Page 347 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

MARKETING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 325

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Another tactic for generating positive press is to position your spokesperson as a sub-
ject matter expert for speaking opportunities. In every industry and in every commu-
nity, there are a number of opportunities for passionate, knowledgeable, and articulate
speakers. Trade shows, industry conferences, and service organization meetings (e.g.,
Kiwanis and Rotary Club) provide an opportunity and a target. By studying the con-
ference or meeting themes and determining how you can add value, you can develop
a calendar of speaking opportunities that increases your presence in the marketplace.
Similar to developing your pitch to an editor, write a letter to conference organizers
or respond to their requests for proposals, identifying how your expert(s) can make a
unique contribution to an event’s program.
This has been a particularly successful tactic for Melaver, Inc., as the company has
taken the somewhat atypical approach, particularly for a company of its size, of devel-
oping a whole in-house speakers bureau of various staff members able to speak on dif-
ferent core competencies. While there was some initial concern that such a wide
coterie of public speakers might confuse the public as to who was the face of the com-
pany, this approach has flipped that concern on its head by making the statement that
the entire staff is the face of the company. Messages do differ from speaker to speaker,
as there are speakers from different ideological as well as professional perspectives.
Nevertheless, the overall message various staff members deliver is remarkably con-
sistent from speaker to speaker—and is perhaps made more potent by the fact that the
drive and passion within the company come from all points on the compass and not
just the CEO. All of the contributors to this book have, at one time or another, spoken
at local, industry, or trade organizations about their work with the company. They are
effective, in part, because they believe personally in the mission of the company, and
that commitment is apparent in their delivery.
Events like Greenbuild, the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual conference and
trade show, organizations like the Urban Land Institute and CoreNet, and local chap-
ters of the U.S. Green Building Council all provide great venues for stories about how
green building is affecting our communities.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Creating relationships in the communities where you do business is enhanced when
people have a personal experience from which to draw their opinions and attitudes.
People are particularly curious about green building and, in general, want to know more
about how your project will contribute to the health of the community. Developers who
engage with a community open themselves up to the opportunity to establish positive
relationship that will serve them well when questions or problems arise. Special events,
whether they be town hall meetings, project overviews held at a local community cen-
ter, or even hard-hat tours of your work site can bring you face to face with the people
who can influence your ability to successfully develop in the community.