A new whitepaper has outlined ‘concrete approaches’
for national convention bureaux to leverage their influence to accelerate the sustainable transition.
The whitepaper is collaborative
effort from the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe
(SANCBE), which aligns with the frameworks provided by the European Green Deal
and the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative.
The relevance of the whitepaper is
driven by the urgency of the climate crisis, with business events cited as having
a ‘major role to play in the transformative change that is needed’. From
scientific conferences to political summits and trade fairs – meetings can be
used as tools for human collaboration and communication.
Matthias Schultze, managing director
at the GCB German Convention Bureau and co-chair of SANCBE said: “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.”
Eric Bakermans, Netherlands Board
of Tourism and Conventions and co-chair of SANCBE added: “Our new whitepaper is
built on many hours of insightful conversations, and it reflects the new roles
and purposes we have jointly defined for ourselves as a European alliance. It
is a result of our continued, trust-based collaboration, motivated by our
shared vision for a sustainable future.”
Areas of action
and concrete approaches
Based on the future role and purposes of national
convention bureaux as defined in a previous whitepaper by SANCBE (2021), the latest publication addresses four pillars and
related areas of action: expertise and resources, advocacy and communication,
strategy and standards, facilitation and innovation. These pillars provide approaches
for national convention bureaux to leverage their role and influence in
accelerating the sustainable transition.
“How can National Convention Bureaux Leverage Their
Influence for Sustainability?” is available for download free of charge through this link.
