MiaGreen Exp & Conference Miami Beach June 2009

MiaGreen Exp & Conference Miami Beach June 2009
Susie Glass, LEED AP
Vice President of Marketing
sglass@metro1properties.com


The first annual MiaGreen Expo & Conference kicked off this past June 11th and 12th, 2009 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The event attracted a sizeable crowd of approximately 2,500 attendees who were eager to learn more about the green building industry. The exhibit hall boasted over 120 American and foreign firms, launching and showcasing a wide variety of innovative products and services for major fields within the green and sustainable professional arenas. Attendees also participated in twenty major conferences and panels, that included topics from “How To Be Green & Profitable,” to “Energy, Water & The Environment.” A special eight-hour LEED V3 Technical Review and Exam Preparation course was also offered, in addition to the two main opening sessions, which included a panel from the UK Trade & Investment Group and Skanska USA.

The Expo & Conference offered attendees and exhibitors an additional opportunity to establish and strengthen business relationships during a special VIP cocktail networking reception. The attendees represented the fields of architectural design and engineering, building and construction, real estate, environmental specialists, recycling, distribution and professional services and consulting industries. The official summer meeting of the National Green Energy Council Board of Directors was held during the conference. The organization launched its Green Job Corp Program, with a record number of students signing up for the courses, which included topics such as “Sustainability 101.” The National Green Energy Council is an educational nonprofit organization committed to enlightening children and leaders alike about environmental stewardship and renewable energy in order to save our planet for future generations.

Being the fist of its kind with, the MiaGreen Expo & Conference successfully brought together a myriad of green and sustainable businesses and service providers unparalleled by any other event in South Florida. Attendees could sample water from machines that condensed water from air, or learn about recycling programs available in the region. If an attendee needed a quick break, he or she could relax in one of the sustainable furniture lounges provided by South Florida’s very own Project Import Export, also known as PIE, (www.pie-studio.com). PIE studio is an award winning green design company that focuses on architecture, interiors and furniture creating a healthier environment. Their work has been added to the permanent collection to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum -Smithsonian Institution in New York City.

Innovative exhibits and installations, such as the work of Bamboo Barry, the largest custom bamboo builder in North America, inspired and impressed attendees to use bamboo (a renewable resource) in non-traditional and creative ways. It simply would not have been a South Beach event if there was not some element of beauty, style and fashion incorporated. Those that arrived to the MiaGreen Expo & Conference early enough for the ribbon cutting ceremony caught a glimpse of gorgeous models dressed in haute recycled couture courtesy of Green Art USA. These amazing designs were all the rage as flocks of attendees rushed to snap photos with the beauties, a creation of Luis Valenzuela, fashionista and founder of Green Art USA, whose motto is ‘more art, less waste.’ Valenzuela repurposed old maps and trash bags to create one-of-a-kind designs that can be worn by just about anyone. Other exhibitors included those from nonprofit and government sectors, such as the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives and the United States Green Building Council South Florida Chapter. Both organizations exhibited MiaGreen Expo & Conference with on-site staff to answer any questions the public may have had about green building and sustainable initiatives in Miami and the surrounding area.

According to Jose Garcia-Pineyro, President and Executive Director for MiaGreen, “Our upcoming edition will again be serving the South Florida region, as a major market in the US. This time we will also be focusing on making MiaGreen 2010 a major convention that will bring together professionals, experts, businessmen, educators, governmental authorities and suppliers from the entire western hemisphere as well as Europe, to Miami, the Business Capital of the Americas!”

The 2nd edition of the Mia Green Expo and Conference is slated for February 25th and 26th, 2010 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Branded as the GREEN Convention of the Americas, the event will expand its educational programs, trade sessions and exhibition opportunities to host participants from the entire western hemisphere and Europe. For more information on the MiaGreen Conference and Expo please contact Hector Hernandez at 305.412.EXPO or visit www.miagreen.com.