Sustainability is the central theme in the meetings industry. It is no longer a “nice-to-have”, but a must. Bruges is easily accessible by train in just 80 minutes from Brussels Airport. On arrival, all venues are within walking distance. Whether you are visiting the state-of-the-art Bruges Meeting and Convention Centre (BMCC), the groundbreaking Concertgebouw Brugge, an elegant five-star hotel or a historic venue, you don't need to take a shuttle bus to get from one location to another. No time wasted and maximum enjoyment is the message. The car-free area in the city centre has been expanded to make the area even more pleasant to walk. A bike excursion in the green belt is a healthy activity to include in your conference's social programme.

Sustainability at its best

Bruges is the destination par excellence for those looking for heritage, quality, sustainability and innovation. The UNESCO World Heritage city strives to meet these criteria in collaboration with its partners. The Flanders Heritage Venues 2.0 successfully passed a thorough quality audit and were assessed on criteria such as sustainability, experience, accessibility, digitisation and well-being.

The Green Key locations are recognised for their efforts in the field of sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship. No fewer than 15 MICE locations hold the Green Key label, with Hotel Navarra, Ibis Styles Centrum Brugge and B&B Everelmus being the most recent Green Key locations. By choosing a Green Key location, you are contributing to sustainable MICE tourism.

How can you leave a positive mark and give something back to the community?  

The City of Bruges is working together with Greentripper. This tool makes it possible to calculate the CO2 footprint for your journey, compare it with alternative means of transport and financially contribute to some highly certified climate projects in developing countries and sustainable climate initiatives in Europe.

A good example is the CityDNA Autumn Conference that took place in October 2024 in the conference hotel Crown Plaza Bruges. It was organised in the most sustainable way: most of the delegates came by train, the hotel was Green Key and City Destinations Alliance was able to donate a part of the participants conference fees for the greening of school grounds in Ebolowa (Cameroon). The pupils are very enthusiastic about the fruit trees and the vegetable garden, which will enable them to prepare healthy meals.

Since 2020, Bruges and Ebolowa have been partner cities working to build the city of tomorrow. Even though the realities in Ebolowa and Bruges are different, they always start from common ground. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as their compass in this endeavour.

The BMCC has sustainability at heart  

Organising your event at the Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre is a sustainable choice. The nearly energy-neutral (BEN) building is constructed with sustainable materials and features a green roof that buffers rainwater, purifies the air, regulates indoor temperature, and provides a home for 100,000 bees, producing around 80 kg of BeeMCC honey per year.

The BMCC uses renewable energy through heat pumps and solar panels and offers charging stations for electric vehicles. Catering partners adhere to a sustainability charter, and waste is efficiently sorted. Thanks to all these efforts, the Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre proudly carries the Green Key label, the international certification for sustainable event venues.

What makes Concertgebouw Brugge an eco-location?

Concertgebouw Brugge is a pioneer in corporate social responsibility and is committed to an ecological policy in which the employees, audience, customers and partners are involved.

• Recent building (2002) meeting common standards. Holder of the Green Key label.
• LED lighting in all halls and reception, work and storage areas.
• The 1,160 m² of planks for the stage floor come from responsibly managed forests.
• Nesting boxes for swifts were installed on the roof of the Concert Hall.
• Reduction of 12 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year in Flanders by planting an own forest.
• Photovoltaic energy generation: the venue investigates options for renovation with Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV), which means that the facing bricks contain cells that can generate solar energy.

Action plan for a sustainable conference

1. Sustainable venue: choose a venue that is committed to sustainability, such as a building with energy-efficient facilities, waste management, recycling options and within walking distance of the train station.
2. Digital communication: minimise the use of printed materials by providing as much information as possible digitally. Use emails, websites and apps to keep participants informed and to make programmes and presentations available.
3. Sustainable catering: work with caterers who use local, organic, and seasonal products. Avoid disposable packaging.
4. Waste management: ensure waste sorting at the conference and encourage participants to bring reusable water bottles and coffee cups. Limit the use of single-use packaging and gifts.
5. Sustainable mobility: encourage participants to travel to the conference by public transport or arrange carpooling.
6. Energy efficiency: use energy-efficient lighting and equipment during the conference. Ensure that unused equipment is switched off to save energy.
7. Promote green initiatives: inform participants about the sustainable practices being implemented during the event and encourage them to make sustainable choices themselves.

By following these steps, you can organise a sustainable conference that is not only successful, but also has a positive impact on the environment and the community. Your next sustainable conference in Bruges? Please do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to assist you.