Sustainability is a priority to Tampa Convention Center and event planners. On Earth Day and every day, we implement several measures to conserve energy and reduce waste at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.
During the Capital Improvements Project at the Tampa Convention Center, the largest renovation project in the facility’s history, several sustainability features were included. This allows the Tampa Convention Center to serve event professionals even better with green strategies. New technology installed at the Tampa Convention Center allows our venue to host events more effectively while reducing our carbon footprint and conserving more energy than ever before.
Here are five ways the Tampa Convention Center is increasing sustainability efforts and working to help our planet:
Food and Material Donations
More event planners are looking to recycle unused items from their events. The Tampa Convention Center makes this an easy process by participating in programs to donate materials and food.
Tampa Convention Center partners with the Hillsborough Education Foundation to provide unused materials to local schools and help teachers and students in need. Event planners can choose to donate leftover items, such as office supplies, instead of paying to ship or transport the items. Tampa Convention Center then facilitates the donations, which go to the Teaching Tools Resource Center.
After events, the exclusive, in-house food and beverage provider at the Tampa Convention Center, Aramark, also donates unused food that is deemed safe to eat.
LED Lighting at Tampa Convention Center
Recent renovations at the Tampa Convention Center included converting older lighting technology to more energy-efficient LED lighting. This new lighting can be found throughout the Tampa Convention Center, including in the Exhibit Halls, the Ballrooms, and the new meeting rooms. These lighting upgrades allow the Tampa Convention Center to provide the latest, high-quality features to event planners while reducing energy usage and costs.
The Tampa Convention Center also practices Daylight Harvesting. This green policy allows the venue to turn off lighting during the day and instead rely on natural sunlight through large windows to eliminate the general area of the building.
HVAC Efficiency at Tampa Convention Center
During construction for the Capital Improvement Project, the Tampa Convention Center invested in new, Turbocor chillers. This advanced technology reduces energy consumption for air conditioning and eliminates the need for oil to be changed and dispensed of.
The Tampa Convention Center also uses a computer-based Energy Management System to monitor and optimize the performance of HVAC systems and lighting. Thanks to these upgrades, the Tampa Convention Center is reducing unnecessary energy usage and shrinking its carbon footprint.
This system allows the Tampa Convention Center to automatically adjust cooling and heating needs based on the different types of events and the number of people in the building. This is a great feature for event planners for helping to keep their events cool in the Florida heat.
Green Products
The exclusive, in-house food and beverage provider at the Tampa Convention Center, Aramark, adheres to green practices. Aramark manages The Sail bar and Big Ray’s Fish Camp on the Riverwalk and uses compostable cups and plasticware and recycled paper products at these restaurants.
Aramark also manages all concessions at the Tampa Convention Center, and uses recycled paper vessels, napkins, and bags at indoor concession stands. Grab-and-go containers are also made from biodegradable plastic.
Tissue made from LEED-certified renewable fibers and Green Seal Certified paper towels are used in all restrooms at the Tampa Convention Center.
Hydration Stations
The Tampa Convention Center has replaced many of its traditional water fountains with more effective water filling stations. These stations encourage tap water use, helping to offset the disposal of plastic water bottles. These stations also reduce water wastage and energy loss.
These are just a handful of the many sustainability features the Tampa Convention Center offers for event planners, exhibitors, and attendees. You can learn more about other sustainability practices at the Tampa Convention Center by clicking here: https://www.tampa.gov/tcc/sustainability