The Zurich Convention Bureau and Lucerne Convention Bureau were awarded the prize for “Best Sustainable Initiative” at the C&IT Awards 2025 in London. The international expert jury recognized the approach of both destinations to understand responsible event design as a driver for creativity, collaboration, and measurable impact.
The award ceremony took place on Friday, October 17, 2025, in the presence of around 300 guests from the international events scene. The C&IT Awards are among the most prestigious awards in the British events industry and are considered a benchmark for innovation and best practices in the MICE sector.
Practical Example with Impact
With the study trip “Go Sustainable,” the Zurich Convention Bureau, in collaboration with the Lucerne Convention Bureau and in partnership with the Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau, Evolve Events, and Eurostar, set a benchmark for forward-thinking events.
Around 35 event planners from Great Britain traveled exclusively by public transport and visited Lucerne and Zurich. The trip provided a hands-on demonstration of how ecological, social, and economic responsibility can be implemented in all phases of an event – from the trip to the program and impact measurement. The focus was on collective learning, regional value creation, and new forms of networking.
During their stay, participants explored hotels, museums, and other partner businesses, gaining an authentic insight into the quality and diversity of the MICE locations in Lucerne and Zurich. An external expert subsequently assessed the implementation based on 30 ESG criteria and calculated the CO2e footprint of the event. The results speak for themselves: By traveling exclusively by train, emissions were reduced by around 90 percent.
“Go Sustainable has garnered international attention and demonstrated that our approach is effective. This recognition is a valuable confirmation that, together with our partners, we are successfully positioning Zurich as an exciting and forward-focused event location, and why Switzerland is regarded internationally as an attractive and well-connected country for business events,” says Vanessa Reis, Head of the Convention Bureau at Zurich Tourism.
More about the “Go Sustainable” project On the sustainability strategy of Zurich Tourism : zuerich.com