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S U S TA I N A B L E E V E N T R E P O R T

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E V E N T S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y E X E C U T I V E S U M M A RY

Independent verification by MeetGreen® confirms that Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop San Francisco continues to improve event sustainability. In a fourth audit of practices MeetGreen® discovered the following significant innovations in sustainability related to the 2010 event:

Going local• : 2010 is arguably the most ‘local’ OpenWorld Oracle has ever held:100% of the 91 buses used were sourced within the Bay area, eliminating the need to • transfer vehicles from other regions.50%, or 56,746 square feet of signage, was printed in San Francisco, improving from • 39% in 2009. The remainder of signs were printed in Los Angeles and transported to the event by a bio-diesel powered truck.77% of menu ingredients were sourced within 100 miles of the meeting venue, • improving from 60% in 2009.

Greener hotels• : 81 hotels providing in excess of 67,000 room nights exceeded all previous targets for sustainable practices. Compliance with seven minimum guidelines for guest rooms improved by 2 - 11%.Curbing food miles• : Earlier selection of menus and analysis of ingredients used helped to reduce average food miles per function by 2,482 miles. This was done at no additional cost to Oracle or vendors. Some menus reduced miles by as much as 13,000 compared with pre-event estimates! Progress to paperless!• : Fewer pages and smaller print runs slashed show daily paper volume by 76%. In addition all collateral publications were printed on 100% post-consumer recycled stock. Both measures helped to conserve 233 trees.Fewer miles, more experience• : In spite of 4,000 more people attending Oracle OpenWorld, Java One and Develop in 2010, fewer ground shuttle miles were travelled, reducing emissions by 17,800 lbs over 2009.Going global• : Building on the success of OpenWorld, Oracle has initiated a global green meetings initiative to engage international field marketing teams in improving event sustainability. To date this has engaged 14 employees and their agencies in ‘greening’ 36 pilot events in 27 countries on 5 continents, affecting over 25,000 event attendees.Sharing lessons learned• : Oracle OpenWorld has become a learning ground for other event professionals to understand and witness what it means to implement sustainable practices. In 2010 Oracle hosted close to 100 event professionals from their internal global team, the Green Meeting Industry Council and the Corporate Event Marketing Association in work-study experiences that included information about ‘green’ strategies.

Congratulations are owed to the event team for achieving much success in support of event sustainability over multiple years. Particularly in 2010 when there were significant potential challenges to sustainability, including event growth, branding considerations and the integration of new team members to support JavaOne. For further information on this event sustainability case study, including objectives, indicators and future recommendations please refer to the attached report.

There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth.

We are all crew.

Marshall McLuhan 1911 - 1980Canadian Scholar

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Events: Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Oracle DevelopDate: September 20 - 23, 2010Host City: San Francisco, CA, USAVenues: Moscone Convention Center, Yerba Beuna Gardens, the Metreon, Hilton San Francisco, San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Hotel Nikko, Park 55, Intercontinental San Francisco, The Palace Hotel, Westin Market Street, Treasure IslandHotels: 81 hotels, 67,346 total room nightsExhibits: 463 exhibitors at three exhibit sites Audience: 40,648 participants, including Oracle customers and staff from 116 countries

Event Purpose: Oracle OpenWorld is the world’s largest information technology event dedicated to helping enterprises understand how to harness the power of information.

Event Elements: 9 Keynotes and over 1,800 sessions across Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Oracle Develop, featuring • more than 2,300 hours of contentExhibitions featuring hands-on labs and demonstrations at three different locations as well as an • online virtual collateral rackOracle User Groups for special interest group discussions• Customer Appreciation events and receptions• Webcasts via Oracle OpenWorld Live, including social networking and on-demand programming•

OracleEventMarketingLeadsforEventSustainability:Jodi Morrison, Senior Director• Paul Salinger, Vice President• Kelley Young, Event Marketing Technology & Operations•

“GreenTeam”VendorParticipants:Champion Expositions• George P. Johnson• Hartmann Studios• InVision Communications• MeetGreen®• Moscone Center• Only in San Francisco, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau• Savor Catering by SMG•

Event Sustainability Planning ProcessOracle has been planning OpenWorld as a model sustainable event since 2007. The planning and execution of this event includes BS 8901 (2009) - compliant approaches for event sustainability. This means that each planning cycle engages key stakeholders to identify sustainability issues and propose solutions that reduce impacts and improve local community benefits, while enabling Oracle to achieve strategic objectives for this event. Oracle strives to measure the impact of these solutions consistently and transparently, understanding that the methodology for measuring sustainable events is still evolving. Oracle’s approach is unique in that it not only measures onsite impacts, but planning phase impacts as well. Oracle engages a third-party to review event sustainability processes, verify practice onsite and tabulate key performance indicators.

S C O P E , P R O C E S S & PA R T I C I PAT I O N

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V I S I O N , P O L I C Y & O B J E C T I V E S

ORACLE EVENT MARKETING SUSTAINABILITY VISIONOracle Event Marketing supports Oracle’s environmental brand and policy. Oracle events - including OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop - build a leadership position by improving the attendee and Oracle brand experience through sustainable event ideas and practices.

ORACLE EVENT MARKETING SUSTAINABILITY POLICYOracle tracks the measurable environmental, business and host community benefits that result from implementing sustainable event practices. Oracle events practice the Four R’s: we Re-think how we plan our gatherings to align with sustainable business goals and seek as a priority to Reduce what we use, Reuse where we are able, and finally Recycle any materials remaining from our events.

ORACLE OPENWORLD, JAVAONE & DEVELOP SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVESEach year Oracle event staff and vendors discuss and determine sustainability priorities. Although overall objectives remain constant, actions and targets may vary year to year.

OBJECTIVE TARGET STATUS

I Measure and reduce environmental impacts from Oracle OpenWorld in the following areas: energy, water, and waste.

Maintain or reduce per participant waste 1. production, energy and water use compared to 2009.Achieve 75% waste diversion across venues.2. Calculate an emissions baseline for the event.3.

NO

NOYES

II Measure sustainability criteria for purchased products and services.

Improve to at least 76% of hotel properties 1. meeting each of seven minimum sustainability criteria.Do not exceed 18% of signage diverted to 2. landfills.Improve from 37% signage reuse.3. Improve percentage of local and green 4. technology shuttles sourced.Improve sourcing of sustainable food and 5. beverageReduce food miles per fuction and keep major 6. function menus within 5000 food miles.Implement paper use reductions in-line with 7. moving toward a paperless event.

Exceed 80% MeetGreen8. ® Calculator score.

PARTIAL

YES

NOYES

YES

PARTIAL

PARTIAL

YES

III Measure economic costs and savings of sustainableeventpracticesinordertosubstantiatethebusinesscaseforthisprogram.

Achieve sustainable practices on a cost-neutral 1. basis.Measure promotional coverage of sustainable 2. event initiatives.

YES

YES

IV Engage, communicate and educate. Expand educational messaging at water 1. stations to communicate water conservation impacts in order to align with Oceans Now partnership.Expand communications to exhibitor audience, 2. including incentives to reduce impact.Expand attendee communications to inform 3. them of how they can contribute to a greener event.Provide ‘green’ meetings education to industry 4. peers.

YES

YES

YES

YES

L a y e r e dP u r p o s e

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Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop 2010 presented the following sustainability issues:

ISSUE DESCRIPTION PRIORITY

I THREE EVENTS IN ONE In 2010 Oracle OpenWorld integrated with JavaOne, a previously independent event with a unique identity and audience. On one hand there are environmental efficiencies, such as reduced attendee travel, that can be gained by staging both events, along with Develop, at the same time. However the fact remains that these three events have a total footprint that exceeds any OpenWorld of the past. Walking the fine line between enabling three distinct events with unique audiences and identities while attempting to reduce environmental impacts was a primary sustainability challenge.

HIGH

II PRIORITIES FOR ACTION With an event as large as Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop there is an endless list of to do’s for event sustainability. Oracle has been consistent in selecting a handful of priority actions each year to focus on. Last year the Green Meeting Industry Council’s Trash Challenge provided a focus for action. This year “Keeping it Local” emerged as a primary focus, especially for food and beverage, signage and transportation.

MEDIUM

III EXPERIENCE ELEMENTS There is concern that ‘being green’ is a passing consumer fad. As the trend fades some stakeholders worry that interest in event sustainability may wane or that a backlash might even occur. To keep forward momentum and interest Oracle has shifted the focus of sustainable event experiences regularly, while also ensuring standard practices are maintained and measured. This means that green experiences onsite may change, but that fundamental practices continue to advance and improve, even if they are invisible to participants. This year’s focus shifted away from experience elements like the Green Pavillion and Pedal Chargers to education through mobile applications and water stations.

LOW

IV MEASUREMENT - METHODOLOGY & VENDOR TRACKING

Oracle OpenWorld tracks approximately 100 different sustainability indicators and requires data submissions from in excess of 95 vendors. That is a lot of number-crunching! It’s a lot of work for staff and vendors to understand and improve sustainable event measurement given there is no established method for doing this. It’s also not a traditional skill set for event marketers. Researching to know what to track and how to track it in a credible way is an ongoing task. Internal expertise needs to be cultivated. Green Team members have continued to refine procedures and tools to make sure the best information is collected in the easiest way possible. Keeping it simple while ensuring accuracy is a delicate balance.

MEDIUM

V BEYOND OPENWORLD SAN FRANCISCO

Oracle has set a very high bar for event sustainability at OpenWorld. But what about other Oracle events? What can they do to reduce their footprint and realise the economic benefits of green practices? This was a key question for the Oracle team this year as they embarked down a new path to globalize their event marketing “Green Team” with field marketing representatives from around the world.

MEDIUM

C h a l l e n g e s &O p p o r t u n i t i e s

K E Y I S S U E S

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The following list highlights key sustainability actions and achievements that were achieved at Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop 2010.

P Scope addressed by the tactic and date the tactic was fully (100%) implemented.8 Partially-implemented tactic. Implementation may be significant, but is not yet 100%. Incremental progress is made each year. * Prospective tactics are indicated in italics and have not yet been implemented.

TACTICSCOPE OF TACTIC IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

Planet People Profit 2007 2008 2009 2010

Create Sustainability Plan & Policy, with a clear vision, objectives, targets and actions.

P P P 8 P P

RFP for sustainable practices by suppliers. P 8 P 8 P P

Contract for sustainable practices by suppliers. P 8 P 8 8 8

Measure sustainable practices - Venue practice Hotel practice Catering practice General service contractor practice Transportation practices - Freight Transportation practices - Attendees Signage production Print production Audio-visual practices Energy (venue & purchasing scope) Water (venue & purchasing scope) Waste (venue & purchasing scope) Emissions (venue, transport & purchasing scope) Cost savings Pre-event impacts Attendee feedback

PPPPPPPPPPPPP

P

PPPPPPPPP

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

88888888

888

8888888P88888P

PPPP8PPPPPPP8P P

PPPP8PPPPPPP8PP

Engagement & Education - “Green Team” established Attendee communications issued (see below) Industry education and advocacy (GMIC, CEMA, MPI)

PPP

PPP

PPP

888

PPP

PPP

Reduction efforts - Printed program/Dailies Virtual collateral rack Online session evaluations Water stations/no bottled water Freight shipment consolidation Ground shuttle reduction Ground shuttle purchasing improvements Promotion of transit accessibility to attendees Local crews Local food (food miles reduction) Organic food Renewable energy sourcing Hotel practices that conserve water, energy and reduce waste

PPPPPPPPPPPPP

P

P

PPP

P

PPPPPPPPPP

8

8P

PP88

8

88

8P

PP88P88888

8PPPP88P88888

A C T I O N P L A N

S u s t a i n a b i l i t y Ro a d m a p

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TACTIC SCOPE OF TACTIC IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

PLANET PEOPLE PROFIT 2007 2008 2009 2010

Reuse/Donation programs - Name badge collection Hotel amenity donation Moscone donation programs for food, signage, bags and other left over materials Keynote staging, sets, screens, carpeting reused Exhibit hall reused carpet, padding, furnishings, drape, panels, counters and aluminum extrusions Signage reuse

PPP

PP

P

PP

PPP

PP

P

8P

8P

PP

8

P8P

PP

8

P8P

PP

8

Recycling programs - Venue recycling for paper, plastic, glass, metals Venue comprehensive composting Supplier battery & electronics recycling Hotel recycling programs for paper, plastic, glass, metals Hotel composting programs

PPPPP

PPPPP

P PPPP

PPPP8

PPPP8

Sustainable procurement - Recycled content paper Signage substrates Compostable food & beverage serviceware LED lighting in Keynote Recycled content name badges/holder Green-certified cleaners at venue Recycled content bathroom papers at venue Green-certified cleaners at hotels Recycled content bathroom papers at hotels Low VOC paints in Keynote staging Recycled content carpet, padding, visqueen, aluminum

PPPPPPPPPPP

PPP

P

88

P8P8

8888

8

P8P8P8888PP

P8P8PPP88PP

Responsibility/Accountability - Conduct third-party verification of event sustainability Use BS 8901 planning process Offsetting travel, hotel, freight

PP

PP

PP

P P8

PP

PP

Sustainable experiences - Pedal Charger Stations/Ready-Set-Connect Stations Green Pavillion & Showcase Oceans Now Water Awareness education Tree planting

PPPP

PPP

PPP

P

PP

PPP

Communications - Keynote communications Educational signage/sessions Event greening web page YouTube video/webcast Mobile application for attendees Industry press/presentations/tours Include question on attendee evaluation about event sustainability

PPPPPP P

P

P

PPP

P

PPPPPP

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Audio-Visual:ContinuedReuseandMeasurementInVision Communications continues to maximize reuse, use efficient equipment, responsibly recycle materials and reduce onsite impacts at OpenWorld. Energy savings from LED lighting are estimated at 150,000 kWh over the duration of the event. Screens for the Keynote are now in their third year of use, along with staging and shipping materials. InVision uses local crews and mandates minimal onsite paper use in addition to simply ensuring everything is powered down at the end of the day. For further information on efforts in this area visit http://iv.com. Click on “Green” to access a multi-media case study on OpenWorld.

CustomerPrograms:AwardingInnovationsinSustainabilityOracle unveiled the winners of the 2010 ‘Enable the Eco-Enterprise’ awards at Oracle OpenWorld. Oracle honored 15 global customers and their partners in the third-annual showcase. Awards recognize customers from a wide-range of industries that are using Oracle products to support reducing environmental impact, costs and improve business efficiencies. The 15 winning companies were selected by a panel of 6 judges. Further information is available at http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/green/eco-enterprise-awards-2010-174710.html.

Communication&Education:AttendeesandPeersOracle stepped up web and email communications to attendees in 2010. An expanded web page for registrants and exhibitors was created, with specific tips for each about how to reduce their footprint. Mobile applications provided gentle reminders of how to be green once in San Francisco. Green team members also continue to share their sustainable event knowledge to peer networks both onsite and post-event. Since 2009 Oracle has hosted a special ‘green’ tour of OpenWorld for the Green Meeting Industry Council. This year the tour included members of Oracle’s new internal Global Green Event Team who took a special look ‘behind the scenes’ at what is being done to shrink the event footprint, including a tour of Moscone’s solar panel installation. In addition Oracle hosted a special work-study tour of the event for the Corporate Event Marketing Association. The tour placed a special emphasis on strategies to support sustainability to assist this unique audience to see how they might apply similar practices to their events.

ExhibitorPractices:ProvidingOpportunitiesandUnderstandingPracticesOracle provides exhibitors with opportunities to practice sustainability through the virtual collaterial rack, green tips and newsletter articles and booth options available through Champion. Actual engagement in these practices is unknown, however. In 2010 promotional incentives were provided to exhibitors who shared their sustainable practices so they can be better measured. The response pool was small but provided some insight into the following:

Designing booths for reuse is the most prevalent sustainability practice by exhibitors. • 50% of exhibitors found that green practices are cost neutral; 33% noted cost reductions • and 17% noted cost increases.67% of exhibitors reused signage and booth graphics.• 67% of exhibitors reuse packing materials and crates while 50% consolidate shipments • and have eliminated polystyrene from shipping.50% have reduced or eliminated giveaways and handouts and use the virtual collateral • rack.33% reused flooring.•

2 0 1 0 S U C C E S S S TO R I E S

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Food&Beverage:GettingMoreSustainableWithoutMoreMoneyOracle has developed a method for measuring food miles and in 2009 researched the footprint of food, finding that on average menu ingredients traveled 12,300 miles per function. A challenge was issued to all caterers in 2010 to reduce menus to 5,000. This very ambitious goal was not reached for all functions, but significant progress was made to cut the average down by 2,500 miles. Conscious efforts were taken by both McCall’s Catering and Savor to plan menus and seek ingredients that reduced footprints. For example, preliminary menus for boxed lunches averaged 21,500 miles. By going back and re-sourcing six ingredients and opting to make some ingredients from scratch Savor was able to reduce average miles for boxed lunches by 7,000! In addition McCalls was able to cater the Closing Reception, OTN, and Tuesday evening reception menus for less than 5000 miles. Furthermore, all footprint reductions came at no additional cost, did not significantly change menus and took advantage of in-season options that did not reduce transportation energy at the expense of increasing production energy.

Food & Beverage: Quenching Thirst with Less WaterSince 2007 Oracle, in partnership with Hartmann Studios, has experimented with new approaches to quenching attendee thirst at OpenWorld. In 2008 this led to the elimination of 12 oz water bottles from food service in favor of water stations serviced by a local water company. By 2009 this practice had led to a 50% drop in drinking water consumed - saving an estimated 1900 gallons of water and reducing net costs by $250,000. This does not include the environmental savings of manufacturing fewer individual bottles. In 2010 water bubblers were filled with San Francisco tap water, reducing consumption by a further 500 gallons, even with more attendees! In addition to conserving water this innovative program has avoided the use of an estimated 22 tons of plastic since 2007.

Printing:PavingtheWaytoPaperlessOracle has set a goal to make OpenWorld a paperless event. In keeping with this aim publication of onsite dailies was significantly reduced and applications were developed and tested to prepare for reduced print runs in the future. However, more programs did need to be printed to service JavaOne attendees. The end result is overall paper use went up as did per participant paper indicators, however paper use for certain projects went down. Print quantity and page reductions cut total paper volume for dailies by 76%, saving 224 trees. In addition, all print publications used 100% post-consumer recycled content paper and vegetable-based inks, and supported local printers who source 100% wind-energy.

ShrinkWrapRecycling:FindingSolutionsWhereManyHandsMakingRecyclingComplicatedMoscone has a well-established recycling and donation program that helps to significantly reduce waste to landfill. However, some materials can be hard to recycle if they are not handled by Moscone staff or occupants that are familiar with recycling procedures. This is particularly evident when it comes to film plastic, or shrink wrap recycling. During exhibit set-up numerous hands come into contact with film plastic: booth set up crews, local unions, facility staff, cleaners, exhibitors and general services contractors. With so many hands involved often shrinkwrap is tossed in landfill, rather than recycled. Seeing this problem Oracle, Champion and Moscone employees took extra care to set up shrinkwrap drop points and inform exhibitors of where and how to recycle film plastic. This helped to divert an extra 1450 lbs of material from landfill.

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Signs of the Times: Balancing Event Branding with SustainabilityComing into 2010 Oracle had a big challenge: how to ensure sustainable criteria for signage was maintained when more signage would be needed to brand and service more events and attendees? Oracle employees responded early to this challenge by aiming to ensure targets for sustainability would be maintained from 2009, even if total square feet of signage increased. Champion and Hartmann Studios also made more sustainable signage decisions. The following signage use summary shows a definite increase in signage as a result of adding JavaOne. Reuse from previous events improved, although it is anticipated less signage will be available post-event due to brand slogan adjustments. Use of sustainable materials dropped slightly while the portion of local sourcing improved. More signage was recycled and donated, mainly due to reduced reuse. Overall target to ensure no more than 18% of signs were landfilled was exceeded by 5%.

2009 - SQ. FT. 2010 - SQ.FT. 2009 - % of Total 2010 - % of Total

Total signage used 75,796 112,600 100% 100%

Total reuse from previous year 3,876 13,156 5% 12%

Total available for reuse 28,074 19,209 37% 17%

Total recycled 14,793 39,004 20% 35%

Total donated 19,320 39,368 25% 35%

Totallandfilled 13,609 15,020 18% 13%

Total with recycled content 39,590 47,819 52% 42%

Total with renewable content 7,290 92,04 10% 8%

Total sustainable inks 75,796 17,644 100% 16%

Total produced locally 29,887 56,746 39% 50%

Transportation:More,WithLess!Although Oracle hosted more attendees than ever, amazingly attendee transportation declined without any noted complaints! Transportation coordinators Hartmann Studios reported a reduction of 6 shuttles on peak for OpenWorld, but had to add 17 shuttles for JavaOne, bringing the total to 91, 11 more than last year. In spite of this, total miles traveled went down by 8,900, while fuel consumption dropped by 6,300 gallons, reducing emissions by an estimated 17,800 lbs. 100% of shuttles came from the Bay area, with 34% using newer than 2007 technology, improving sourcing by 4% over last year. Vendors and Oracle staff also tracked pre-planning and onsite travel miles. Travel and costs avoided through virtual meetings are estimated at 11,000 miles and $5,300 respectively.

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B E N C H M A R K S

E s t a b l i s h i n g B a s e l i n e s &

M e a s u r i n g S u c c e s s

The following table summarizes sustainable event data for Oracle OpenWorld. 2010 includes data for JavaOne and Develop.

2007 2008 2009 2010

Event Sustainability Data

Carbon Emissions produced (tons) 1 - - - 36,479

Carbon Emissions offset (tons/%) - - - 0/0%

Carbon Emissions per participant (lbs) - - - 1,978

Energy use at venue (kWh/kWh per person) 2 - - 1,526,372/41 2,037,270/50

Water use at venue (gallons/gallons per person) 2 - - 3,053,122/82 3,576,384/88

Landfilled materials (lbs/lbs per person) 2 - 86,645/2.1 185,598/4.9 202,132/5.0

Recycled materials (lbs) 2 - 77,989 149,261 164,625

Composted organic materials (lbs) 2 - 43,640 94,740 131,837

Donated materials (lbs) 2 - 11,518 13,982 20,623

Diversion from landfill (overall/venue range) 2 - 61% / 56-61% 58% / 51-88% 61% / 38-99%

Paper used (tons, collateral) 3 112 28 18 31

Signage used (square feet) - - 75,796 112,600

Ground shuttles (peak # / miles) - 110 / 69,667 80 / 65,567 91 / 56,637

Ground freight (exhibitor miles) 4 - - - 28,413

Food miles (average per function) 5 - - 12,337 9,855

Sustainable Procurement Data

Hotels - linen reuse 6 - 61% 79% 86%

Hotels - energy efficient housekeeping 6 - 55% 86% 89%

Hotels - water conserving practices/fixtures 6 - 56% 72% 80%

Hotels - amenity reuse/donation 6 - 59%/38% 67%/51% 79%/58%

Hotels - recycling (average diversion) 6 - 69% 86% 88% (62%)

Hotels - green cleaner 6 - 52% 63% 74%

Hotels - recycled bathroom papers 6 - 46% 63% 67%

F&B - local (100 miles) 7 ~20% ~65% 60% 77%

F&B - organic (certified) 7 ~20% ~20% 2% 19%

Paper - recycled content (post-consumer) 8 - 100% 100% 100%

Carpet - recycled content (post-industrial) 9 - 25% 25% 25%

Name badge reuse - - 56% 60%

Signage - sustainable substrate 10 - - 52% 44%

Signage - sustainable inks - - 100% 16%

Signage - reused (from previous/for future) - - 5% / 37% 12% / 17%

Signage - local - - 39% 50%

ReductionImpacts11

Energy saved (Mj) - 1,455,008 2,546,717 1,950,240

Water saved (L) - 496,253 2,739,537 2,538,331

Emissions avoided (ton CO2) - 67 524 406

Trees saved - 845 460 233

Press articles / awards - 18 32 45

Community groups helped - - 10 10

Costs avoided through sustainability (net) $152,650 $320,702 $858,638 $16,204

MeetGreen® calculator score 34 62 70 82

Copyright 2010 MeetGreen®

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Oracle hired MeetGreen® to conduct a verification of onsite practices at Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop. In addition MeetGreen® was responsible for collecting and reviewing all event measurements submitted by vendors and staff. MeetGreen® was able to conduct back of house tours at Moscone and hotels to substantiate sustainable practices, in addition to interviewing all vendors.

In addition to collecting and reporting on the benchmarks above, MeetGreen® prepared an event calculation using the MeetGreen® Calculator. Those events that score highly are run by planners who not only request sustainable practices, but also ensure that these requests are implemented through systemic processes, that procedures are tracked and that a high level of performance is achieved. For example, to score highly in the venue category a planner would request and implement recycling through contract procedures, in addition to measuring a high percentage of waste diversion from landfill. Practices and measurements tracked by the MeetGreen® Calculator meet or exceed United States Environmental Protection Agency purchasing policies and align with ASTM-APEX Green Meeting Guidelines. The Calculator also credits actions that support a BS 8901-compliant approach to sustainable event management.

The Calculator tracks practices in the following areas:• Destination Selection• Meeting Venue Selection• Accommodation Selection• Transportation• Food & Beverage• Exhibit Production• Communications & Marketing• On-site Office• Audio-Visual*• Carbon Offsets* * New 2010

It is important to note that the baseline measured by the MeetGreen® Calculator has shifted in 2010. Increasing expectations for sustainability within and without of the meetings industry have led to an update in the criteria assessed by the Calculator. This makes it far more difficult for meetings to score as high as they have in the past when a lower baseline was used. Comparisons between 2010 and those events pre-2010 should be qualified accordingly. The good news for Oracle is that even with a higher baseline, OpenWorld has exceeded previous baselines for sustainable practice, finally surpassing a total event score of 80%.

M e e t G r e e n ®

Ve r i f i c a t i o n

AU D I T I N G

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The following graphs show scores for Oracle OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop San Francisco since 2007:

Total Conference Comparison Report:• Shows the total score achieved as well as the total score of other conferences in the MeetGreen® Calculator. The bar value represents the percentage of total points earned in all categories.

Conference Summary Report:• Shows the scores achieved in all categories. The bar value represents the percentage of total points earned in that category.

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This is the fourth verification of Oracle OpenWorld that has been completed by MeetGreen®. Continued positive evolution in support of event sustainability has been very noticeable.

YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT!

1.Vendorsandsupplychainareinformedandactiveaboutsustainability.

Suppliers clearly understand that sustainable practices are important to Oracle and that they are responsible for measuring impacts of action at OpenWorld, JavaOne and Develop. The expansion of the event Green Team to include vendors has enabled this. Streamlining of reporting through an online Dashboard has also helped. This saves time in entering and analysing event sustainability data. Most vendors have established a regular system for reporting and with practice are finding ways to make this a more efficient process.

2.Measurementisconsistentandcomparative.

As can be seen by the Benchmarking section, Oracle is succeeding in collecting a consistent set of measurements for OpenWorld. This is helping to better compare efforts across multiple years. Measurement became much more comprehensive in 2008, with the addition of signage and food metrics in 2009 and carbon measurement in 2010. To achieve these KPIs Oracle tracks over 100 data points from more than 95 vendors. Increased detail is possible, but also needs to be tempered with the realities of tracking so much information on an on-going basis. Oracle’s existing measurement system is very robust and caution should be exercised in adding new metrics unless resources exist to maintain tracking for these.

3.Communicationstoattendeesareclearlyevidentandincreased.

Oracle’s additional steps to communicate their commitment to event sustainability is noticable. Not only are efforts directly stated on the web site, through signage onsite and in the keynotes, but they are woven into ongoing communications with attendees and exhibitors pre-event. Interesting fun facts were inserted into mobile application messages this year. Educational signage about water conservation and Oracle’s support of National Geographic’s ocean conservation initiative was tied in with the water towers (right). Tailored green resources were created and shared with exhibitors within their kits and newsletters.

4. Improvements in procurement were noted.

Expansion of OpenWorld by an additional venue and an estimated 4000 people made it much more difficult to realize reductions. Given this reality attention to sustainable procurement was critical. In spite of a larger footprint significant increases in sustainable procurement were noted for hotels, local and organic food, local signage and transportation. This helped to mitigate the impact that would have resulted if the event was just scaled up without consideration for sustainable procurement.

L e s s o n sL e a r n e d

E VA LUAT I O N & R E V I E W

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5.Lessonslearnedarebeingpassedontopeersandtransformingthemeetingindustry.

Oracle’s four year effort to improve sustainability is changing the meeting industry for the better. As such a large event OpenWorld catalyses changes in practice that other planners hosting events in San Francisco can benefit from. In addition Oracle is contributing its expertise to panels, presentations and articles about event sustainability (2010 CEMA work study tour, below). The event is driving market transformation.

ISSUES

1.Sustainingtheeffortandmaintainingmomentum.

After four years you can imagine there are some who might ask: Are we done yet? The challenge is, sustainability is an on-going process of continual improvement for which there really is no end-point. Sustaining personal commitment and enthusiasm to this initiative is an emerging challenge. Oracle is encouraged to consider the personal sustainability of team members to constantly expand efforts, and what is reasonable to expect on an on-going basis. It is also important to make sure skills and time exist internally to maintain existing efforts. In addition, allowances should be made to train new staff in sustainable approaches.

2. Event branding and sustainability.

It’s a tough balance to stike: creating a strong event brand and doing so sustainably. Oracle employees and vendors are very sensitive to how signage, collateral and branding contributes to and can detract from perceptions about event sustainability. Both issues align when it comes to life-cycle. Strong brands stand the test of time. So too do sustainable practices. The team is encouraged to look for ways to maximize the lifespan of branded items that are deemed necessary parts of event exection by considering how they can be reused. Reuse options and the associated cost-savings should continue to be a part of event branding conversations, especially where last-minute decisions to change brand elements are suggested. In addition continued careful attention to sustainability of sign materials and disposal methods is essential to ensure at a minimum that OpenWorld does not take any steps backward.

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3.Globalizationofbestpractices.

OpenWorld San Francisco is one event. Oracle hosts thousands of events worldwide every year. So how are these events, which are much smaller, approaching sustainability? Over the last year Oracle has worked with global field marketing staff to test best approaches for these other events. In 2010 36 event sustainability pilot projects are being executed by Oracle staff, including OpenWorld Asia and OpenWorld Latin America. Reporting on the outcomes of these pilots will be important to understanding how and if Oracle is able to globalize event sustainability.

4. What measurement can tell.

Measurement can be a good and a bad thing. Sometimes ignorance of impact is, indeed, bliss! Once you start to benchmark however, you expose yourself to seeing a situation in a new way. Measurement of Oracle OpenWorld presents some interesting observations for which Oracle is presented with different choices:

Filling gaps in measurement. • Although Oracle has a very robust set of event metrics, there are a few areas that have been lacking. For example, Oracle freight is not yet being benchmarked. Is it possible to incorporate this measurement in 2011?Carbon Crisis.• 2010 is the first year OpenWorld has attempted to measure event emissions. The footprint is estimated at approximately 1900 lbs of carbon dioxide per person. This is high, although not unexpected given the international attendance at the event. The choice presented by this data: how might the footprint be reduced, and accounted for?Diversion rates.• Waste diversion from landfill at OpenWorld has held fairly constant, climbing by 3% in 2010. Venues report a wide range of diversion, from 38-99% across venues used this year. Some venues noted significant improvements. Treasure Island jumped from 51% to 66% diversion. However Moscone West dropped from 57% to 38%. How can Oracle work with venues to improve diversion from landfill overall, ideally breaking the 75% goal set by the City of San Francisco? The factors that influence diversion are varied. Solutions may include taking a more careful look at materials brought to site, and making sure they are able to be captured in recycling streams. Oracle is encouraged to ensure compostable serviceware sourced internally or used by vendors meet Golden Gate Recycling’s labeling requirements to prevent contamination. Bringing venues, haulers and event organizers together to collaborate to clarify the problem and work toward solutions is strongy recommended in 2011.

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C O N C LU S I O N

Oracle has achieved so much since turning its attention to event sustainability in 2007. Since this time simple decisions to prioritize sustainability at Oracle OpenWorld have helped:

Enable re-investment of $1.3 million in event elements through waste-cutting actionsDivert enough trash from landfill to fill 37 garbage trucks

Avoid emissions equivalent to taking 190 cars off the road for a yearConserve enough water to fill 3 Olympic-sized swimming poolsSave enough energy to power 62 American homes for a year

Prevent the cutting of 1363 trees

At the same time the event team acknowledges that there is still a significant footprint associated with this event and work remaining to continue to improve event sustainability in priority areas. This will become even more important as emergent standards continue to push the envelope of what is expected from leading sustainable events. Complete elimination of event footprint is impossible - even for those that are completely virtual. However with consistent effort and attention to doing less harm Oracle is contributing to making meetings better on a city-wide and industry-wide scale.

ENDNOTES

1. Carbon footprint estimates include air and ground transportation to and from the event based on actual registration. Emissions scope includes venue, hotel and F&B energy use. Calculated using the Carbon Fund Event Emissions Calculator.2. In 2009 Oracle expanded resource use and waste tracking to include all venues used. Prior to this only the main Moscone venue was measured. Therefore increases in waste between 2008 and 2009 should be interpreted to result from a wider scope of measurement, rather than actual increases in consumption and outputs. In addition, a shift to a more accurate method of energy use measurement by Moscone Center in 2010 secured a more accurate, but higher level of energy use compared to 2009. It is therefore anticipated that energy use was under-estimated in 2009.3. Includes only onsite marketing and communication collateral.4. Includes exhibitor and general service contractor freight. 5. Food miles are based on sample analysis of main meal functions: all boxed lunches, Welcome Event, Howard Street events, OTN, Appreciation Party, Closing Party and breaks. Food miles for prepared foods are tracked back to point of processing while raw ‘scratch’ ingredients are tracked back to farm. Reported miles account for some consolidation in shipping where verifiable. Although these functions account for less than 20% of functions, they result in over 75% of all food volume served.6. Hotel data measures the percent of contracted properties complying with sustainable practice indicated.7. Local food is based on total percentage of ingredients that are sourced within 100 miles of Moscone Center. Pre-processed ingredients that are purchased as such are tracked to point of processing, ‘scratch’ ingredients are tracked back to farm. Organic food must bear a third-party certification.8. Percentages indicated represent content in paper used to produce collateral materials. 75% of administrative printing by the planning team used 30% post-consumer content. 9. Specifications for 100% of show carpet ordered by Oracle. Does not include carpet ordered by exhibitors.10. To be included in this figure signage substrate must meet a minimum of one of the following criteria: made primarily from renewable fibers, such as cardboard, include a minimum 30% post-consumer recycled content and/or meet ASTM requirements for compostability or biodegradability.11. This section reflects the estimated cumulative benefits of decisions to reduce, reuse and recycle, based on available data. This may include things like use of recycled content paper, water bottle reductions, recycling benefits, fuel use reductions, shuttle elimination, virtual participation etc. Where reduction is measured it reflects the reduction over previous year, based on decisions made and actions taken within the single event cycle. Source data supplied from vendors and supplemented by the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator, US EPA WasteWise Tool, Carpet America Recovery Effort, International Bottled Water Association and Plastics Europe - Association of Plastics Manufacturers. Ability to track benefits improves as more tools and information becomes available. Increases in benefit therefore may reflect less an improvement in performance, but an improved ability to measure based on new information and tools that help better measure the impact of a planning decision. Note that tree savings correlates to the use of post-consumer content over virgin paper, not reductions in paper use.

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