MONTEREY, Calif., 2017 – From the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium to a hotel industry that has garnered numerous accolades, Monterey County has long set the bar for sustainable business practices and standards. As the region continues to be at the forefront of the sustainable movement, more than two dozen community leaders and visionaries along with an audience of public officials, public policy experts, hospitality and tourism professionals, hospitality developers and contractors and hospitality educators are gathering for the first-ever Sustainable Hospitality Symposium on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

The Sustainable Hospitality Management program at CSUMB has partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Monterey County Hospitality Association, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, the Monterey County Workforce Investment Board, the Santa Cruz County Economic Development Agency, local cities and firms as well as the Government of Costa Rica to host this momentous event.  CSUMB is also thrilled to announce that Congressman Jimmy Panetta, who was recently selected to serve on the House Committee on Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans and the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, will be joining the list of notable speakers.

"The Sustainability Symposium is bringing together the creme-de-la-creme of policy-makers, public officials, hospitality leaders, green developers and builders as well as educators from Costa Rica and the United States. 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,” says Shyam Kamath, Dean of the College of Business at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

Costa Rica is a world leading country in sustainable hospitality and eco-tourism. Former President José María Figueres Olsen was the primary architect and public official who pioneered the country's sustainable hospitality development and ecotourism strategy. President Figueres will keynote the symposium with a team of leading sustainable hospitality CEOs and the Minister of Tourism from Costa Rica.

Allison Gosselin, Director of Engineering and Sustainability at Aramark Leisure Services, is confirmed as Keynote Speaker; and Julie Packard of the Monterey Bay Aquarium will also address attendees at the reception. Leaders will be discussing topics such as sustainable hospitality, eco-tourism, eco-recreation development and opportunities as well as attracting sustainable investment and public-private partnerships to Monterey County.

"At Aramark, a deep commitment to reducing our environmental footprint is a driving factor in our management of Asilomar Conference Grounds, and we've made significant strides in water and waste management,” says Gosselin. “The symposium presents a great opportunity to learn from other environmental leaders and discover new ways for Aramark to continue to make an impact."

Additional speakers include: President Eduardo Ochoa, Dean Shyam Kamath and Sustainable Hospitality Management Program Executive Director John Avella of CSUMB; Ted Balestreri, CEO of Cannery Row Company; Costa Rican hospitality firm CEOs Alfonso Gómez, Jose Alvaro Jenkins, Karin Zurcher and Roberto Fernández along with Tourism Minister Mauricio Ventura of the Government of Costa Rica; John Laird, California Secretary of Natural Resources; Cody Plott, COO of the Pebble Beach Company; Kurt Gollnick, COO of Scheid Vineyards; Margaret Spring, Vice President of Conservation and Science and Chief Conservation Officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Assemblywoman Anna Caballero; Supervisor Jane Parker of Monterey County;  Janine Chicourrat, General Manager of the Portola Hotel & Spa; Tammy Blount, President & CEO of the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau; Teresa Matsui, CEO of Matsui Nursery; and Tejal Sood, CEO of Bayside Resorts in Santa Cruz.

“Monterey County's values in practices and development are key to our strength as a sustainable destination and make us the perfect place to hold this symposium to ensure our continued leadership in this arena,” says Blount. 

The Sustainable Hospitality Symposium will be held on Thursday, February 23, 2017, at the InterContinental The Clement Monterey from 8am – 4pm. For more information, please visit: csumb.edu/green.

ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AT CSUMB

The central core of the Sustainable Hospitality Management program at California State University, Monterey Bay, focuses on the concept of "sustainability plus," going beyond sustainability to address issues in terms of the five-dimensioned lens of People, Ethics, Equity, Planet, and Profit. Students can focus in Sustainable Hotel, Resort, and Event Management or Sustainable Ecotourism Management. The B.S. Sustainable Hospitality Management degree emerged from a concentration with the B.S, Business Administration in 2015. Students gain hands-on knowledge and skills needed to pursue careers in hospitality, including hotels, restaurants, resorts, festivals and events, ecotourism, attractions, and eco recreation with a focus on "green" jobs in business and industry.

ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (MCCVB) is a 501c6 organization that drives tourism for Monterey County and in recent years has led the destination to record levels of growth. Tourism is the largest industry on the Monterey Peninsula and the second largest in the County. The MCCVB is a partnership of the hospitality community and local governments that aims to drive business growth through compelling marketing and sales initiatives that maximize the benefits of tourism to our guests, members and the community. Travel spending in Monterey County was more than $2.7 billion in 2015, representing a 4.5 percent increase from 2014, and per person/per day spending rose to $333. Visitors in 2015 also generated $109 million in local tax receipts, a 7.4 percent increase and supported 24,390 jobs.

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