IAPCO Sustainability Handbook

Practical guidance for more sustainable business events

Developed by the IAPCO Sustainability Committee, with support from Business Events Australia (BEA) and the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD), the Handbook provides practical guidance, frameworks and examples to help IAPCO members improve sustainability across their own business operations and the meetings and events they deliver for clients.

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Officially launched on 14 October at IMEX America 2026, the Handbook was introduced during a press conference at the Business Events Australia stand, featuring Ajay Bhojwani, IAPCO Council Member and Chair of the EDI and Sustainability Committee; Martin Boyle, IAPCO CEO; Kelly Maynard, General Manager Business Events, Commercial & Industry, Tourism Australia; and Chris Allison, Vice President, The Americas and New Zealand.

The launch marks another important milestone in IAPCO’s commitment to advancing sustainability, sharing best practices and supporting positive change across the global meetings and events industry.

Because sustainability is not just about ambition — it’s about the actions we take together.

Read the official press release

Part of the IAPCO Sustainability Strategy

IAPCO is committed to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that we feel we can make a positive impact. Our initiatives are designed to help the meetings industry make its positive impact on the planet and the people who live on it. By working together, we can create a more sustainable future for the meetings and events industry.

Formed in 2024, the committee defines IAPCO’s sustainability strategy: events planned with sustainability at their core, carbon footprint reporting, and support for members driving their own strategies.

See award-winning practice. Then put your own forward.

Stay tuned for more details coming soon.

In 2018, for IAPCO’s 50th Anniversary, the ‘Not Just a Drop in the Ocean Campaign’ was launched with the mascot ‘Ticky the Turtle’ whose purpose was to promote the adverse effects that single-use plastics were having on the oceans and seas around the world.