Regal Hotels goes green with new initiative for MICE planners | Meetings & Conventions Asia

With the global recovery of the MICE sector, so too has come a resurgence in related carbon emissions. In response, Hong Kong-based Regal Hotels International launched its Green Meetings Initiative on October 29, offering a blueprint for sustainable events at its Causeway Bay property.

“One could perhaps argue in favour of digital meetings instead of Zoom, but I believe just now you experienced the power of personal face-to-face networking,” said Poman Lo, vice chair and managing director for Regal Hotels International at the launch event. “I believe in-person MICE events still hold great value. We can balance our objectives of productivity, engagement and commercial success with environmental responsibility if we change the way we host our meetings.”

Regal’s Green Meetings was created to balance profit with environmental responsibility, and to offer a comprehensive business solution for MICE organisers required, or choosing, to meet ESG goals and offset their carbon footprints.

Regal has partnered with the Institute of Sustainability and Technology, which Lo also founded, to accelerate the adoption of a low-carbon economic model through education and technological innovation; statutory conformity assessment body the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency; and Core Climate, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s global carbon credit marketplace.

Lo noted that the MICE sector is responsible for approximately 10% of the world’s annual carbon emissions – equivalent to that of the United States – while the food industry alone contributes one-third of the global footprint. The Green Meetings framework is rooted in seven key carbon categories, including food & beverage, production, freight and logistics, local transport, energy, waste, and accommodation. Event organisers who offset their emissions through these categories can earn carbon credits and certifications.

“There's every reason to embrace sustainability. A lot of companies have to generate ESG reports and detail what they’ve actually done. This is a real demand, and not everyone knows exactly how to do it,” Lo remarked. “We want to provide a one-stop, holistic approach to make everything super simple and professional. If you just do it without measuring the impact, without measuring exactly how you're offsetting emissions, then it’s all greenwashing.”

Regal was the first hotel group in Hong Kong to commit to carbon neutrality 11 years ago. The group currently operates six properties with over 100 MICE venues, ranging from small private rooms to one of the city’s largest ballrooms at the new Regala Skycity Hotel, which has capacity for 1,500 pax.

“We expect demand to be strong, because it’s quite effortless, and guests and organisers are not paying extra,” added Balwin Yeung, Regal’s vice president for sales & marketing. “We plan right from the beginning – from transportation to decoration to food choices. I think this is going to be very popular among corporate clients who really want to be sustainable, but don’t know where the starting point is.”

Yeung explains that MICE organisers opting for Regal venues can expect to incorporate low carbon and sustainable practices at the planning stages, which is key to hosting a successful green meeting. Elimination of plastics, public transit rather than taxis and private cars, venues that are walking distance or accessible by MTR to events and attractions are among the decisions that can go towards low carbon meetings.

Highlighting the role of sustainable food choices, Yeung explained that Regal’s programme emphasises locally sourced products, low-carbon cooking methods like steaming, and plant-based menus, which can reduce emissions by 10 to 25 times compared to meat-based options.

“In the end, if organisers choose to offset they get a report and a certification, and that’s advantageous in terms of branding and demonstrating to partners and clients that they’re ESG conscious,” said Yeung.

The launch event also showcased an entirely vegetarian Green Meetings menu, spotlighting dishes like sweet and sour monkey head mushrooms, braised rice with wild mushrooms and truffle, and vegetable spring rolls.

“By making carbon neutral events so effortless, we hope to remove the barriers for MICE organisers, and to be ESG role models for the entire industry,” Lo concluded.