Denmark shares insights from six years of legacy development

MeetDenmark, the Danish Business Events Association, has published a new report of insights, built on six years of research and testing of legacy in the country. MeetDenmark believes that the insights can help legacy efforts gain traction and that they are transferable to associations and destinations across the world. The research started as a survey of international best practices, and in that process MeetDenmark made an analysis of four case studies in Denmark. This led to the development of concrete models, processes, and tools that MeetDenmark then had the opportunity to test on nine additional international congresses. Now, those findings have just been released in a report titled: Powering Meeting Legacies – New Insights for Associations & Host Communities. “The knowledge that our report captures can be a help for both associations and destinations looking to work with legacy. In a world with a rising focus on sustainability, the value of a congress for both the association, the delegates and the destination should be bigger than the costs. That is why legacy is becoming an ever more important part of planning an event. We hope that this report can help those who want to take the next step. And we are happy to help and share, so please reach out to MeetDenmark or our member-destinations,” says chairman of MeetDenmark, Pia Lange Christensen. Legacy can be win-win  The new report describes a wide range of learnings from the six years of research and testing. One of the learnings is that a legacy programme can be a natural extension of an association’s overall vision and mission and create value for the members, and at the same time can address needs at the host destination. In large part, it is about creating a dynamic engagement and collaboration between associations and local companies, universities, and public organisations in the destination that have common purposes. MeetDenmark believes there is a significant connection between successful legacy and systematic, intentional, and robust collaboration, and says associations can benefit from choosing a destination that has models, processes, and tools for work with legacy to facilitate this nexus of intersecting advantages. For MeetDenmark, legacy is about creating larger, broader, and lasting positive impact from the many international congresses that visits Denmark – both for the international scientific associations, the delegates, and the Danish congress destinations. “Our work to attract congresses to Denmark is important for companies within Danish business tourism. But it is just as important to create lasting value for society and for the visiting associations and delegates that choose Denmark,” says Pia Lange Christensen. Read the report here: https://www.wonderfulcopenhagen.com/meetdenmark/home/new-legacy-insights-associations-and-host-communities