The Symposium and awards bring together tourism leaders, industry representatives and destination stakeholders to shape the future of tourism across the region. Sustainability has been embedded into every stage of planning and delivery, with Destination North Coast NSW setting measurable targets to continually improve event performance.
These include reducing landfill waste by 10% against 2025 levels, sourcing at least 50% of event materials and services locally, increasing the use of sustainable transport, and offsetting unavoidable emissions associated with attendee travel and event operations. The organisation has also committed to providing water refill stations, eliminating single-use plastics where practical, and continuing its transition to predominantly digital event communications.
EarthCheck Founder and CEO Stewart Moore will speak at the Symposium on how destinations can move beyond individual initiatives towards coordinated stewardship supported by strong governance, measurable outcomes and collaboration between industry, government and local communities. “Sustainable destinations are not created through ambition alone. They are built through practical action, evidence-based decision making and a shared commitment from everyone who contributes to the visitor economy,” Mr Moore said.
“Destination North Coast NSW is leading by example. Through annual training, independent review and measurable performance targets, it is demonstrating how sustainability can be embedded into the planning and delivery of business events in a practical and transparent way.”
As visitor expectations and regulatory requirements continue to evolve, destinations are increasingly expected to demonstrate how tourism creates positive outcomes for communities, protects natural and cultural assets, strengthens regional economies and responds to climate and resource challenges. Destination North Coast NSW General Manager Michael Thurston said the Symposium reflects the organisation’s long-term commitment to building a resilient and sustainable visitor economy.
“We wanted the Symposium to reflect the future we are working towards for tourism across the North Coast, not only through the conversations we host, but through the way the event itself is planned, procured and delivered,” Mr Thurston said.
The Destination North Coast NSW Symposium demonstrates that sustainability can be incorporated into event delivery in a practical and credible way. Measurement of the event’s carbon footprint via EarthCheck’s EventCalculator will provide tangible data that can be used to compare progress from last year, and to identify continuous improvement opportunities for future events.
It also reinforces the role of industry events in building knowledge, influencing business practices and encouraging collective action across a destination.
For more information about EarthCheck’s Sustainable Event Management System (SEMS) see here.
