BILBAO CONVENTION BUREAU OBTAINS BIOSPHERE CERTIFICATION
Bilbao Convention Bureau has recently obtained their certification with Biosphere, an international reference from the tourism sector that audits a company, organisation or destination’s commitment to adopting measures in support of the 2023 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals. This is the result of a joint process started by the organisation in December together with its associates, thanks to the sector’s growing interest globally to align their goals with the 17 SDG, and which led to the certification of Torre Iberdrola last March.
In the case of Bilbao Convention Bureau, the certification expressly recognises efforts to comply with management standards so that they have a positive impact on society, together with good practices in sustainable and responsible management of the city’s MICE activity.
Efforts to create alliances with local companies to encourage compliance with the SDG, offering a catalogue of tools for organising environmentally social events in the city, promoting sustainable mobility, measuring and partially offsetting their carbon footprint, collaboration with different local social organisations, prioritising the purchase and consumption of local and sustainable products and services, or enabling alliances to reduce and donate food waste, are some of the many initiatives that have made them deserving of this certification.
Commitment to sustainability
Bilbao Convention Bureau has been working towards the Sustainable Development Goals since 2021, when it launched its standing commission for work “Bilbao Arima Berdea”. That same year it entered the Global Destination Sustainability Index, an international ranking of sustainable destinations for the organisation of meetings, incentive trips, conferences and exhibitions (MICE sector), and last year it became the top ranked city in Spain.
In addition to Torre Iberdrola and the Bilbao Convention Bureau, a number of partner companies are in the process of obtaining the certification with Biosphere. These include venues, hotels, incoming agencies and professional congress organisers (PCOs). Bilbao Convention Bureau offers financial support and advice and keeps its Biosphere certification programme open to all its partners, no matter what sector they are from.
