LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura has received ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management. This certification recognizes the significant progress made by the LAC Events Department in collaboration with Expo Event and Acting Responsibly over the past 12 months. This effort has resulted in various intervention areas now applied annually to over 250 private and corporate events, transforming the cultural center into an example of responsible and sustainable event management.

Specifically, the sustainability strategy to obtain the certification was developed starting from stakeholder analysis through surveys directed at LAC collaborators, partner companies, and suppliers, and selecting the most relevant sustainability topics from environmental, economic, and social perspectives.

Overall, the intervention areas of the LAC Events Department for the sustainability strategy were eight. For the environmental area: waste management, material transportation, and catering; for the economic area: resource selection, sustainability communication, and catering; for the social area: training, respect, and accessibility.

For each objective, the current measures at the cultural center were identified, goals and measures to be adopted were outlined, and key performance indicators were chosen to monitor the results to be achieved in the 2024-2027 three-year period.

The document will be published online on the Events Department's website with a section dedicated to sustainability and will offer insights into the main best practices to adopt, both for event organizers and event guests. For example, paying attention to waste separation, using public transportation to get to LAC, or preferring organic materials as serving supports for food and drinks. Constant training on the subject, respect for the venue, and fair and dignified treatment of all individuals involved in events are also crucial.

ISO 20121 is the international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization, which sets out the standards organizations must meet to achieve sustainability in every aspect of event planning and management. In its introduction: "Events are sometimes, by their nature, high-profile and transient, with both positive and negative social, economic, and environmental impacts. The ISO 20121 standard requires event organizers to recognize the relationship and impact that events have on society in terms of environmental, economic, and social repercussions and to take actions towards improved event sustainability. It applies to organizations of all types and sizes involved in the design and delivery of events and considers various geographical, cultural, and social conditions."

Sustainability represents one of the development themes included in the LAC's strategic priorities for the next three years; obtaining ISO 20121 certification demonstrates the cultural center's concrete commitment to reducing environmental, social, and economic risks associated with organizing private and corporate events of all types and sizes.

The certification was issued by Swiss LiveCom Association Expo Event and Acting Responsibly AG and is valid for three years.

The certification pertains to the events sector at LAC and entitles the center to achieve level III of Suisstanable (engaged).