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Sustainable Meetings Berlin
April 22, 2019
IMAGE: iStock / Martin Barraud
To organise sustainable events, it is important to look at the aspects of economic, social and ecological sustainability. This means all stakeholders – from employees to suppliers, services and participants—must be involved in a rethinking process. The objective must be to design an economically successful event that not only meets ethical and fair standards, but also has as little environmental impact as possible. The first and most crucial step here is finding the right sustainable location.
Luckily, Berlin has a wealth of suitable locations to offer. Here is just a small selection:
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Entrance to the Gasometer Schöneberg
IMAGE: visitBerlin / Sarah Lindemann
The EUREF Campus – a centre unique in Europe for sustainability and innovative future projects
The EUREF Campus in Berlin Schöneberg, a symbol of Germany’s energy turnaround, has already attracted many businesses in the areas of energy, sustainability and mobility. Since 2008, this approx. 5.5-hectare site has become home to nationally and internationally renowned companies and research facilities. At the foot of Berlin’s landmark gasometer, there are also 15 rooms in an attractive and light industrial architecture (in a funky converted historic Water Tower no less!), with lots of space for conferences, gala dinners and events for up to 600 guests. What makes the EUREF Campus so special? It offers a smart location to meet, work, research and educate, and represents a unique kind of urban development, both ecologically and economically sustainable. Here, the issues related to the energy turnaround become visible and vibrant.
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Umweltforum Berlin conference venue
IMAGE: visitBerlin / Dirk Mathesius
The Umweltforum – an ‘environmental forum’ that lives up to its name
Can a church be green and also a magnificent location for great events? At Berlin’s Umweltforum, it certainly can!
Once a large metropolitan church, with space for a congregation of 1350 from the traditionally working-class district of Friedrichshain, today this is an ecological and sustainable conference centre. The Umweltforum is also fully equipped with sustainable environmental technologies. Power is generated by a photovoltaic system and a combined heat and power unit, while eco-friendly technologies such as a solar façade ensure the electricity in the rooms comes from 100% renewable energy sources. The rooftop garden is not only home to ten beehives, but also contributes to a better city climate. The highlight of the venue is the vast hall, with a floor space of 450m², ringed by galleries and featuring a church organ. The Umweltforum is one of the special Sustainable Meetings Berlin Partner locations.
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The carbon-neutral solar boat Seminarschiff
IMAGE: Seminarschiff
The Seminarschiff – meetings on a carbon-neutral solar boat
Quiet, zero emissions and a modern design – a floating location for up to 200 guests. And what makes this boat so special? The Seminarschiff is a synthesis of design and innovation, powered by an electric drive: vibration free, clean and carbon-neutral. This solar-hybrid boat, equipped with its own solar plant, is wheelchair accessible. Thanks to mobile partition walls, the interior space can be flexibly designed for different events. Moreover, since it has telescopic anchor piles, the Seminarschiff can moor independently at especially beautiful locations.
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The Berlin MICE Summit 2018
IMAGE: visitBerlin / Uwe Steinert
Sustainable Meetings Berlin – The future is green
Berlin’s creative path to a sustainable congress destination
Berlin is to become one of the most innovative and sustainable event metropolises for conventions and congresses – and the Berlin Convention Office of visitBerlin has launched a dedicated process to support this goal. The first step was bringing together the key players, including many Berlin hotels, locations and service partners, and ensuring they were comprehensively informed about the main issues and integrated into the process. After this initial phase, the aim is to support these participants as they develop their sustainable offers and services.
Here, a major role is played by the Sustainable Meetings Berlin online platform launched by the Berlin Convention Office in 2019. This platform makes it easy for event organisers to plan sustainable conferences, congresses, meetings and events. Sustainable Meetings Berlin is an initiative for sustainability in the Berlin MICE sector. For its launch this year, it comprises three elements:
- Online information tool for sustainability in the MICE sector for national and international event planners
- Online platform to list sustainable venues and service providers for events for national and international event planners
- A strong partner network
Developed with the sector for the sector
Sustainable Meetings Berlin has a range of advantages for users and participants. It gives event organisers practical assistance to achieve greater sustainability in their events and gives Sustainable Partners the chance to drive forward sustainability in their own company and gain expertise in this area. The sustainable services offered by these Partners are presented transparently in the Meeting Guide Berlin.
The Sustainable Partners include Berlin agencies, hotels and locations, catering, transport and technical services, and they are evaluated for their sustainability using criteria based on internationally recognised guidelines. Here are some sample criteria from the four areas of Environment, Society, Business, and Governance, Risk and Compliance:
- Environment: The organisation has put energy management processes in place, and these relate to all energy sources (electricity, fuels, etc.).
- Governance, Risk & Compliance: The organisation has a sustainability strategy in place and has integrated it into the corporate strategy.
- Society: The organisation has HR management and an HR plan in place including skills analysis, resource planning and strategic recruitment. In these areas, sustainability factors also play a role.
- Business: The organisation has firmly integrated user safety processes in its workflow and production processes.
In accordance with their evaluation, Sustainable Partners and their services are presented on the website.
The working group 'Nachhaltige Veranstaltungsmetropole Berlin’ (Sustainable Event Metropolis Berlin) holds regular meetings on topics around sustainability. An additional online platform offers a forum for sharing experiences and best practices.
The aim is to make events in Berlin more sustainable and, in a participative process, to strengthen and hone the city’s profile as a sustainable congress destination.
Plan your next event in compliance with the highest sustainability standards by visiting:
convention.visitBerlin.de/en/sustainable-meetings-berlin
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