Sydney, Australia, has won the inaugural Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) and #MEET4IMPACT Impact Award. The award recognizes the BESydney Impact Program, a social impact methodology and framework for business events across the region.
As one of the top 10 most liveable cities on the planet, Sydney’s focus on sustainability is not new. Represented by its convention and visitors bureau, BESydney, it has worked to demonstrate the positive impact of hosting global meetings. Its work goes beyond looking at the financial rewards towards benefits such as attracting talent and stimulating social change.
The city is working toward being one of the world’s “green cities” through the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 plan. Sydney was the first Australian city and one of the first globally to join the GDS-Index, a sustainability benchmarking program.
“BESydney has been recognised as a leader in legacy research for decades and we want to build on this foundation to create social impact programs that leverage business events to generate and measure positive, long-term social, economic and environment impacts,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO, BESydney.
BESydney recently appointed Rahul Shah as Director for North America to lead the organization’s presence across the US and Canada.
Sydney’s Sustainability Focus
In June 2018, Sydney led the creation of its Sustainable Destination Partnership. It brings together hotels, event venues, and cultural centers with the aim of improving environmental performance. The partnership has helped partners reduce collective emissions by over 28%.
The city works directly with accommodation providers and other industry partners to improve energy, water, and waste efficiency. It also works to promote using renewable energy to obtain third-party environmental certifications for venues. Additionally, it engages with regulators about major environmental policies.
“We know business events have the potential to create incredible positive change for global communities – across all industries. BESydney is taking this responsibility very seriously and is very grateful and humbled by the recognition of our work to date,” Lewis-Smith said.