Radisson Hotel Group and GDS-Movement have launched a new guide designed to help associations and professional congress organisers (PCOs) improve sustainability across meetings and events.

The roadmap, ‘Accelerating Sustainable and Regenerative Events: A Guide for Associations and PCOs’, provides practical tools and frameworks for integrating sustainability into event planning, delivery and reporting.

The guide comes as sustainability remains a priority for many organisations, but implementation continues to lag. According to findings cited in the report, 66% of associations consider sustainability highly important, while fewer than 34% have embedded it into their operations and just 3% report having an advanced sustainability programme.

The organisations identified several barriers to progress, including perceived costs, limited access to sustainability data, fragmented supplier networks and a lack of practical frameworks.

The guide argues that greater collaboration between associations, destinations, venues and suppliers is needed to establish consistent and measurable sustainability standards, particularly for organisations managing events across multiple locations.

It also highlights the role of destinations in helping event organisers meet sustainability targets. Throughout the GDS-Index, destinations are assessed against 74 qualitative and quantitative indicators aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Global Sustainable Tourism Council Destination Criteria.

The roadmap outlines five actions for associations and PCOs, including working with destination partners earlier in the planning process, prioritising certified suppliers, incorporating social impact initiatives into event design, adopting lower carbon transport strategies and introducing sustainability-linked measurement and reporting frameworks.

Inge Huijbrechts, chief sustainability and security officer at Radisson Hotel Group, said: “The industry does not have a sustainability awareness problem; it 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. 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 officer and chief change maker of GDS-Movement, added: “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 organisers 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.”