GDS-Forum & CityDNA Autumn Conference

The second edition of the GDS-Forum took place on 15 – 16 October 2024, along with the GDS-Awards, and the CityDNA Autumn Conference in Bruges, Flanders, Belgium.

The combined theme of the events, “Let Pigs Fly”, disrupts the conventional approach to urban tourism and the visitor economy, showcasing stories of achieving the impossible and driving change. It’s a gathering of bold individuals challenging the status quo, and pushing the boundaries of destination innovation and transformation. At this annual “un-conference”, you can collaborate with peers and leaders in destination strategy and sustainability to translate innovative ideas into regenerative action, fostering socio-economic and environmental prosperity in cities and regions.

CityDNA, GDS-Movement, and Visit Bruges partner this year to present this exceptional in-person event, dedicated to nurturing cities’ environmental and socio-economic well-being.

Key discussion points of the GDS-Forum:

• Exploring the Boundaries of Possibility: What if pigs could fly? Let’s explore the realms of the impossible and create strategies to turn these dreams into reality.
• Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles: What hurdles stand in the way of your pigs taking flight? Let’s pinpoint these barriers and work together to dismantle them, clearing the path for transformation.
• Enhancing Skills for Tomorrow’s Challenges: How can we improve our flying skills? Let’s delve into the essential capacities and skills required to tackle the challenges of tomorrow’s world effectively.
• Sharing Stories: Let’s share tales of pigs that soared high and those that stumbled. Through these narratives, we can learn valuable lessons from both success and failure.
• Creating Supersonic Pigs: How do we propel our innovations beyond the ordinary? Let’s accelerate the development and implementation of groundbreaking ideas.
• Fostering Innovation Communities: Let’s nurture and sustain an environment where innovation thrives.

Our Sustainability Approach

GDS-Movement, CityDNA, and Visit Bruges Convention Bureau are committed to regenerative tourism and will help destinations to strategise, scale positive impacts, and prioritise events with a positive social, environmental, and economic legacy. 

For our upcoming event, the emissions from local event production, delegate and team travel, accommodation, food and beverage, and multiple venues will be measured. Where data is not available, impact data will be estimated using the GDS-Movement database of sustainable events. To support our collective sustainability efforts, a proportion of the ticket price will go towards offsetting all travel-related emissions.  Only “Gold Standard” carbon offsetting projects will be used, ensuring the highest quality. The specific projects selected will be communicated publicly after the event. 

We used the TRACE platform to assess and track our CO2 emissions.

Read more about the 2024 GDS-Forum & CityDNA Autumn Conference sustainability approach here.

Find out more about the host city´s sustainability efforts here.

Offsetting Approach

In a world still transitioning to clean energy, some emissions are unavoidable, and we address these with high-quality carbon offsets in the form of carbon credits.