How can Worldmeetings support a sustainable world?

That was the question we asked ourselves this year. Well, we as an office are doing more and more in terms of sustainability. We separate waste, drive more and more electric cars, started an online meeting solution a few years ago, buy sustainable products as much as possible, have a paperless office and pay attention to social return in our HR policy.

Awareness

We can do even more. And we are also going to do more. Likewise, we realise that we are not an island. We are an intermediary, connecting clients with locations. And increasingly, we realise that in that role, we can be an even bigger and more positive stimulus for our partners. You could even call it a responsibility. At least we feel that way.

Influencing the chain. Because that's what we're talking about then. So encouraging clients and locations to become more sustainable. That's a much bigger task than just looking at ourselves. And one with more impact. That's why we looked at what we do for the chain. And what else we can do.

For the chain

We naturally use Green Key, an important certificate indicating how sustainable meeting venues are. We encourage booking Green Key venues through a filter in the booking tool, so bookers can easily find them.

We are also increasingly writing about sustainability and propagating this to our partners through blog posts, newsletters and on socials. For example, we launched a roadmap For booking a sustainable meeting venue. We wrote how to book a sustainable meeting venue. We gave tips on sustainable venues. And we also enlighten venues on what they can do and competitors are doing in this area.

Concrete

Nice initiatives, but we want to develop further. So we took stock with our partners (locations and clients) of what they want from us in our role of sustainability intermediary. And what they were currently missing.

What emerged: they appreciate our CSR intentions and actions. But they lack clarity. Sustainability often remains too vague. Because what exactly does Green Key mean? Are locations without Green Key then immediately unsustainable? Is there another way to book sustainably? Tips are nice, but ais booking you don't have that blog post to hand.

Users lacked the tools to gain concrete insight into a site's sustainability. And locations, in turn, could not specify exactly how they now give practical and visible shape to their sustainability.

The next step

We started thinking about that. And with feedback from clients and sites, we are developing a tool that will provide practical guidance for making sustainable choices. We expect to deliver it soon. And thus contribute even more to a more sustainable world.