Sustainability in the event business sounds promising everywhere — until it gets serious. ISO 20121 is exactly where ambition and reality part ways: it demands systematic change, deep transparency, and the courage to question long-established routines. Those who take this path are the ones reshaping the industry.
ISO 20121 is far more than a standard — it is a development path, a promise of quality, and a powerful signal for an industry striving to become more sustainable, more professional, and more future-ready. This panel demonstrates how different the journeys toward certification can look — and how much potential lies in every single step.
- Clemens Arnold, Managing Director of 2bdifferent, opens the talk with a concise introduction to the relevance of ISO 20121 for event management and then leads the discussion. The three experts represent three stages of the ISO journey — creating a unique overall perspective:
- Silke Fontius, Consultant at Convention Bureau Rhein-Neckar | Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH, shares insights from the initial phase of certification as the organizer of a trade fair format. She highlights how an organization can approach the first steps, build initial structures, and experience the momentum that emerges when sustainability becomes a strategic priority.
- Thomas Wiggermann, Managing Partner | Healthcare Convention, a brand of Europe Convention GmbH & Co. KG, offers an agency perspective shortly before auditing — the point at which processes sharpen, teams grow closer, and expectations for professionalism and credibility rise. His insights show how a system certification creates clarity, focus, and measurable progress.
- David Baldig, Director Corporate Responsibility EMEA | George P. Johnson GmbH, provides a look into international practice and the added value of an already established ISO 20121 certification. He demonstrates how globally active companies use sustainability as a strategic advantage — and how ISO 20121 proves its worth in large teams, complex projects, and international networks, including in terms of resource and cost reduction.
Three perspectives. Three stages of development. One shared goal — and one shared path: companies that take responsibility, build trust, and drive the event industry forward.
