BRUSSELS — Radisson Hotel Group and GDS-Movement published a joint guide for associations and professional congress organisers (PCOs). The guide addresses the gap between sustainability ambition and delivery in the meetings and events industry.
The guide is titled Accelerating Sustainable & Regenerative Events: A Guide for Associations & PCOs. The two organisations unveiled it to industry stakeholders in Brussels. It draws on insights from destinations that take part in the GDS-Index, the benchmarking programme run by GDS-Movement.
Three figures behind the launch
The guide opens with three figures. 66 percent of associations rate sustainability highly important. Fewer than 34 percent have embedded it into their operations. 3 percent report an advanced sustainability programme.
The release names no research house for the three figures. The guide footnotes them to “The State of Sustainability in Associations: ICCA/Destination Canada 2025.”
The implementation barrier
The guide names the barriers that event organisers report. They include perceived costs, limited access to sustainability data, fragmented supplier ecosystems and a lack of practical implementation frameworks.
The guide states that sustainable events depend on collaboration between associations, destinations, venues and suppliers. For organisations that run recurring congresses, annual conferences and regional meetings, it states that consistency across a portfolio matters more than any single event.
Five actions for associations and PCOs
The guide sets out five actions. Collaborate with destination partners earlier in the planning process. Prioritise certified supplier networks and sustainability credentials. Integrate social impact and legacy initiatives into event design. Incorporate low-carbon mobility strategies for delegates and stakeholders. Implement sustainability-linked measurement, reporting and incentive frameworks.
What the GDS-Index measures
The release states that the GDS-Index assesses destinations against 74 qualitative and quantitative indicators aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Destination Criteria. The guide prints 76. GDS-Movement describes the GDS-Index as its benchmarking and performance improvement programme for destination sustainability.
Destinations hold the data planners need, and the guide treats that data as the route to measurable reporting.
Radisson and GDS-Movement on the record
Inge Huijbrechts, chief sustainability and security officer at Radisson Hotel Group, said the industry has an implementation challenge. “As a global hospitality company, we work closely with associations, event organizers and destinations around the world and understand the practical barriers they face,” Huijbrechts said. “This guide is designed to move the conversation from ambition to action by providing planners with practical tools, trusted frameworks and stronger collaboration models.”
Guy Bigwood, chief executive and chief changemaker of GDS-Movement, said destinations play a pivotal role in accelerating the transition toward sustainable and regenerative events. “Through the GDS-Index, we help destinations measure and improve their sustainability performance while providing event organizers with the information they need to make informed decisions,” Bigwood said.
The two publishers
Radisson Hotel Group operates hotel brands across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. GDS-Movement describes itself as a data-driven change agency for destination sustainability. The guide draws its destination data from the GDS-Index.
Where the guide sits in Radisson’s programme
The joint statement places the guide alongside other Radisson initiatives. It names Verified Net Zero and the rollout of the Hotel Sustainability Basics programme across the Radisson portfolio.
The guide
The full guide, Accelerating Sustainable & Regenerative Events: A Guide for Associations & PCOs, is published by Radisson Hotel Group and GDS-Movement.