What driving sustainable outcomes in the meetings industry can teach us

To better understand the emerging role of destination organizations in sustainability and regeneration, it would serve us well to look at our meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) peers and take some notes. 

For over a decade, innovators like #meet4Impact and the Global Destination Sustainability Movement have recognized and leveraged the measurability of conferences to drive sustainable outcomes. 

The Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) is a jewel in Goyang, South Korea. Located in the planned city of Goyang, South Korea, KINTEX boasts over a million square feet of meeting space. Today, Goyang has over a million citizens and is the self-proclaimed ground zero of the sustainable meetings and convention movement in South Korea. 

Another noteworthy example is the World Conference Center Bonn, located adjacent to the United Nations (U.N.) campus in Bonn, Germany, which is the seat of more than 20 internal organizations of the U.N. Despite its moderate capacity of 7,000 people, the center has hosted some of the world’s most meaningful events, including two world climate summits, the International Conference on Renewable Energy and the U.N. Conference on Biodiversity — to name just a few.  

Peter Lee, Ph.D., is the managing director of the Goyang Convention and Visitors Bureau. My friend and peer is a pioneer in sustainability in the meetings industry and has achieved a Ph.D. in that field. He’s also a board member of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. 

Matthias Schultze is the managing director of the German Convention Bureau. He’s a founder of Future Meeting Space, a collaborative think tank, and previously was the CEO of the before-mentioned World Conference Center Bonn. He is a thoughtful and engaging leader working tirelessly to future-proof the industry.

As destination organizations increasingly take on a leadership role in sustainability and regeneration, it's essential to learn from the successes of our MICE peers. By leveraging their expertise and applying it to our destinations, we can drive progress toward a more sustainable future for our communities and the planet. 

Please tune in to this episode of the Future of Tourism to learn what drives Lee and Schultze in their very important work.