Mission statement for the BESTIVAL 2025

To ensure that BESTIVAL is not just perceived as green and sustainable but is genuinely conceived, planned and delivered according to transparent and official guidelines, ISO 20121 for sustainable event management once again forms the basis for planning BESTIVAL. This means that BESTIVAL meets recognised international standards and directly supports our overarching vision.

Sustainability goes beyond improving environmental indicators; societal, social, economic and legal criteria are equally important.

Through our sustainability report, we provide a transparent account of our performance after each BESTIVAL, assess our outcomes and continuously strive for improvements in the following year.

Berlin aims to become one of the most sustainable, innovative and reliable metropolises in the world!

BESTIVAL harnesses Berlin’s energy and showcases the powerful impact of in-person business events. Together, we celebrate Berlin as one of the world’s most innovative, sustainable and reliable congress and event destinations.

BESTIVAL empowers us to realise our vision by encouraging clients and stakeholders to act sustainably. Partners commit to working in line with sustainability standards through acknowledgement of the Code of Conduct and participation in the Supplier Check.

• Inspire the world with Berlin: personally convince 300 event planners in and through Berlin as a MICE destination. With compelling stories and visuals, we will reach more than 500,000 B2B contacts.
• Share knowledge with clients, create sustainable experiences for them and offer access to a reliable B2B network.
• Position Berlin as a leading tourism and event destination internationally, in line with the sustainability criteria of Sustainable Berlin and ISO 20121, while increasing awareness of the Sustainable Berlin programmes among clients and partners.
• Provide economic support for Berlin’s tourism and event industry.
• Partner satisfaction should increase by at least 0.3 stars.
• The tourism and event industry has a direct impact on climate change. That is why BESTIVAL aims to support the transformation towards a more climate-friendly sector—one that uses resources efficiently, follows the principles of a circular economy and helps reduce CO₂ emissions. BESTIVAL 2025 is committed to continuously improving its sustainability performance. One of our goals—to reduce emissions by 10% per year—was surpassed with BESTIVAL 2023, achieving a reduction of -14.02%.
• A best practice example of sustainable event planning: ecologically, socially and economically successful, while adhering to the principles of governance, risk and compliance. Evaluation is based on the comprehensive criteria of the Sustainable Event Guidelines Berlin and the strict requirements of ISO 20121.

Sustainable Berlin is the only regional certification programme in Germany whose sustainability criteria for the tourism and event industry are recognised equally by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (“GSTC recognised”).

• Contribution of the industry to the Sustainable Development Goals
• Becoming a role model in sustainability
• Actively shaping a sustainable destination

With BESTIVAL, we aim to set new standards for sustainable event planning and present Berlin as a forward-thinking, responsible destination. By continuously improving our sustainability performance and fostering collaboration within the industry, we seek to drive meaningful change and create lasting impact. Together, we can shape the future of business events—innovative, sustainable and global.