Earlier this year CMW spoke to Virginie De Visscher – senior director, business development, at Destination Canada about the organisation’s choice to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index – and the impact on Canada’s existing initiatives.
How did the Canadian Business Event Sustainability Plan come to be?
To begin with, Destination Canada strongly believes that meetings are catalysts to economic development and that they’re doing more than just bringing in tourism benefits. They’re the spark for investment, trade, talent, attraction, research partnerships, and so much more.
I lead the sustainability plan, which is a passion project that came to light during the pandemic and after when sustainability became so prominent. Our clients wanted us to be proactive in bringing them solutions – they want to be sustainable when they choose destinations, so we wanted to focus on helping them host sustainable events.
I looked at our destinations in Canada to see what they were doing towards this, and what I found was fascinating. All over the map, we had some destinations working well towards sustainable goals, whereas others were in the infancy of their journey. That was the birth of the Canadian Business Event Sustainability Plan.
The plan has three phases, the first focusing on coaching and training through workshops. We’re bringing the language to all of our destinations to foster confidence in talking about sustainability – so that they have the knowledge to talk about being regenerative, net zero, and all the facets of sustainability.
In April we started phase two, which is the benchmarking process. After intense research of our options, we decided on the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS Index) because it’s a benchmark, not a certification. Through the GDS Index, we can examine where our destinations are currently, and how to improve from there. Our benchmarking process examines environmental, social, and cultural initiatives, the business events supply chain, and governance.
When we reached out to start the programme, I was hoping to have about 12 destinations across Canada join us. But now, we have 16 – and that’s really exciting.
What will phase three involve, and where will you go from there?
When the results of our benchmarking are made official in November, phase three will begin. All of our destinations will then have an inventory of the sustainability initiatives taking place in Canada. They’ll also have the benefit of a storytelling masterclass, which took place in June so that once they’ve compiled the initiatives, they’ll know how to best tell their sustainability story. That’s why it’s important, and why we’re doing this.
The inventory will help our destinations provide turnkey solutions for our clients. The clients will have differing focuses on the various aspects of sustainability; one might focus on the environment, whereas one might lean into cultural sustainability.
Overall, we’re looking to bring the three pillars of sustainability to both our destinations and our clients: environmental, socio-cultural, and economic, in equal proportion.
What else were you comparing the Index against when browsing your options?
We looked at various certifications, such as LEED certifications for buildings and convention centres. We looked at Green Key, Biosphere, and ISO 20121. It wasn’t an easy choice; there are a lot of opportunities out there and we needed the one that fits us best. We know many of our destinations nationwide work with different certification standards, which is perfect because it’ll get them higher on the Index.
What results are you looking for the 16 cities to produce since joining the Index?
For a destination to join the GDS Index, they need to analyse their city through the lens of the delegate journey. They will know their strong points, and what they’re good at. But, they will also see the areas where they can improve. What we hope to see from the 16 cities is them taking these opportunities to improve, provide turnkey solutions for clients, and climb the Index.
It’d be wonderful if other destinations in the world could see our progress and think “How can we do the same?”, or “How can we help our clients get the same benefits from us that they do from Canada?”.
Overall, business events are the drivers of economies, and we’re in a world where DMOs are still recovering. What we’re doing is thinking of the future and, while change can always be uncomfortable, it’s necessary. Some of our destinations, and others worldwide on the Index, will move slowly and others will move quickly and that’s completely okay – that’s why we say it’s a journey, everyone is continuing at their own pace.
