A new guide published by Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) and GDS-Movement aims to provide associations and professional conference organisers (PCOs) with practical tools, destination data, and measurable frameworks to turn sustainability ambitions into action. The initiative comes as new findings show that although 66% of associations consider sustainability highly important, fewer than 34% have embedded it into their operations, and only 3% report having an advanced sustainability programme.
The publication, Accelerating Sustainable & Regenerative Events: A Guide for Associations & PCOs, offers a practical roadmap for integrating sustainability into event planning, delivery and reporting.
The guide was unveiled to industry stakeholders in Brussels and developed using insights from destinations participating in the GDS-Index, the benchmarking and performance improvement programme for destination sustainability.
Many organisations manage multiple meetings across different destinations, suppliers and planning cycles, creating complexity when trying to implement consistent sustainability standards and reporting frameworks.
Many event organisers continue to face barriers, including perceived costs, limited access to sustainability data, fragmented supplier ecosystems and a lack of practical implementation frameworks.
However, Inge Huijbrechts, chief sustainability and security Officer at Radisson Hotel Group, doesn’t believe the industry has a sustainability awareness problem or fatigue. “It has an implementation challenge,” he says. “We work closely with associations, event organisers and destinations around the world and understand the practical barriers they face. This guide is designed to move the conversation from ambition to action by providing planners with practical tools, trusted frameworks and stronger collaboration models.”
Through the GDS-Index, destinations are assessed against 74 qualitative and quantitative indicators aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destination Criteria.
“Destinations play a pivotal role in accelerating the transition toward sustainable and regenerative events,” says Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement. “Collaboration between destinations, venues and suppliers is essential to creating events that generate meaningful social, environmental and economic value.”
The guide outlines practical actions that Associations and PCOs can implement to strengthen sustainability performance across their events, including collaborating with destination partners earlier in the planning process and integrating social impact and legacy initiatives into event design, as well as incorporating low-carbon mobility strategies for delegates and stakeholders.
The full guide, Accelerating Sustainable & Regenerative Events: A Guide for Associations & PCOs, is available here
