“Sustainability is no longer a choice, it is a strategic imperative and an expectation of leading meeting owners across the globe,” said IAPCO president, Sissi Lignou.
“Our members are actively investing, measuring and innovating across their organisations.
“Our research has enabled us to identify where greater structure, stronger alignment with recognised international sustainability frameworks and practical implementation tools will accelerate meaningful progress across our industry.
“This strategy represents IAPCO’s commitment to lead with structure, accountability and action.”
The guidance, education, advocacy and benchmarking support priorities that underpin the strategy were drawn from the association’s environmental sustainability survey of its members last year.
“As part of the strategy’s implementation, IAPCO is also progressing strategic collaborations to strengthen technical capability, facilitate knowledge transfer and integrate recognised international sustainability frameworks, including ISO standards and global emissions protocols, into its guidance and member resources,” said Lignou.
IAPCO has already formed a sustainability partnership with Tourism Australia’s specialist unit, Business Events Australia, that will see a sustainability toolkit for members launched this month.
The partnership was also front and centre at the annual meeting, with the first IAPCO Sustainability Award, sponsored by Business Events Australia, given out at the event.
The sustainability award was won by the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 delivered by K.I.T. Group, following assessment by a judging panel and live voting by IAPCO members at the annual meeting.
The global conservation congress had its own dedicated sustainability policy and was certified to the ISO 20121:2024 Standard, an international sustainable event management standard.
Sustainability initiatives at the IUCN event included prompting delegates to purchase credits for carbon offset projects, selected especially for the event, at registration to offset their participation, and having 70 per cent vegetarian or vegan food at the congress.
Surplus food from the event was donated where possible and technology which draws water from the air and cleans it to provide drinking water was used at the event.
“Delivering a conservation-focused global congress requires sustainability to be both visible and verifiable,” said K.I.T. Group’s managing director, Jocelyne Müll.
“This recognition affirms our commitment to transparency, innovation and continuous improvement in responsible event management.”
IAPCO’s CEO, Martin Boyle, said the IAPCO Sustainability Award was an “important milestone” for the PCO sector.
“Sustainability excellence must be recognised with the same rigour as operational and strategic achievement,” said Boyle.
“By creating a structured, peer-endorsed platform for recognition, supported by Business Events Australia, we are elevating expectations and reinforcing measurable standards across the global meetings industry.”
