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© Philipp Kirschner

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Leipzig is committed to sustainability in a number of areas. The city participates in EU projects such as Triangulum to develop smart cities and relies on civil society initiatives such as the Sustainable Leipzig Forum. There are guides to sustainable events and partnerships with the trade fair company Leipziger Messe, which is certified to Green Globe standards. Leipzig also promotes innovative mobility solutions, such as self-driving local transport vehicles, and has numerous sustainable conference venues.

Sustainability is on everyone’s lips – but how exactly does it work? And how can it really succeed? Leipzig does not have a panacea for the problems, and yet it is worth taking a careful look at the Saxon conference destination. An exciting variety of ideas reflects Leipzig’s awareness of personal and social responsibility.

Development concepts for making cities more sustainable, efficient, technologically advanced, future-proof and socially inclusive are also the focus of Triangulum, the EU’s smart cities project in which Leipzig has been involved since 2020. 

The topic is also receiving new attention with the creation of the city administration’s new Department for Sustainable Development and Climate Protection in the summer of 2021. This is where the city will manage sustainability and climate processes in the future, and where citizens will be able to participate more in energy and climate protection activities.

This institutional commitment goes hand in hand with many civil society initiatives such as the Forum Nachhaltiges Leipzig (Sustainable Leipzig Forum), which promotes sustainable growth.

Meetings and conferences in Leipzig - View of the skyline with the illuminated Grimmaischen Steinweg at dusk
© Tom Thiele
Meetings and conferences in Leipzig – View of Augustusplatz from above with the opera, Gewandhaus, and City Highrise
© Philipp Kirschner

An integrated urban development concept was first adopted by the city council in 2009, and the plans were continuously evaluated since then, before being relaunched in 2018 as a “strategic vision” for the Leipzig of 2030 – with the focus squarely on sustainable growth.

It aims to find answers to many of the big questions, such as global conditions, demographic change, the consequences of structural change and the challenges of the knowledge society. Accordingly, the goals it has set are ambitious – from education and social integration to smart, sustainable mobility and climate protection. And because all these questions aren’t the problem of the city administration alone, a variety of players from across city life are involved in implementing the plans.

© Philipp Kirschner

As a forward-looking and cross-cutting issue, sustainability plays a central role in strategic tourism development. With regard to business travel, Leipzig is gradually expanding its range of services for sustainability-focused conferences and meetings. This includes highlighting partners’ sustainability-related measures, providing links to guidelines, offering information on certified venues, and integrating mobility options.

 

The meetings and conferences sector faces the challenge of incorporating environmental and social considerations into event planning. It is a complex task to describe an event as sustainable in its entirety, as numerous factors – such as travel to the venue and on-site transport, catering, waste management, accessibility and social criteria – all interact. The Leipzig Convention Bureau supports event planners in specifically incorporating individual sustainability aspects into their planning and in identifying suitable partners, measures and evidence.

In Leipzig, there are service providers offering individual sustainability-related services for events, for example in the areas of catering, transport, technology, use of materials or waste prevention. The specific measures and evidence should be checked with the relevant provider.

Some conference hotels in Leipzig hold sustainability certificates, which are listed in the relevant partner profiles. These certifications relate to defined criteria specific to each hotel’s operations, but do not assess the planning of individual events. When planning an event with sustainability in mind, additional aspects such as energy consumption and waste management should also be taken into account.

An attentive eye for sustainable events stems from Leipzig’s status as a modern trade fair and congress city. In August 2020, for example, the city unveiled its own guide to organising sustainable events. Similar to a checklist, it contains clear and measurable recommendations for action in areas such as mobility, the careful use of resources, regional and fair trade, and social responsibility.

Current examples illustrate how events can be organised in a sustainable manner. For instance, the City of Leipzig has already successfully collaborated with the organisers of the International Broadcast Centre at the Leipzig Trade Fair for UEFA EURO 2024 and has continued this collaboration for other major events, such as the 2025 International German Gymnastics Festival. In May 2026, OTWorld served as a real-world laboratory for new approaches to resource management as part of the KRIDEM research project (‘Circular Economy in the Trade Fair Industry’). Leipzig’s commitment is demonstrated, amongst other things, by its support for event organisers in incorporating environmental considerations at an early stage into event planning.

Glas hall of the Eventlocation Congress Center Leipzig – presented by the Leipzig Convention Bureau
© Philipp Kirschner
Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention: Leipzig-Stand auf der IMEX Frankfurt 2024 mit Ansprechpersonen
© David Straßburger

The Leipzig Convention Network also focuses on long-term partnerships.

The team spirit and ongoing cooperation between congress and event venues, conference hotels, service agencies, local PCOs and logistics partners benefits you as an event organiser right from the planning stage, and later when you organise and conduct your events in Leipzig.

The online platform www.leipzig-convention.com brings all of these providers together, introducing the services they offer the congress and conference sector and making it easier to find the right solution for you. In addition, the initiative, together with its partners, regularly gets people talking about Leipzig by organising original appearances at major industry events such as IMEX.

Speaking of sustainability in the events industry: in 2009, Leipziger Messe became the first German trade fair organisation to be certified to Green Globe standards and has successfully passed the annual sustainability audit every year since then.

The measures implemented at the exhibition grounds, the Congress Centre Leipzig (CCL) and the KONGRESSHALLE at Leipzig Zoo focus on resource conservation, energy saving and social aspects. Sustainability is viewed as part of corporate responsibility and as a sensible investment.

Exterior view of the event venue Kongresshalle am Zoo Leipzig – presented by Leipzig Convention Bureau
© Tom Thiele

Leipzig Public Transport (LVB) is implementing various projects in the field of mobility. These include the ABSOLUT project on autonomous local transport and the app-based on-demand service ‘Flexa’. In 2021, LVB was awarded the Tolerance Prize by the Saxon State Ministry of Social Affairs in recognition of its social commitment.

As part of the Leipzig Strategy 2035, the City of Leipzig is also pursuing further projects through its Sustainable Mobility Concept, which address specific aspects of local transport. When planning events in Leipzig, rail and public transport links, routes between the main station, hotels and event venues, as well as supplementary mobility services, can be taken into account. Which options are suitable for a specific event depends on the participant profile, venue and schedule, and enquiries can be made directly to the LVB.

Meetings and conferences in Leipzig – tram in front of the main station
© Tom Thiele

Leipzig Convention Bureau can help you identify suitable venues, service partners and practical guidance for topics such as mobility, catering, resource use and social responsibility
© Philipp Kirschner

© Philipp Kirschner

© Tom Thiele