The Spanish capital, a winner of the ‘Tree City of the World’ title, is ready to welcome conference and incentive organisers from Asia who are seeking destinations to help them attain sustainability and legacy goals
GROUP-TRAVEL organisers seeking a European city rich in green credentials and sustainability now have an option that’s relatively new for conference and incentive groups based in Asia, but one that is also steeped in history.
Palacio Real – an example of Madrid’s rich heritage
For many event planners across China and Asia, Madrid may bring to mind top-class soccer teams, heritage and the vibrancy of Spain, but the Spanish capital is also a green city with a strong commitment to safeguarding the environment.
As more clients demand stricter adherence to environmental protection with green audits becoming more common in the corporate world, delegates are also seeking a greener, cleaner city in which to attend events. Not only can Madrid help organisers meet environmental benchmarks, visiting groups will also be impressed by the city’s treelined avenues and relaxing green spaces.
How Madrid is helping organisers hold sustainable events…
The PLUS platform is a pioneering initiative to help organisers effectively manage the sustainability and legacy of their events, in line with the 17Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda.
Conference Legacy Another of Madrid Convention Bureau’s objectives is to support associations – and private organisations – that want their conferences or events to contribute to instituting change in the city. There’s a growing belief among host destinations that meetings should leave a positive impact, and an increasing number of associations and companies are aligning their missions and visions with the objectives of the locations where they hold their events.
Madrid Convention Bureau aims to be a key point of liaison to ensure that meetings held in the city leave a positive community legacy.
To this end, the PLUS platform provides organisers with a catalogue of social entities in Madrid. Here, they can discover and select actions with a positive impact to include in their meetings’ agendas. This catalogue is complemented by an open directory of these social organisations.
Some of Madrid’s achievements as a green city…
A Destination Full of Green Spaces Madrid’s trees are one of its greatest strengths. More than 55 per cent of the city’s streets are treelined, with nearly 300,000 trees helping to improve Madrid’s air quality and making it the world’s second-leafiest city in terms of treelined streets.
In 2023, the capital was once again named a Tree City of the World, a distinction awarded to 200 cities in 22 countries worldwide. This recognition further cements Madrid’s environmental commitment through the initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation, which promotes good practices and conducts activities to raise awareness of the importance of trees and of caring for them.
El Retiro Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A Rich Natural Heritage With more than 200 parks, gardens, and natural spaces totalling almost 6,400 hectares of green heritage, Madrid has an endless range of options for enjoying a healthy, outdoor lifestyle. One of them is El Retiro Park, a historical treasure and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of the city.
Another is Madrid Río Park, which stretches for ten kilometres along the banks of the River Manzanares and is a great place for group activities, walking, exercising and admiring the ecological restoration carried out in the area which has led to the return of numerous species.
Nearby is Casa de Campo Park, which was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) and offering over 1,500 hectares for leisure, sports and recreation, it’s the perfect place for outdoor activities.
And that’s not all. Madrid is also developing new green spaces like the Metropolitan Forest, which will be a 75-kilometre-long green belt around the city featuring wide open spaces.
Being able to meet in Madrid, walk around, breathe the fresh air and leave a positive mark on the city are some of the many attractions the capital offers as a destination for meetings and events prioritising sustainability. This commitment is guided by the knowledge that together we can build a greener future for Madrid and for the planet.
