Venue management company and live event producer ASM Global and distributed energy resource (DER) platform and virtual power plant operator Voltus Inc. announced a partnership designed to help ASM Global reduce energy consumption across all its convention and entertainment venues located in wholesale and regulated power markets in the U.S. 

Voltus helps deliver less expensive, more reliable and more sustainable electricity, paying energy users to reduce or shift electricity use in response to grid stress, high prices and high emissions. Its commercial and industrial customers, as well as DER partners, generate cash by allowing Voltus to maximize the value of their flexible load, distributed generation, energy storage, energy efficiency and electric vehicle resources in these markets.

“Consuming clean energy and becoming more efficient is an integral aspect of becoming carbon neutral,” said Doug Thornton, ASM Global executive vice president. “By participating in demand response programs with Voltus, we’re able to reduce energy use during times that are often associated with the highest emissions.” 

Why it matters

Boasting more than 40 sites, ASM Global and its customers comprise the largest collection of certified green venues in the world, including the following convention centers: 

• Colorado Convention Center 
• Broward County Convention Center 
• Hawai’i Convention Center 
• Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
• Huntington Place
• David L. Lawrence Convention Center 
• Los Angeles Convention Center 
• Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
• Las Cruces Convention Center
• Greater Columbus Convention Center
• Jekyll Island Convention Center
• Knoxville Convention Center

Earlier in 2023, the company’s sustainability arm, ASM Global Acts, announced an ambitious plan to convert its venue portfolio into the most sustainable in the world, reducing energy consumption by 25% by 2030 from 2023’s baseline and becoming carbon neutral by 2050. 

So far, Voltus has been deployed at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, and the number of participating venues will steadily expand as ASM Global deploys the partnership. According to ASM Global officials, multiple convention centers have already been inquiring and initiating engagement with Voltus to learn more about the opportunity since it was first announced internally in November. 

“Participating in demand response with Voltus has been one of the easiest ways to reduce our Scope 2 carbon emissions,” said Ryan Buries, assistant general manager, David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “In addition, we’re able to instantly view avoided emissions to include in our overall sustainability reporting, along with viewing real-time energy consumption both during and outside of dispatches to improve overall energy efficiency efforts.”

Big picture

Todd Krause, chief revenue officer at Voltus, expressed excitement about the partnership, which will help ASM Global and its venues further their energy efficiency and sustainability goals.

“ASM Global’s managed venues are staples within cities and communities,” Krause said. “Now, not only are they getting paid to reduce energy and emissions in those regions for financial, environmental, safety and health benefits, but they’re also supporting the growth of renewable energy.”

He added, “Providing flexible resources to balance the supply variability associated with renewables helps remove barriers to growth of renewable generation. This partnership is a win on multiple fronts.”

Have some sustainable event venue news to share? Reach out to lisa.savas@informa.com.

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