Greenbuild Holds Its First Show Outside of U.S. in Toronto

September 25, 2011

The United States Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference & Expo will be held for the first time outside of the U.S. in Toronto.

The show, on tap Oct. 4-7 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, includes programming, workshops and an exhibition floor that provides attendees an “unrivaled opportunity to learn about the latest technological innovations, explore new products and network with other professionals,” according to MTCC officials.

Because it’s a green building show, it only makes sense it would have high standards for any venue bidding to host it.

Greenbuild's mandatory green guidelines cover everything from an exhibitor's sustainability policy to ensuring booths measure up for air-quality to minimizing the impact of collateral and shipping materials.

"Toronto stood out to us for this year's show because of the growing number of green buildings, the strong Canadian Green Building Council infrastructure and the size of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which is ideally located in the heart of the city, with numerous hotels, restaurants and other amenities within arm's reach,” said Kimberley Lewis, the USGBC's vice president of conferences & events.

More than 22,000 people are expected to attend Greenbuild, generating a positive impact on the local economy of more than $58 million from delegate spending, according to MTCC officials.

"We are delighted to welcome the USGBC and Greenbuild to our green building,” said Barry Smith, President and CEO of the MTCC.

He added, “When it comes to MTCC's environmental effort, our mantra is continuous improvement, so we're looking forward to learning from the experts in this field.”

Some of the sustainable efforts at the MTVV include offering green electricity, locally sourced menus and the possibility of having a zero-waste event, to name a few.

Last year’s Greenbuild show was held at Chicago’s McCormick Place and spanned 188,000 net square feet, placing it as No. 120 on the 2010 TSNN Top Trade Show List.

The show also will be honored as a fastest-growing event this year at the 2011 TSNN Event Excellence Awards (www.T-awards.com) Nov. 4-6 in D.C. for its growth in net square footage from 2008 to 2010.

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