Belgium Drives a Powerful New Future for Sustainable Meetings and Global Events

Belgium is leading the way into a promising new future of sustainable meetings and international events by making its intentions clear through a call for action. Through the launch in Brussels, one learns that organizers, hotels, and cities can translate goodwill intentions into action. In addition, the road map gives them specific means of reducing wastage, promoting eco-friendly transportation, and assisting the locals. It demands that every stakeholder be responsible for planning and monitoring their progress. In essence, sustainable meetings will be able to do much more than occupy rooms and buildings. They will be able to conserve resources, foster relationships, and leave the host communities better off.

Belgium Takes Centre Stage in the Sustainability Debate

Brussels is where the new roadmap entered the global meetings industry. The guide grew from work involving GDS-Index destinations where Radisson Hotel Group operates. Its main findings were first discussed at Radisson Collection Hotel Grand Place Brussels in December 2025.

More than 30 people from hotels, associations, convention bureaux, venues and conference organising firms took part in that earlier session. The discussion looked at a simple but important problem. Many groups say sustainability matters. Yet many still struggle to make it part of everyday event planning.

The September 2026 launch turns those ideas into a guide for organisers around the world. It does not say every city must use the same plan. It gives planners useful questions to ask. They can ask about transport. They can ask about local food. They can ask whether hotels and venues hold proper sustainability certificates. They can also ask how an event can help local people.

This matters because meetings bring visitors to cities. Visitors stay in hotels. They eat in restaurants. They use local transport. They attend conferences, trade shows and cultural events. This supports jobs and local businesses. Yet events can also create waste. They can use a lot of energy. Air travel can add emissions.

The new roadmap asks the industry to look at both sides. It wants meetings to bring money and opportunity while creating less harm.

Brussels is a strong place for this launch. The city welcomes international associations and major conferences. Belgium now has a key role in a wider conversation about how business events can create value for visitors and residents.

The Real Problem Is Turning Plans Into Action

The new guide focuses on the gap between intention and action. Many associations care about sustainable events. Fewer have strong systems to make them happen.

Research from 2025 found that 66% of international associations rate sustainability as very or extremely important. This was higher than the 60% recorded in 2023. The change shows that the issue has moved up the list of priorities.

However, a promise is not the same as a result. Many organisations still find it hard to measure their impact. Some do not calculate the carbon footprint of their events. Others pay outside firms to carry out the work instead of building their own skills.

Cost is another major issue. Many organisers say sustainable choices cost too much. Yet a large number also say they would pay more for better options. This suggests that the main challenge may not always be money. It can be a lack of trust. It can be unclear data. It can be hard to find the right local supplier. It can also be difficult to compare one destination with another.

The roadmap responds to this problem. It gives organisers simple steps. It does not demand that every event becomes perfect at once. It asks people to make better choices each time they plan a meeting.

This can help groups that hold annual conferences in different cities. It can help them use the same questions each year. It can also help them compare hotels, venues and destination partners more clearly.

Five Actions That Can Change Meetings

The roadmap gives associations and professional conference organisers five main actions. Each one is simple. Together, they can improve how events are planned.

The first action is to work with destination partners early. A convention bureau or tourism office knows the city. It can explain local transport, hotel choices, venues, food systems, community groups and useful services. It can help before the organiser signs contracts.

The second action is to choose suppliers with clear sustainability credentials. Organisers should ask for proof. A hotel or venue should be able to explain its energy use, waste plans, food sourcing and water saving work. It should not only use broad green claims.

The third action is to include social impact and legacy in the event plan. This means an event should leave something useful behind. It may support a school, a health project, a local charity, a skills programme or a small business network.

The fourth action is to make low-carbon travel easier. Delegates can use trains, trams, buses, shared transport, walking routes and cycle paths. Organisers can share these choices before people arrive.

The fifth action is to measure and report results. Organisers need to know what happened. They can track waste, food donations, local spending, public transport use, hotel choices and community activity.

These actions turn sustainability into real tasks. They help planners move away from broad promises. They also make it easier to explain results to delegates, sponsors, members and host cities.

France Shows the Value of Local Event Partners

France appears in the roadmap through Marseille and Lyon. These places show how destination partners can support better event decisions.

Marseille is used as an example of responsible purchasing. Events buy many goods and services. They buy hotel rooms, food, transport, printing, stage equipment, furniture, flowers and technology. Every purchase can affect people and the environment.

A responsible buying policy can help organisers choose suppliers that reduce waste. It can help them select local businesses. It can encourage fair treatment of workers. It can also help build long-term relationships instead of using suppliers only once.

Lyon offers another lesson. The city’s convention bureau helps organisers understand the local market. It studies event needs. It helps find suitable venues. It can introduce organisers to local suppliers.

For larger events, the bureau can help organisers contact selected providers and manage responses. This can make planning easier. It can also help organisers ask the right questions from the beginning.

France shows that sustainability does not sit with one hotel or one venue. It can start with the full chain of people who prepare an event. A good local partner can help connect organisers with food providers, transport firms, venues, hotels and community groups.

Dubai Gives the UAE a Strong Sustainable Events Role

Dubai gives the United Arab Emirates a clear role in the new roadmap. The city has a Sustainable Event Guide for planners. It gives practical advice from the first stage of planning.

The guide tells organisers to look at energy-efficient buildings, water systems, public transport access and recognised sustainability certificates when choosing a venue. These choices matter because the venue can shape a large part of an event’s environmental impact.

Dubai also highlights venues that have sustainability features. Expo City combines green spaces with buildings designed to use resources carefully. It also has metro access. This gives delegates a public transport option.

Dubai World Trade Centre is another example. It has sustainability certificates and uses rooftop solar panels. It has also worked to reduce food waste through composting and donation programmes.

The Dubai example shows how a global events city can give planners clear information. Sustainable meetings do not need to be dull or limited. They can still be large, exciting and international. The key is to make smarter decisions about venues, food, transport and materials.

For delegates, this can mean clearer travel choices. For organisers, it can mean more useful information before contracts are signed. For local businesses, it can create demand for better event services.

Denmark and Singapore Put Legacy First

Denmark and Singapore show why events should create more than a short period of hotel stays and visitor spending.

Copenhagen Legacy Lab helps international associations work with local groups. It looks for shared goals between a congress and the city. It can bring together universities, hospitals, charities, public bodies and private firms.

A health conference could support public health screening. A science event could share knowledge with local students. A business meeting could connect international experts with local companies. These actions can continue after delegates return home.

Copenhagen Legacy Lab has worked since 2019. It helps associations think about what their event can leave behind. It also makes local people part of the conversation.

Singapore offers a similar idea through its MICE Event Legacy Toolkit. The toolkit gives planners practical tools and examples. It helps them decide what positive impact an event can create.

The Singapore model looks beyond attendance numbers. It asks whether an event helped the community. It asks whether it supported the destination. It asks whether it created value for society.

This is an important change in the way events are judged. A successful event should not only fill a conference hall. It should also help people learn, connect, build skills and solve problems.

Switzerland and Glasgow Help Delegates Travel Better

Travel is one of the biggest challenges for international events. Switzerland and the United Kingdom offer useful examples of how cities can make cleaner travel easier.

Basel gives hotel guests a BaselCard. The card includes local public transport during their stay. Visitors can use trams and buses around the city. This helps them reach hotels, venues, attractions and meeting spaces.

The idea is simple. When visitors can use public transport as part of their hotel stay, they may be less likely to use private cars for every journey. This can make travel easier and reduce road traffic.

Event organisers can tell delegates about the BaselCard before they arrive. They can add tram and bus details to event emails. They can also choose venues near public transport.

Glasgow offers another example. Its Active Travel Strategy supports walking, wheeling and cycling. It links these travel choices with cleaner air, health, access and lower carbon emissions.

The strategy also looks at how walking and cycling connect with public transport. This matters for event visitors. A venue close to a railway station or bus stop can make a real difference. Safe walking routes can also help delegates move around a city with confidence.

Small choices can add up. An organiser can select a central venue. A hotel can share public transport maps. A city can improve access to buses, trains and cycle routes. Together, these steps can make an event easier for everyone.

Berlin Raises the Stakes With Event Funding

Germany offers one of the clearest financial examples in the roadmap. Berlin has a Congress Fund for Sustainable Meetings. It supports eligible business events that meet clear sustainability conditions.

The programme offers basic funding of 25 euros per in-person participant per event day. Organisers need to reach at least 300 points in a Sustainable Event Scorecard.

The scorecard covers many parts of an event. It includes transport, venues, hotels, catering, equipment, technology, staff, purchasing and communication. It also looks at sustainable partners.

Berlin offers extra funding for qualifying international events. It also supports certain first-time events in the city. An event may receive extra support if a large share of in-person participants work outside Germany.

The programme has clear rules. Events need a minimum number of in-person participants. They must take place in Berlin. Organisers must meet the official eligibility requirements. Funding can reach a set maximum amount for each event.

This approach is powerful because it puts money behind sustainable action. It rewards organisers who make better choices. It shows that sustainability can become part of an event budget instead of being treated as an extra cost.

Berlin’s model may encourage other destinations to think about similar support. Cities compete to host major events. Financial support linked to better planning can help them attract meetings while also supporting environmental and social goals.

The Roadmap Brings Countries Together Through Ideas

The roadmap is global in outlook. It does not say that every country has adopted one shared rulebook. It brings together useful examples that planners can study and use.

Belgium hosts the launch. France shows how local partners can support responsible purchasing. Dubai shows practical event guidance. Copenhagen and Singapore show the value of legacy. Basel and Glasgow show cleaner mobility choices. Berlin shows how funding can support sustainable action.

These are different ideas. Each city has its own culture, transport system, business market and visitor economy. Yet they all point towards the same goal. Events should create more value while using fewer resources.

The GDS-Index supports this work by helping destinations assess environmental performance, social performance, supplier performance and destination management. It gives cities a way to understand where they are doing well and where they need to improve.

For planners, this means better questions. Does the city provide public transport information? Does it have certified hotels? Can it help with food donation? Does it offer a legacy programme? Are local suppliers ready to share data?

These questions can change how an event is planned. They can also help delegates understand why certain choices matter.

A New Moment for Global Meetings

Belgium paves the way for a future with sustainable meetings and events through a combination of vision and actions. Indeed, the launching of the Brussels roadmap provides clear guidance for meeting planners, which will enable them to conduct their events more effectively, document and demonstrate their impacts. In addition, the roadmap will also allow hotels, event venues, and hosting cities to minimize waste, make smarter travel decisions and create value for the local communities. Finally, it is a tool that delegates can rely on to have better choices. The roadmap is not a silver bullet, but rather, the building block of a future with measurable meetings.