Radisson Hotel Group and GDS-Movement have partnered to launch Accelerating Sustainable & Regenerative Events: A Guide for Associations & PCOs, a practical roadmap designed to help Associations and Professional Congress Organizers (PCOs) bring sustainability into event planning, delivery and reporting.

The guide was unveiled to industry stakeholders in Brussels and uses insights from destinations participating in the GDS-Index, a global benchmarking and performance improvement programme for destination sustainability.

The need for such a guide comes as sustainability becomes a growing priority across the meetings and events industry. While 66% of Associations consider sustainability highly important, fewer than 34% have embedded it into their operations, and only 3% report having an advanced sustainability programme.

“The industry does not have a sustainability awareness problem; it has an implementation challenge,” said Inge Huijbrechts, Chief Sustainability and Security Officer at Radisson Hotel Group. “As a global hospitality company, we work closely with associations, event organizers and destinations around the world and understand the practical barriers they face. This guide is designed to move the conversation from ambition to action by providing planners with practical tools, trusted frameworks and stronger collaboration models.”

Event organizers continue to face challenges such as perceived costs, limited sustainability data, fragmented supplier networks and a lack of practical frameworks. The guide highlights that sustainable events need collaboration between Associations, destinations, venues and suppliers, helping create approaches that can be measured and repeated across different events.

Destinations also have an important role to play. Through the GDS-Index, destinations are assessed against 74 qualitative and quantitative indicators aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destination Criteria. This helps event planners access information while supporting greater transparency and accountability.

“Destinations play a pivotal role in accelerating the transition toward sustainable and regenerative events,” said Guy Bigwood, CEO and Chief Changemaker of GDS-Movement. “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. Collaboration between destinations, venues and suppliers is essential to creating events that generate meaningful social, environmental and economic value.”

The guide outlines five practical actions for Associations and PCOs: collaborating with destination partners earlier, prioritizing certified supplier networks and sustainability credentials, integrating social impact and legacy initiatives, using low-carbon mobility strategies, and introducing sustainability-linked measurement, reporting and incentive frameworks.

The partnership builds on Radisson Hotel Group’s wider sustainability initiatives, including Verified Net Zero and the implementation of Hotel Sustainability Basics across its portfolio. Through continued collaboration with Associations, destinations and industry partners, the group aims to support more responsible event delivery worldwide.