Convene分析：2026年多项调查显示会展业可持续性预期上升且气候风险成为战略变量

Kristen Averyt, EVP at the American Geophysical Union and a respected climate scientist, spoke at C4C 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Kristen Averyt, EVP at the American Geophysical Union and a respected climate scientist, spoke at C4C 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo courtesy Convene4Climate.

In a global survey by Reuters Insights of more than 500 sustainability professionals from a wide range of industries, 30 percent reported their organizations had increased their sustainability goals in 2026 and 8 percent of respondents said their organizations had scaled them back. C-suite leaders, meanwhile, rated the importance of sustainability on their agendas more highly than they did earlier this year: The proportion of those who described it as “very important” climbed to 70 percent, up from 57 percent, during 2026.

Business event organizers who responded to Convene’s 2026 Meetings Market Survey were also largely holding steady in their commitments to sustainability. Fourteen percent reported their organizations’ commitments to sustainability had increased this year and 7 percent reported it had decreased in the last year. Nearly three out of four planners said it had stayed the same and 14 percent said their organization’s commitment had increased. Thirty-one percent reported they didn’t plan events with sustainability in mind.

One more metric: The No. 1 way meeting professionals say attendee expectations have changed in the last two years is that attendees expect to see visible sustainability measures at events, according to the AMEX 2027 Global Meetings and Event Forecast.

Sources: Reuters Insights, MMS, AMEX GBT Global 2027 Meetings and Events Forecast

Making the Business Case for Sustainability

The inaugural Convene 4 Climate (C4C) Global Awards, which debuted at C4C in Lisbon, Portugal, in September 2026, illustrated the breadth of innovation in sustainability from within the business events industry and beyond. The dozen finalists represented convention centers, non-profits, private companies, and DMOs, offering solutions for reducing the environmental impact of events, and increasing accessibility and inclusion, in areas including travel and logistics, food recovery and circularity, building emissions, sustainable aviation fuel, alternative energy, and measurement and planning tools.

Beyond innovation, the entries also demonstrated the business case for their investments: Technology for Climate award winner Cosysense, a clean technology startup, reported achieving building-energy savings that average 27 percent to 38 percent. The JavitsCares initiative at New York City’s Javits Center reduces annual landfill costs by 25 percent by diverting 200,000 pounds of food and materials to the community, among other savings. (Details for all 12 finalists’ initiatives are available in a new Digital Resource Library at convene4climate.org.)

Source: convene4climate.org

Top Sustainability Priorities for Planners

Accessibility (transport options, sign language interpreters, etc.) 47%
Inclusion and culture (gender neutral bathrooms, dietary requirements) 40%
Offering local, seasonal and plant-based food and beverage 30%
Minimizing disposables, prioritizing sustainable materials and production 30%
Offering catering that complies with different diets and dietary restrictions 29%

Source: AMEX GBT Global 2027 Meetings and Events Forecast

Weather Forecast: Chronic Disruptions

“The question is no longer whether weather will disrupt events, but whether the sector is prepared for disruption that is chronic rather than exceptional,” write the authors of “Extreme Weather, Extreme Pressure: The New Reality Facing Events,” published by CEF, Centre for Events & Festivals.

“Climate change is turning weather from an operational variable into a strategic risk for live events,” making reducing emissions not just a matter of ethics and reputation but of business continuity, write the authors, including events sustainability researcher and consultant Shawna McKinley, principal at Clear Current Consulting. “A subtle but significant shift is underway in how organizers think about where and when events should take place.

“Interviews and case studies reveal early signs that climate risk is influencing destination choice, scheduling, and even event format. Some organizers have begun moving events to be held earlier or later in the season. Others are reconsidering locations that have experienced repeated disruptions.

“As extreme weather becomes more predictable in its unpredictability, decisions about siting and scheduling will increasingly shape which events survive,” the report states. “Without proactive integration of climate risk into these decisions, the sector risks drifting into a cycle of trial-and-error attrition.”

Source: Extreme Weather, Extreme Pressure: The New Reality Facing Events, CEF

Table Stakes

In the healthcare and life sciences events sector, sustainability is now expected to be embedded in events from the start. With 65 percent of major life-sciences companies committed to net zero by 2050, “sustainability is moving from a nice-to-have to a baseline requirement in event design, especially for corporate events.”
Source: PCMA 2025 Healthcare and Life Sciences Sector Report

Tackling Greenwashing

A new EU law, EmpCo (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive), took effect in September. Designed to eliminate greenwashing, the law requires that environmental claims made to consumers are clear, accurate, and supported by evidence. For destinations, tourism businesses, and event organizations, this means that sustainability claims made through websites, marketing campaigns, bids, brochures, social media, branding and other consumer-facing communications need to reflect demonstrable performance.

Source: Spark to Scale: GDS-Index Report 2026

Barbara Palmer is Convene’s deputy editor