In Berlin, you are championing “sustainable meetings”. What’s the rationale behind that decision?

 

With the UN Sustainability Goals 2030 and the CSR reporting law for large companies, policy makers are calling on businesses and each one of us to strive harder to live up to our social, economic and ecological responsibility. Our congress and event sector is resource and personnel intensive, and for that reason alone it bears a special responsibility. And that is a strong factor in Berlin’s commitment to sustainability. For growing numbers of event planners, when it comes to choosing congress locations, the option of organising a sustainable event is now a must. Together with the fundamental values of credibility, transparency and responsibility, sustainability is poised to become the business and social standard. With Sustainable Meetings Berlin, we can pursue a path to greater sustainability for our partners and clients.

 

What is your long-term goal?

 

Our vision is to develop Berlin into one of the leading and most sustainable congress destinations in the World. That’s an ambitious goal – and it can only be achieved with our many partners in the city. We also have gained support on the political level for our new sustainable Berlin Tourism Plan – the long-term strategy for Berlin tourism and the congress and meetings sector. The private and political sector are working shoulder to shoulder to achieve this complex challenges.

 

What is your goal this year with the Sustainable Meetings Berlin project?

 

We want to encourage congress planners and organisers to plan sustainably – and we’re also supporting and promoting our partners on the path to sustainability. In this way, we are looking to drive forwards sustainability in the MICE sector. We have created our new Sustainable Meetings Berlin platform here in the city.

 

This is a unique development and movement – a network of strong partners – allowing us to support every event planner with the right services and information. At present, such services are still niche products in the meetings industry. With Sustainable Meetings Berlin we are now spotlighting them and raising their profile.

 

In terms of sustainable forms of congresses and meetings, what has Berlin achieved so far?

 

Our MEET+CHANGE initiative is part of our overall vision, and has already played a role in positioning Berlin as a destination for sustainable events. MEET+CHANGE promotes the use of spaces in social facilities, such like children´s homes, family support centres or community centres for workshops or team building events.