Elevating Legacy: Transforming Conferences and Events through Copenhagen Legacy Lab
The Context
In the ever-evolving landscape of the meetings and events industry, the traditional focus on financial transactions during gatherings has given way to a more comprehensive approach centered around enduring value creation. Recognizing this paradigm shift, the Copenhagen Convention Bureau initiated the Copenhagen Legacy Lab—an innovative, cost-free initiative designed to align with national agendas and empower associations and local entities in cultivating broader value.
The Journey
Commissioned by the Copenhagen Convention Bureau, we embarked on a design journey to craft a strategic and systematic stakeholder process. This process, rooted in the principles of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and six key drivers of economic growth and societal transformation, involved comprehensive interviews, dynamic workshops, and rigorous testing. The culmination of our efforts resulted in a comprehensive suite of tools and resources, including:
A Workshop Kit featuring intuitive visual tools for effective engagement.
A Facilitator's Guide to empower workshop leaders in guiding the process.
A 'Potential Impact Report' template for documenting and sharing workshop outcomes.
A simple yet compelling description and illustration of the workshop format and its benefits.
A publication offering in-depth insights into the background and purpose of the transformative process.
Engaging graphics and web-integration copy for online presentation.
A captivating short film capturing the essence and experiential facets of the workshop.
All tools were made available in print for in-person workshops and digitally with Miro for online and hybrid workshops.
Results
The Copenhagen Legacy Lab (CLL) concept, distilled into a straightforward four-step process—goal setting, local stakeholder engagement, co-creation, and legacy activity development & implementation—has proven instrumental in enabling organizers and planners to fulfill their legacy missions. Noteworthy achievements include:
Proactive implementation by major associations at their upcoming congresses in Copenhagen, including WindEurope Electric City 2021, the International Water Association (IWA) 2022, ESTRO 2022, and ESPGHAN 2022.
Recognition with the prestigious Global Destination Sustainability Movement's Innovation Award 2021, cementing CLL's status as a trailblazer in redefining the future of sustainable meetings and events.
For more details, visit Copenhagen Legacy Lab's Innovation Award.
The concept was developed in collaboration with graphic illustrator Julie Panton.
