PaperCut is a great example. There are similar products that work with networked printers. The user prints a document from their PC then goes to the printer, enters a code and retrieves a document. This practice is reported to reduce office paper consumption by more than 20%.
If people think about their own offices, how often do you forget to get a document you’ve printed? How often did you realize you needed to make a change, then printed it again? Networked printers may be less convenient than having a personal printer but the savings can be huge.
Thank you, Midori!

By: Midori Connolly

Midori Connolly — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:29:32 +0000

Check out this software called PaperCut NG:
http://www.papercut.com/products/ng/

This is some of the coolest technology I’ve seen. While it’s not designed for a meeting (or congress) application, it is still the most remarkable tool for doing exactly what you suggest – measuring & monetizing as well as creating an environmental impact equivalent for paper use.
It can track paper use by user or department, providing both instant feedback and long-term evaluation. I just discovered this recently and really excited about the potential for our industry (although will probably take some imagination and perhaps some adjustments for reporting).

I really think you hit the nail on the head in associating a tangible value (whether economic or environmental) to the paper consumption as forcing behavioural change.

Good stuff, as always!
Midori Connolly, Chief AVGirl
http://www.twitter.com/GreenA_V

By: Michael Luehrs

Michael Luehrs — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:28:21 +0000

What an important point. This speaks to (a) the need for leadership/stakeholder engagement and (b) ‘walking the talk’. It also speaks to the cultural norms that our businesses observe. This is a very practical and visible way to send a quiet, yet important, message.
Such an action would be an important follow-up to measurement and goal setting.
2 sided printing belongs on the ‘fundamentals’ list, Thank you, Julie!

By: Julie Baylor

Julie Baylor — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:38:55 +0000

I’ve noticed in my recent business dealings that people are still so concerned with how others view printed presentations; if we normally print reports double-sided for internal use, we still print single-sided to make a good impression for bosses or potential clients. If we commit to reducing paper usage, it should not be so selective. Allow bosses and clients to see and partcipate in the efforts you are making – take the chance that they will share your waste reduction values.