Events

[03 Feb session]

Certification is often seen as a key tool for sustainable tourism, but new research shows it has clear limits.

This webinar draws on Professor Xavier Font’s latest report, Inequitable Access to Sustainability Certification, and analysis of data from 6,222 properties across Europe’s leading cities.

We will explore:
- Why sustainability certification can disadvantage small businesses
- How consumer-facing ratings often reflect service quality more than real environmental performance
- How destinations can move beyond badges to sustainability that visitors can see, experience, and value

Speaker:
Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing, University of Surrey

[29 Jan session]

Certification is often seen as a key tool for sustainable tourism, but new research shows it has clear limits.

This webinar draws on Professor Xavier Font’s latest report, Inequitable Access to Sustainability Certification, and analysis of data from 6,222 properties across Europe’s leading cities.

We will explore:
- Why sustainability certification can disadvantage small businesses
- How consumer-facing ratings often reflect service quality more than real environmental performance
- How destinations can move beyond badges to sustainability that visitors can see, experience, and value

Speaker:
Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing, University of Surrey

12:15 - 13:15 CET - Join Giulia and Guy as they journey "From Reports to Revelations: Storytelling for Impact and Sustainability".

Stories shape belief—and belief drives action. As the colliding worlds of sustainability legislation and public scepticism accelerate worldwide, how we communicate our efforts matters more than ever. In this dynamic, hands-on session, we’ll explore how storytelling can help event professionals respond to rising expectations while inspiring meaningful change. Working in small teams, you’ll learn to craft narratives that connect policy, purpose, and people—using the simple but powerful Hook – Heart – Hope framework. Leave equipped with a simple storytelling framework, fresh ideas, and a story you can use to inspire impact.

Takeaways:

- Why storytelling matters in a regulated, high-scrutiny world
- A practical framework: Hook – Heart – Hope
- Real-world case studies of narrative leadership

15:00 – 17:00 CET. GDS-Movement's Giulia Barbero, Academy and Events Coordinator, and Guy Bigwood, CEO, present the Net Zero Carbon Events Academy, a flagship training programme powered by the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative and supported by the BeFuture Grant.

As part of the BeFuture Showcase in the Ignite Area by the Future Stage, GDS-Movement will join 80 other innovation leaders to share projects that accelerate climate action across the global events industry. The session highlights how the academy is closing the skills gap in net zero event management through structured, accredited learning pathways.

12:45 - 13:30 local time. Our GDS-Index Lead and LATAM correspondent, Claudia Bustinza, participates in a debate titled, “Sustainability: Beyond Compliance: Certification and Standards as Catalysts or Constraints?".

Certification and measurement shaped the sustainability era, but when do rules spart innovation and when do they suffocate imagination? This debate examines how standards can either constrain or catalyse transformation and what it takes to make them drivers of genuine change.

This session is part of the Sustainability Summit.

15:00 local time. Guy Bigwood, CEO and Chief Changemeker of GDS-Movement, explores the MICE journey "From Inspiration to Implementation: Designing Regenerative Events".

The events industry faces a defining choice: remain reactive or become a catalyst for change. This keynote challenges professionals and destinations to move beyond sustainability as damage control toward regeneration as a design principle. Imagine events that restore ecosystems, strengthen communities, and create lasting value. Through global trends, case studies, and circular strategies, participants will explore how regeneration can future-proof events and enhance destination impact. With Tokyo’s innovation and influence, it can lead this shift. Attendees will leave with practical tools, clear steps, and a deeper understanding of the business benefits of regenerative event design.

16:45 - 18:00 local time. Bella discusses sustainable tourism, innovation and community with Matteo Viviani, Director of the Adamello-Brenta Natural Park Attendees can register with QR code.

10:00 - 10.30 local time. Guy asks if this is "The End of Tourism as We Know It?" and proposes that a "Paradigm Shift is Underway". Guy speaks alongside 400+ international speakers who are redefining and reimagining the future of travel through technology, innovation, and sustainability.