Sustainable Hospitality Development Symposium
February 2017 – Monterey Bay and Costa Rica – a partnership 3,000 miles apart with a common bond as world-renowned travel destinations committed to sustainability. While Monterey County has been at the forefront of sustainable practices and initiatives, community leaders want to take the region to another level and join Costa Rica as a world leader in sustainability.
On February 23rd, visionaries, public officials, public policy experts, hospitality and tourism professionals, developers and contractors, some of whom are pictured here, gathered for the first-ever Sustainable Hospitality Development Symposium, hosted by the Sustainable Hospitality Management program in the College of Business at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). The event was held at the InterContinental – The Clement Monterey.
This innovative, one-day symposium brought together leaders from California and Costa Rica to discuss opportunities and ideas on the topic of sustainability in the Monterey Bay region. Hospitality, tourism, education, and political stakeholders and decision-makers came together to delve into this increasingly important topic, for both our region and across the globe.
Highlights of the day included a keynote address from former Costa Rican president, José María Figueres Olsen, detailing the successful sustainability initiatives in his country, and Aramark’s Director of Sustainability and Engineering, Allison Gosselin. Together, we explored how to leverage the Costa Rican and local experience in framing a sustainability culture and fostering opportunities for the sustainable development of the hospitality industry and ecotourism in the Monterey Bay region.
CSUMB hopes to continue the conversation with leaders in Costa Rica and other regions to discuss opportunities to further the development of eco-tourism and sustainable hospitality.
The goal is to shape the future of the Monterey Bay region as the leading sustainable hospitality, eco-tourism and eco-recreation region in the country. – Shyam Kamath, Founding Dean (retired) of the College of Business at California State University, Monterey Bay
John Avella Executive Director (retired 2021), Sustainable Hospitality programs, California State University, Monterey Bay
Ted Balestreri II Vice President of Hospitality & Community Relations, Cannery Row Company
Ivy Binns Student Intern, California State University, Monterey Bay
Tammy Blount CEO & President, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Ray Corpuz City Manager, City of Salinas
Shyam Kamath Founding Dean (retired 2021), College of Business, California State University, Monterey Bay
Laura Kasa Community Engagement Director, Sempervirens Fund
Barbara Meister Public Affairs Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Josh Metz Economic Development Manager, Fort Ord Reuse Authority
Rob O'Keefe Chief Marketing Officer, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Merissa O'Reilly Administrative Support Coordinator, California State University, Monterey Bay
Kate Roberts President, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership
Blair Robinson Director of Sales, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Roberto Rodriguez-Levi President, Americas Educational Programs
John Turner General Manager, The InterContinental The Clement
Highlights of the Symposium
Highlights of the day included a keynote address from former Costa Rican president, José María Figueres Olsen, detailing the successful sustainability initiatives from his country, and Aramark's Director of Sustainability and Engineering, Allison Gosselin. Together we explored how to leverage these examples, and others, in framing a sustainable culture and fostering opportunities for sustainable development and hospitality.
The MCCVB continues its Sustainable Moments initiative to educate visitors in an effort to preserve this incredible region for generations and generations to come. Visit seemonterey.com/sustainable to learn more.
Our Goals
- Embed a culture of sustainability in the tri-county region
- Frame sustainable opportunities for development and hospitality
- Raise the visibility and impact of sustainability with policymakers, investors, and developers in the state
- Enable public-private partnerships between local developers and local government
- Attract sustainable investment to the Monterey Bay Region
The former President of Costa Rica and current Chairman of the Carbon 21 initiative, Mr. Jose Maria Figueres Olsen, as well as senior Costa Rican government officials, sustainable hospitality facility owners and managers and green developers and responsible investors attended the symposium to dialog with their American counterparts. It is the first step in growing the sustainable hospitality industry in the region and making the tri-county Monterey Bay Region the leading eco-tourism and eco-recreation region in the United States.
The event was held at the InterContinental – The Clement Monterey.
Attendees included:
- Monterey Bay Region Hospitality Company Leaders and Managers
- Investors and Developers in the Hospitality Industry
- Senior California Government Officials and Policy Makers
- Monterey Bay Region Government Officials and Policy Makers
- Trade Associations and Development Organization CEOs and Directors
- Education Institution Presidents and Provosts
- Hospitality Students and Faculty Members
Congressman Jimmy Panetta, a featured speaker, was selected to serve on the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans and the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
The Symposium is a partnership between the Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties tourism industry, the Government of California, and the Government of Costa Rica; California Government officials and policymakers; California Central Coast tri-county government officials; educational institutions and organizations; trade association and development organization executives and officials; investors and developers interested in making the Monterey Bay Region a hub for sustainable hospitality development, eco-tourism and eco-recreation.
Sponsors
The symposium was led and organized by the Sustainable Hospitality programs at California State University, Monterey Bay in association with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Monterey County Hospitality Association, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, and the Monterey County Workforce Investment Board.
