Sustainability Plan
Looking to the future
CMW DETAILS THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN THAT HAS ACCELERATED DESTINATION CANADA ’ S ENVIRONMENTAL , ECONOMIC AND SOCIO-CULTURAL STEWARDSHIP
H aving a clear sustainability strategy is key for success and progress across the pillars of people , planet and profit , the three key focus areas for sustainable progress worldwide . Knowing this , Destination Canada has implemented its Business Events Sustainability Plan to raise the bar for responsible events .
The aim of the plan is to enhance the sustainability knowledge and capacities of suppliers and destinations across Canada , allowing them to help their clients host events with sustainability at their core . This plan has a specific focus on international association conferences , trade exhibitions , workshops and seminars , as well as corporate meetings and incentive group events .
Destination Canada set out to achieve this by collaborating with partners and destinations to educate and empower them to be able to offer solutions that cover the three pillars of sustainability : Environment , Economic and Socio-Cultural .
“ Sustainability is more than a competitive advantage , it is a collaborative one , too – a long-term commitment from the entire business event supply chain is a must-have on the path to a more responsible future ,” said Virginie De Visscher , acting executive director , business events , Destination Canada .
Engagement The sustainability plan was rolled out in three stages throughout 2023 . These stages aimed to engage destination partners and provide a baseline for growth moving forwards .
The first of these steps involved an
“ Sustainability is more than a competitive advantage , it is a collaborative one , too – a long-term commitment from the entire business event supply chain is a must-have on the path to a more responsible future .” external task force comprising of leaders across Canada ( including industry , academia and tourism partners ), as well as an internal group representing a cross-section of teams at Destination Canada . These teams sought to educated events industry partners and ensured sustainable steps were being taken .
The second phase involved collecting data regarding the current actions being taken by the destinations , in order to take part in the Global Destination Sustainability Index ( GDS ) benchmarking process . This process involved providing evidence for sustainable actions , that was then verified by independent experts .
De Visscher said : “ When we launched our plan , I was aiming to get 10 to 12 cities engaged with this plan . Initially , I looked at that number as a benchmark for success . We got 16 cities on board , which is very exciting and is excellent progress .
“ Each city had to create a green team , which was a challenge for many of them . They had very few sustainability people , per se , so we really inspired destinations to invest in the legacy of their events . Now they ’ ve embraced it and I ’ m so proud of the work they ’ ve done . It ’ s amazing .”
The third stage centred around sharing the results and learnings of the GDS benchmarking process . This process will inform the long-term plans for a more sustainable events industry in Canada and will involve the creation of a dashboard that will connect clients with the turnkey , purpose-driven sustainability solutions most aligned with their values and business event needs .
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