Inspiration Hub

15 October 2024 — Saint Magdalena’s Church, Bruges, Belgium

The VISITFLANDERS Convention Bureau, #MEET4IMPACT, and the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) are pleased to announce the inaugural Impact Day. On 14 October 2024, leading figures from the conference and events industry gathered at the historic Saint Magdalena’s Church in Bruges, Belgium, with more than 120 participants attending from Australia, North America, and across Europe.

This key event addressed the future of the conference and events sector, which is at a crossroads. To ensure long-term success, a new and resilient business model is essential, with social impact at its core: how can conferences and events have lasting positive effects on host communities and their residents?

Opportunities for destinations and associations Impact Day highlighted innovative practices, leading research, and collaborative approaches to maximising the social and environmental value of conferences and events.

VISITFLANDERS Convention Bureau presented its framework and methodology for creating impactful conferences. This 4-step process helps organisers measure and enhance the social impact of their events, benefiting local communities, the association, and the environment.

Some takeaways:

• Gemmeke De Jongh (VisitFlanders), introduced the new impact methodology, shifting the focus from “more” to “better” conferences.
• Professor Jan Beyne (Antwerp Management School), an authority on sustainability and the circular economy, while promoting more dialogue for positive outcomes underscored that impact is about the tangible results of our actions, calling for a reduction in footprint and an increase in handprint.
• Geneviève Leclerc (#MEET4IMPACT) and Guy Bigwood (GDS-Movement) discussed Impact Funding and its opportunities and pitfalls.
• Ben Hainsworth, Executive Director of the European Association of the Study of the Liver (EASL) presented their case study about leveraging partnerships to scale impact.
• Tina Verstuyft (VISITFLANDERS) explained how tourism can generate a sustainable impact for the community. She gave the example of “Everyone Deserves a Holiday,” an initiative that gives people living in poverty or with disabilities the opportunity to go on vacation.
• Piet Colruyt, famous Belgian Captain of Industry and Founder of the Impact House, offered several ways to bring together the “social first” of nonprofit organisations with the “finance first” of commercial companies. In this way, he inspired conference organisers to access funding to support impactful initiatives.

Throughout the day, participants learned about subvention strategies and heard from experts in the field. Several captivating findings were presented from organisations that had undergone a similar impact journey, inspiring the associations and destinations in attendance.

Evelyne Bardyn, director of the VISITFLANDERS Convention Bureau, said, “Today is an important milestone. Today marks the beginning of a future – a future where meaningful conferences have an even greater, long-term impact.”

Geneviève Leclerc, CEO and co-founder of #MEET4IMPACT commented: “Today, we stood in front of 130 of our industry peers, all focused on how we can collectively enhance our impact and scale it. I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come over the past few years, and even more excited that we’ve now begun an open conversation about meaningful engagement with other ecosystems equally dedicated to driving change for society and the planet. Today was about stepping outside our usual space, reaching out to the broader impact ecosystem, and owning the role we can play as agents of change—with the right partnerships and mindset.”

Guy Bigwood, CEO, GDS-Movement added: “With the challenges we face, it’s crucial that we become more strategic and collaborate effectively to secure the funding needed to drive real change. Today marked an important first step in the right direction.

Organised by VISITFLANDERS Convention Bureau, #MEET4IMPACT and GDS-Movement, ‘Impact Day’ in Bruges is a pivotal one-day inaugural conference to redefine the role of the business events sector in driving societal and environmental transformation and impact.

GDS-Movement takes the baton and continues the conversation in beautiful Bruges in the coming days. The GDS-Forum & CityDNA Autumn Conference starts today. The event aims to translate innovative ideas into regenerative action for socio-economic and environmental prosperity in cities and regions. CityDNA, GDS-Movement, and Visit Bruges are partnering to present this unique in-person event dedicated to enhancing cities’ environmental and socio-economic well-being.

For more information, visit www.meetinflanders.com/impact-day, www.meetinflanders.com/impact-methodology and www.gds.earth/forum