Event professionals are increasingly expected to reduce environmental impact, create more inclusive experiences and make responsible choices, often within tight budgets, short timelines and complex operational constraints.
STEP (Sustainability Training for Event Professionals) was created to bridge the gap between sustainability awareness and practical action. The European programme combines modular online learning, hands-on workshops, real-event pilots, practical resources and a sustainable supplier directory.
"Event professionals already know sustainability matters. The real challenge is turning broad ambitions into decisions that work within real projects, budgets and timelines. STEP was designed around that reality", says Manon Glauden (ESG & Sustainability Lead at VO Group).
The self-paced online programme follows a cumulative learning path:
FIRST STEP
- Build the foundations: sustainability basics, environmental impact, mobility, DEI and wellbeing.
- 20 hours
- Certificate of participation
+ BIG STEP
- Deepen practice and go further: economic sustainability, stakeholder collaboration, responsible procurement, policy alignment, measurement, data analysis, ethics and long-term value.
- 30 hours
- Official 2 ECTS certificate from UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)
Everyone begins with FIRST STEP and can then choose whether to continue to BIG STEP, depending on their needs, available time and goals.
Designed for event agencies, venues, cultural organisers, students and other professionals influencing event decisions, STEP takes a broad approach to sustainability, from carbon, circularity, waste and mobility to inclusion, accessibility, procurement and measurement.
Two ways to experience STEP in 2027:
- Workshops (January to March 2027): one-day introductory workshops, held online or in Brussels, Barcelona and Utrecht, will give participants the opportunity to discover the STEP approach and test practical tools. They will be followed by event pilots who support participants as they apply the learning in a real-world event context.
- Online Training (March to June 2027) a self-paced path in two levels (FIRST + BIG STEP), each building on the last. The full online training will be free of charge for participants thanks to European project funding. No other free training period is currently planned.
Registration for both the workshops and the online training opens on 12 November 2026.
STEP is developed by five organisations from four European countries: VO Group, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Creative Pro, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and Event Confederation. It is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme and supported by BeFuture.
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