Green venues
Spain’s meeting spaces have embraced eco-friendly initiatives to ensure events are sustainable. The Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES), for instance, has installed a solar panel system to harness renewable energy, introduced an environmental education programme for event attendees to highlight environmental issues and rolled out a green procurement policy. The Malaga Exhibition and Conference Centre, meanwhile, promotes sustainable transport options like cycling and public transport and offers dedicated bike lanes and parking areas for delegates.
Over in the capital, Madrid’s Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Centre earned LEED Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) thanks to initiatives including sourcing organic and locally-produced food to reduce food miles and support the local economy.
To further promote green practices, the Madrid Convention Bureau has introduced a digital platform, PLUS, which generates customised sustainability reports for each meeting held in the Spanish capital. PLUS additionally features a CO2 calculator so organisers can accurately calculate the carbon footprint of their events, from design and preparation to takedown.
Organisers and delegates looking for a sustainable stay with a difference can consider booking into the country’s state-run hotel network, Paradores, which are located in historic city centres or natural viewpoints and include Moorish castles, converted monasteries and manor houses. Paradores have been instrumental in driving the sustainable transformation of the hospitality sector by promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources across its entire network, while offsetting excess CO2 emissions. All electricity consumed across its hotels is 100 per cent renewable, and since 2019, single-use plastic has been eliminated from bedrooms, as have plastic straws, bottles and tableware.
With a raft of environmentally-conscious policies in place across conference centres and hotels and an excellent public transport system, Spain is helping meeting planners ensure their events are truly sustainable.
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