The Advantage Travel Partnership partnered with Thrust Carbon to measure the impact of its conference this year, which invited attendees to the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa in Cancun.
Taking to the stage after the Partnership's CEO Julia Lo Bue-Said opened proceedings, Thrust Carbon's channels solution lead Sarah Whiting revealed the conference's impact is equivalent to 694,711 tonnes of CO2; in less scientific terms, that is the equivalent of driving a small car to the moon 16.4 times.
And what can the industry at large, event planners and attendees to do combat such an impact while retaining the key role of networking events, conferences and fam trips? Sarah believes industry professionals and event organisers "need to be reporting, reducing and removing carbon emissions."
Advantage has already gained meaningful momentum on that note. At last year's conference, the Partnership committed to a sustainability charter for each of its events, the findings of which fuel future changes. This year, according to Sarah: "Sustainable event planning lead to 16 kg of CO2 equivalent saved [per attendee]... we are taking steps to improve what we can control."
This represents the equivalent carbon intensity of producing 3,607 plastic bags saved by the Advantage Travel Partnership's eco moves (including eliminating single-use plastic and shifting to almost entirely digital conference documents).
A more obvious shift to reduce emissions might be to return the conference to its previous short-haul choice of destination or even host it domestically, but Sarah iterated that a sustainable approach does not necessarily mean cancelling long-haul travel plans entirely: "We're not in the business of not flying: we believe smart sustainable thinking is key."
In closing, Sarah largely echoed the Partnership's CEO sentiments: "As a whole we truly believe that travel is a force for good and Thrust Carbon is here to support you as we navigate climate impacts and regulations."
The Advantage Travel Partnership Conference took place from May 15th to 18th, 2024 at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa in Cancun.
