Bordeaux joins the Global Destination Sustainability Index

4th of July 2019. Bordeaux Convention Bureau is the newest city to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). Bordeaux is now part of a global destination sustainability movement, that seeks to engage, inspire and enable urban centres to become more regenerative places to visit, meet and thrive in.

The GDS-Index is delighted to announce that Bordeaux has become the 49th city to join the movement. As such, the city will actively participate in the collaborative platform to:

  • Benchmark the sustainability of their destination and their meeting and events industry
  • Improve the sustainability strategy of their Convention Bureau and Destination Management Organizations
  • Increase awareness and mainstream the integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals into their destinations’ events and visitor economy.
  • Inspire clients to prize destinations with solid event sustainability initiatives
  • Share their responsible business initiatives and best practices with their clients, peers and the world

Bordeaux’s Convention Bureau manager comments that: “Bordeaux is proud to join the GDS-Index. We strongly believe that it is more essential than ever to expand our actions for sustainable development in the events industry. The Bordeaux Convention Bureau aims to be a powerful driver of this transition, involving our local actors – already very active in this field – and improving the whole experience of our business travellers.”

Guy Bigwood, Managing Director for the GDS-Index comments: “Bordeaux, aside of being a touristic hotspot for wine aficionados, is also a world class host for large meetings and events. The city’s drive to make these more sustainable is commendable, and we look forward to helping Bordeaux develop a better sustainable destination strategy, improve their performance and share their tactics for change globally.”

Bordeaux has already made significant efforts to create a regenerative culture to meet, live, and thrive in. The wine capital of the world has the largest urban area classified by UNESCO, and is a hub for meetings for the medical industry, academia and learning, digital economy and aeronautics.

 

 

For more information please contact:
Guy Bigwood
Managing Director of the Global Destination Sustainability Index
Guy.bigwood@gds-index.com

 

Amélie Dechenais
Convention Bureau Manager, Bordeaux Tourism Office
a.dechenais@bordeaux-tourisme.com

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT THE GLOBAL DESTINATION SUSTAINABILITY INDEX (GDS-INDEX)
The GDS-Index is a collaborative partnership between ICCA, ICCA’s Scandinavian Chapter, IMEX, ECM and MCI Group. It measures, benchmarks and improves the sustainability strategy and performance of meetings, events and business tourism destinations. Founded by pioneering Scandinavian Convention Bureau, its purpose is to engage, inspire and enable destinations to become more sustainable places to visit, meet and thrive in. www.gds-index.com.

ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)
In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs are a blueprint and a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/

European Cities Marketing (ECM)
European Cities Marketing is a non-profit organisation improving the competitiveness and performance of the leading cities of Europe. ECM provides a platform for Leisure, Meetings Industry and City Marketing professionals to exchange knowledge, best practices and widen their network to build new business. European Cities Marketing is linking the interests of members from more than 110 major cities in 36 countries. More information can be found on www.europeancitiesmarketing.com.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS & CONVENTION ASSOCIATION (ICCA)
ICCA – the International Congress and Convention Association – is the global community and knowledge hub for the international association meetings industry. ICCA represents the world’s top destinations and most experienced and leading suppliers specialised in handling, transporting and accommodating international meetings and events, and comprises over 1,100 member companies and organisations in almost 100 countries worldwide. Since its establishment in 1963, ICCA specialises in the international association meetings sector, offering unrivalled data, communication channels, and business development opportunities. www.iccaworld.org.

ABOUT IMEX
The IMEX Group, based in the UK, has just one mission: to unite and advance the meetings industry – doing everything it can to educate, innovate and help everyone in the business events industry make powerful connections with the right people. The IMEX team serves this mission, and the industry we love, by delivering two market-leading trade shows every year – one in Frankfurt each spring and one in Las Vegas each autumn: IMEX America 2019, America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings & events, will be held in September this year – taking place 10 – 12 September 2019 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at The Venetian® | The Palazzo®, preceded by Smart Monday, powered by MPI on 9 September. www.imexamerica.com.

ABOUT MCI
MCI is the global leader in engaging and activating audiences. Our business is founded on a simple human insight: When people come together, magic happens. This magic is called community. Since 1987 we have been bringing people together through inspiring meetings, events, congresses and association management. MCI helps organisations harness the power of community by applying our strategic engagement and activation solutions to build unforgettable online and offline experiences that foster change, inspire, educate and enhance business performance. MCI is an independently owned company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and boasts a global presence with 2,500+ professionals in 60 offices and 31 countries, who work with clients across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, India and the Middle East. Find out more at www.mci-group.com.