Its new Mercure Meetings initiative was announced at the Asia Pacific Incentive Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne today.

Under the new package, participating hotels will fully fund offsets for carbon emissions produced during the conference.  This cost covers the greenhouse gases produced during the meeting and the offset is used to fund green-efficient energy sources at no extra cost to the conference group.

Mercure has joined with the Carbon Reduction Institute to streamline the carbon offsetting process.  The Institute’s Carbon Calculator determines the amount of carbon emissions created by a conference, and calculates the amount of credits to be purchased from emission reduction projects or carbon trading schemes, such as the replacement of inefficient lighting and technologies with more efficient products, and replacing the use of electricity with natural gas in both domestic and business environments.

Each credit represents a reduction of emissions equivalent to one tonne of CO2 and is registered through the New South Wales Greenhouse abatement scheme.  In addition, 10 per cent of all revenue collected from the purchase of these credits is donated to CleanUp Australia in support of its ‘clean up our climate’ program.

Other key components of Mercure Meetings include:
*Special healthy menus designed specifically for conference groups.
*Mercure hotels are guaranteeing same-day response to conference enquiries together with a dedicated single point of contact
* Use of latest communications technology

Accor’s senior vice president Australia, Simon McGrath, said that the initiative was designed to offer a complete meetings solution for conference organisers, while recognising the industry’s obligation to provide a greater level of environmental responsibility.

“The major point is that our hotels will carry the cost of the carbon emission offsets, not conference groups themselves,” said McGrath.

“As an industry we need to be more environmentally conscious and the new carbon neutral promise builds on a very extensive environmental sustainability program implemented across the Accor group.
“The carbon neutral program is an essential part of Mercure Meetings, but we also appreciate that PCOs and others want the best meetings event possible, so the new package offers a wide range of inclusions to ensure a highly productive event.”

McGrath said that new package was designed to highlight Accor’s commitment to and support for the MICE sector. It builds on Accor’s ‘Meet at Novotel’ product launched last year, and Accor’s position in the conference sector will be further enhanced with the launch of the new Pullman hotel brand, which will specifically cater for the MICE sector. The first Pullman hotel in Australia will open in August at Sydney Olympic Park, western Sydney’s major events and meetings precinct.