The climate crisis is the most urgent challenge of our time. It threatens the wellbeing of people and the planet, and requires unprecedented collective action from all sectors of society. There is no denying that we need transformative change - and business events must play an important role. As the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe, a group of 29 national member organisations, we are committed to contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal, the ambitious roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable. We believe that Europe can and should lead the way in the transition to a low-carbon, regenerative and socially just economy.
We also recognise that in realising this ambitious goal, business events can be an immense force for good. From scientific conferences to political summits and trade fairs - meetings and gatherings of all types are essential tools for human collaboration and communication. The business events industry therefore has a unique opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
On the flipside, we know that business events have significant environmental and social impacts that need to be addressed and reduced. We feel the responsibility to act now and change the conversation about sustainable events: Taking action now means being on the side of innovation and new successful business models – and failing to act risks being left behind by the changing expectations and demands of customers, partners, and stakeholders. Business events have been focusing on ecological sustainability for many years, but from now on we need to expand our understanding of sustainability, intensify our efforts, and align them with the best available science, existing international goals and frameworks as well as leading industry movements such as the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative.
Two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, the Strategic Alliance published its first joint whitepaper, describing a future vision for the national convention bureau in the year 2030, and its future roles and purposes. Applying the learnings of Covid-19, some of our key questions were: How can national convention bureaux (NCVB) best prepare for future crises and disruptions? How can we anticipate threats and opportunities and set ourselves up to create maximum value for our partners and stakeholders? How can we become more connected across borders, more collaborative across sectors, more resilient together?
This new whitepaper is built on many hours of insightful conversations around these questions, and it reflects the new roles and purposes we have jointly defined for ourselves. It is a result of our continued, trust-based collaboration, motivated by our shared vision for a sustainable future. It showcases how, in unison, the European NCVB are taking joint action towards a shift to sustainable business events and the overall transition for sustainability. We want to share our good practices, plans and ideas with our peers, partners and stakeholders in the business events industry - not just in Europe, but around the globe. Intended as a conversation starter, we do hope that this whitepaper will inspire and encourage more dialogue and cooperation on this vital topic.
The climate crisis is the most urgent challenge of our time. It threatens the wellbeing of people and the planet, and requires unprecedented collective action from all sectors of society. There is no denying that we need transformative change - and business events must play an important role. As the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe, a group of 29 national member organisations, we are committed to contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal, the ambitious roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable. We believe that Europe can and should lead the way in the transition to a low-carbon, regenerative and socially just economy.
We also recognise that in realising this ambitious goal, business events can be an immense force for good. From scientific conferences to political summits and trade fairs - meetings and gatherings of all types are essential tools for human collaboration and communication. The business events industry therefore has a unique opportunity and responsibility to contribute to the global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
On the flipside, we know that business events have significant environmental and social impacts that need to be addressed and reduced. We feel the responsibility to act now and change the conversation about sustainable events: Taking action now means being on the side of innovation and new successful business models – and failing to act risks being left behind by the changing expectations and demands of customers, partners, and stakeholders. Business events have been focusing on ecological sustainability for many years, but from now on we need to expand our understanding of sustainability, intensify our efforts, and align them with the best available science, existing international goals and frameworks as well as leading industry movements such as the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative.
Two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, the Strategic Alliance published its first joint whitepaper, describing a future vision for the national convention bureau in the year 2030, and its future roles and purposes. Applying the learnings of Covid-19, some of our key questions were: How can national convention bureaux (NCVB) best prepare for future crises and disruptions? How can we anticipate threats and opportunities and set ourselves up to create maximum value for our partners and stakeholders? How can we become more connected across borders, more collaborative across sectors, more resilient together?
This new whitepaper is built on many hours of insightful conversations around these questions, and it reflects the new roles and purposes we have jointly defined for ourselves. It is a result of our continued, trust-based collaboration, motivated by our shared vision for a sustainable future. It showcases how, in unison, the European NCVB are taking joint action towards a shift to sustainable business events and the overall transition for sustainability. We want to share our good practices, plans and ideas with our peers, partners and stakeholders in the business events industry - not just in Europe, but around the globe. Intended as a conversation starter, we do hope that this whitepaper will inspire and encourage more dialogue and cooperation on this vital topic.
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