By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Convention and Visitors Bureau has booked two major environmental conferences that will each bring hundreds of guests to Buffalo.
The first conference sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society is scheduled for May 2009, and will attract an estimated 1,500 energy experts and entrepreneurs. A year later, the North America Association for Environmental Education will bring its annual meeting to Buffalo, with attendance projected at 1,200 people.
Richard Geiger, president of the CVB, says Buffalo has a growing reputation for its green initiatives. But in order to land the conferences, Geiger said the CVB had to submit a proposal on making the local hospitality industry greener.
Geiger said each of the conferences will have a more than $1 million impact on the local economy.
Last month, the CVB announced that the National Trust Conference will be held in Buffalo in 2011, bringing more than two thousand guests to the region.