Frankfurt, 21 May 2026 — The European project BEFuture, led by the Agència Catalana de Turisme, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 IMEX-EIC Innovation in Sustainability Award during IMEX Frankfurt, one of the world’s leading trade shows for the global meetings and events industry.
The award, presented in partnership with the Events Industry Council, recognises outstanding collaborative innovation driving a greener, more inclusive, and more sustainable future for the business events industry.
The recognition marks a major milestone for BEFuture, a European initiative focused on accelerating sustainable transformation across the meetings and events ecosystem through innovation, cross-border collaboration, and stronger connections between the events industry and technology ecosystems.
The award comes shortly after the closing event of the BEFuture project in Ghent on 21 February 2026. The project has demonstrated how collaborative European initiatives can generate tangible impact and help shape the future of sustainable business events.
Sònia Serracarbassa, Director of the Catalunya Convention Bureau and coordinator of BEFuture, stated:
“The IMEX-EIC recognition validates BEFuture’s goal to transform the meetings industry through responsibility, innovation, and cross-border, cross-sector collaboration.”
The BEFuture consortium highlighted that the award is not only recognition of the project itself, but also of the wider movement across the European events industry toward sustainability, innovation, and meaningful transformation.
“This recognition reinforces our commitment to driving meaningful change across the meetings industry,” added Evelyne Bardyn, Head of Congresses and Events at Visit Flanders and partner of BEFuture. “Together, we are shaping a more sustainable future for business events.”
BEFuture is a European collaborative initiative designed to accelerate innovation and sustainability within the business events industry. Through partnerships, innovation programmes, and cross-sector collaboration, the project supports the development of sustainable solutions that strengthen the future resilience and positive impact of the meetings and events ecosystem.
Project partners include the Agència Catalana de Turisme, Visit Flanders, European Tourism Futures Institute from NHL Stenden University, Linkeus, B.Link, Verband der Veranstaltungsorganisatoren e.V. (VDVO), Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, and Tipik.
