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For Immediate Release
September 20, 2007
EXPERT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES PANEL ADDED TO IBWA 2007 CONVENTION GENERAL SESSION
“ASSERTIVE MEDIA TACTICS” EDUCATIONAL SESSION ADDED TO AGENDA
2007 IBWA Convention and Tabletop Trade Show
October 15 - 19, 2007; Las Vegas Hilton; Las Vegas, Nevada
ALEXANDRIA, VA -- To help ensure that members of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and attendees at the 2007 IBWA Annual Convention and Tabletop Trade Show the have the latest information on environmental issues, IBWA has added an Environmental Issues Panel to the convention IBWA General Session. IBWA has also added an educational session to give attendees a clear sense of the media landscape and tactics that may be used to cut through the clutter and deliver positive bottled water messages.
Environmental Issues Panel
IBWA 2007 Convention General Session
Thursday, October 18, 2007, 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
The Environment Issues Panel will feature expert speakers on a variety of key issues that have risen to the top of the public agenda over the past several months, and provide useful ideas that companies can implement in their own businesses. The panel includes:
Fred Smith, Jr., President of the Competitive Enterprise Institute will kick off the session by discussing the public landscape and place the issues in context of the public affairs challenges and opportunities as they relate to bottled water businesses. Mr. Smith will cover the consumer and public affairs marketplace and discuss how the bottled water industry fits in the free-market economy as a viable, valid, and important consumer product.
Dennis Sabourin, Executive Director of the National Association of PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) will provide an overview of the use and role of PET plastic containers for bottled water and the beverage/food industry; a U.S. recycling overview; and present actionable items that companies can use to increase recycling rates by working in the community, with customers, and with municipalities/government.
John Schott of Energy Star/Cadmus Group will provide an overview of the Energy Star program for bottled water coolers, their impact on energy and financial savings for distributors/bottlers and customers, and how to communicate about Energy Star rated products as a sales and marketing tool.
Nghia Tran, Senior Design Manager – Facilities for Nestlé Waters North America, Inc. will provide information on the Nestle Waters green building experience and provide benchmarks and certification (LEEDS) information for bottled plants and other related businesses. This discussion will also provide specific ideas and steps, small or large, that companies can implement in their businesses to improve the environmental performance of there facilities.
Jack Donohue, Vice President, Hydrogeology & Water Resources, ENSR | AECOM will address sustainable source-water-management practices from the supply chain and environmental perspectives. He will provide proactive measures that bottlers/source owners can take to help manage and mitigate opposition by activist groups and others to the development, expansion or sale of water dependent-business operations.
“Assertive Media Tactics: Turning Up the Volume on Bottled Water Communications”
IBWA Educational Session
Thursday, October 18, 2007, 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Bottled water environmental issues have dominated the headlines and IBWA has been at the forefront of educating reporters and consumer audiences about the bottled water industry’s outstanding record of environmental stewardship, our commitment to recycling and container reuse, and the role of bottled water as a packaged beverage of choice. However, bottled water facts and good news are often not fully covered by media, which all too often thrive on sensationalism and hyping the negative messages of industry critics.
Dan Gainor, Director of the Business and Media Institute and a Boone Pickens Free Market Fellow, will elaborate on the media environment that gave rise to the attacks and provide attendees with an overview of some tools businesses can use to better defend themselves. This will include how reporters, editors, and producers go about gathering and packaging news and how companies in the bottled water industry can get their story heard above the anti-bottled water messages so pervasive in today’s media environment. Mr. Gainor will present strategies and tactics to not only respond to media coverage but how to make positive bottled water news and stories stick and be heard.
It is not too late to register to attend the IBWA 2007 Annual Convention and Table Top Trade Show, the premier bottled water industry event of the year. For information and to register online, go the IBWA web site at www.bottledwater.org and click on “Convention and Trade Show.”
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The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters. Founded in 1958, IBWA's membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, and state governments to set stringent standards for safe, high quality bottled water products. In addition to FDA and state regulations, the Association requires member bottlers to adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is an annual, unannounced plant inspection by an independent, third party organization. Consumers can contact IBWA at 1-800-WATER-11 or log onto IBWA's web site (www.bottledwater.org) for more information about bottled water and a list of members' brands.
