The press conference was moderated by Magdalena Kondas, editor-in-chief of MeetingPlanner.pl, and its participants were: Stanisław Mazur, Deputy Mayor of the City of Kraków; Izabela Błaszczyk, President of Kraków5020; and Agnieszka Rozwadowska, President of the Carbon Footprint Foundation. The decarbonisation strategy, the first such document for the meetings industry, was presented on this occasion. The strategy was developed by the Carbon Footprint Foundation on behalf of Kraków5020.

'In our 10^th anniversary year, we said this would be the best gift for our facility and the industry as a whole. For the past 10 years, the City of Kraków, the Congress Centre and the entire meetings industry in Krakow have been the leaders and pioneers of many initiatives. We form a perfectly functioning ecosystem, the proofs of which we can see today. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you both to the members of the Kraków Network and to the Carbon Footprint Foundation. The decarbonisation strategy is the result of this great cooperation,’ stressed Izabela Blaszczyk, CEO of Kraków5020.

The strategy responds to increasing regulatory requirements and public expectations to reduce the climate impact of economic activity, thereby supporting sustainable development.

‘Something that used to be only a whim not so long ago is becoming a certain rule. There are big banks or investment groups that say: if you do not follow this policy, we will not work with you. Therefore, we have two very strong motivations. The first one is normative: it is responsibility for what happens in this city. The second one is very pragmatic: it is simply what the world expects,’ stressed the Deputy Mayor of Kraków Stanisław Mazur.

The aim of the strategy is to support participants of the meetings industry in achieving compliance with global climate goals, as well as to improve its competitiveness and image through sustainable business practices. It is a comprehensive action plan aimed at integrating the principles of sustainability into the day-to-day operations of the meetings industry, raising environmental awareness and contributing to global climate goals.

The strategy is the result of a few months of work, including meetings and workshops with members of the Kraków Network initiative, which operates locally to promote Kraków as a model for the organisation of sustainable events. This is a milestone that will contribute to our common good. ‘Today, global trends indicate the urgency of the topic. The whole value chain around the meetings industry generates new actions and forces further stakeholders to undertake them,’ added Agnieszka Rozwadowska, CEO of the Carbon Footprint Foundation.

‘You have always been an industry leader throughout Poland and set the directions of action, on which I extend my sincere congratulations to you. I hope to present this paper internationally, more specifically at the Convene 4 Climate conference to be held in Barcelona on 2^nd–3^rd October. At the same time, it will be the first edition to be held by the Strategic Alliance of National European Convention Bureaux,’ stressed Aneta Książek from the Polish Tourist Organisation, inviting the members of the industry to co-operate.

The press conference was followed by a part featuring representatives from the Power of 4 – a unique agreement of mid-sized conference centres that brings together: the Copernicus Conference Centre at the Copernicus Science Centre, the Lublin Conference Centre, the European Solidarity Centre and the ICE Kraków Congress Centre, who presented the activities undertaken by facilities in the implementation of their ESG policies and strategies.

The meeting was concluded with an expert debate that summarised and complemented the previous two parts. It was a huge dose of knowledge about what decarbonisation really is, what it involves and why we need to take steps to eliminate our carbon footprint already today. The participants of the debate included: Agnieszka Rozwadowska, Anna Woda, Dawid Zieliński, Paula Fanderowska and Engineer Przemyslaw Grzywacz, PhD.

Climate change is happening here and now. It is a challenge for everyone, including, of course, the meetings industry. This is why the choices we make today are so important.