The Gothenburg Sustainable Events Conference, held at the School of Business, Economics and Law on 21–22 May, was part of a new UN initiative. Organised by Göteborg & Co, the Göteborgsvarvet half marathon and the Centre for Tourism, the conference attracted around one hundred participants from across the Nordic region.
"It is incredibly exciting to be hosting the conference, given that we have been researching events, festivals and sustainability for several decades," says Erik Lundberg, a senior lecturer in business administration whose research focuses on sustainable events.
He is also Director of the Centre for Tourism, which is based at the School of Business, Economics and Law. The centre serves as both a research hub and a collaborative platform, bringing together the tourism industry, the public sector, and academia.
“Gothenburg is Sweden’s leading events city, and we have always enjoyed close collaboration with the City of Gothenburg and our major event organisers,” he says.
Gothenburg appointed a UN hub
At the end of 2025, Gothenburg was appointed a UN Sustainable Lifestyle Hub. This initiative aims to promote innovation and solutions that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as developing and testing new approaches to circular economy and sustainable lifestyle approaches.
Over a two-year period, the city will serve as a meeting place for international and local stakeholders to learn from one another and jointly develop projects relating to tourism, events, meetings and lifestyle.
“We want to share our local solutions to global challenges with the world, while also learning from others and driving development together. We hope this will encourage more people to discover Gothenburg, while also accelerating our own sustainability efforts,” says Katarina Torstensson, Sustainability Strategist at Göteborg & Co.
Insights from the world’s most sustainable destinations
The conference was opened by Annemarie Hou, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships in New York, and Jonas Attenius, Chair of the Gothenburg City Executive Board.
Speakers from Gothenburg, Helsinki and Copenhagen — the three cities ranked as the most sustainable destinations in the world according to the Global Destination Sustainability Index — shared insights from their long-term sustainability strategies and major events. Representatives from the United Nations Office for Partnerships also discussed their collaboration with cities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
The organisers of the Rio Carnival, the Gothia Cup and the Partille World Cup also participated in the programme, sharing their experiences of organising some of the world’s largest events.
