Our courses are designed to inspire individual learning and organisational skills development through fun, engaging and collaborative modules.

We use a blended approach to learning. We combine online live lectures and guest speakers with pre-recorded interviews, case studies, and suggested reading. Topics are further explored in group discussions enabling knowledge sharing and deepening of the learning. We integrate design thinking processes, with the expertise and knowledge of the group to rethink and redesign “wicked” challenges. 

We use some of the best online collaboration tools, and some of the oldest and most tested techniques to unlock the collective intelligence and understanding of the group. 

Not only will you be learning, but you will be expected to share experiences and co-create new approaches with your peers.

For Professionals

🅐 Open enrolment courses for destination management professionals

🅑 Masterclasses to further your knowledge and expertise in regenerative destination management
View Our Courses

For Organisations

🅐 In house training for destination management organisations (NTOs, DMOs, CVBs)

🅑 Groups of destinations via a NTO or association

🅒 In destination training in partnership with DMOs for suppliers (ie. hotels, venues, restaurants, activity providers, event organisers)
View Our Courses

Schedule of open-enrolment courses

  • Storytelling and Communication Strategies for Regeneration

  • 15 February - 15 March, 2023 (registration open - see Courses))

  • GDS-ICCA-CityDNA Certificate in Regenerative Destination Management

  • 2 March - 8 June, 2023 (registration open - see Courses)

Experts in sustainable destination management, and thought leaders in regenerative management practices

Chief Changemaker, GDS-Movement

Guy Bigwood

For the last 15 years, Guy has been delivering award-winning consulting services focused on helping cities, governments, corporations and associations step up, scale up and speed up their sustainability programmes and regenerative practices. Guy’s pioneering work has been recognised with 22 sustainability awards including the Events Industry Council Pacesetter Award, and recognition as a Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

Consultant, #Meet4Impact

Jessica Vandy

Jessica is an international collaboration partner at #Meet4Impact supporting the development of social impact strategies within destinations. She is also a founder of The Tenth Letter, a New Zealand-based consultancy that supports the tourism and events sector with developing and implementing strategies for achieving a regenerative future. Jessica has spent the last eighteen years working in the tourism, events and business events sector in Australia and New Zealand. She consults on social impact, sustainability, events, and communications.

CEO, #Meet4Impact

Geneviève Leclerc

Geneviève has over 25 years of global experience in congress management and strategic consultancy for associations and destinations. She works as a content curator, facilitator, speaker and trainer with the association meetings and business tourism industry and is specialized in sustainability and social impact practices.  Geneviève is passionate about applying design thinking practices to accompany organizations through innovation. She has founded her current organization, #MEET4IMPACT, in 2019 with the vision of transforming the business tourism industry by generating a movement to create positive societal impact with its actors and their events.

Changemaker, GDS-Movement

Alexis Keleruk

After working in tourism and events for over 10 years, Alexis set out to bring change to the industry by making positive social and environmental impacts the foundation of events and tourism. Her ethos comes from a place of personal experience. Alexis is also an international collaboration partner at #Meet4Impact supporting the development of social impact strategies within destinations. Although she graduated from Simon Fraser University, she found her best education has been her life experiences of global travel and working abroad in Africa, Colombia and the Philippines. Tourism is a very powerful tool to help solve global inequality and enact environmental change.

Chief Storyteller , GDS-Movement

Melissa Baird

Melissa is a communications specialist whose career has spanned publishing, advertising, brand, and marketing development. She has worked with global NGO’s, local government, major brands and was head of strategy at specialised advertising agency Ogilvy Earth. She is a passionate and dedicated teacher and has also developed a range of environmental literacy materials for use at South African schools. Her work with the GDS-Index began in 2015, and she is now Chief Storyteller and Head of Communications for the GDS-M.

Founder & Chief Strategist, GLP Films

Rob Holmes

Rob Holmes is the Founder & Chief Strategist of GLP Films, an award-winning content marketing agency dedicated to sustainability storytelling and ROI-based distribution campaigns for the travel and sustainability industry. Since 2008, GLP’s work has spanned five continents and 40+ countries, creating 200+ short-films. Rob spearheaded the video series campaign, #TourismStrong, winner of the Newsweek Future of Travel Award, to celebrate the resilience and adaptability of the travel industry amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Senior Changemaker, GDS-Movement

Mònica Molina

After 22 years in tourism she is still as passionate about this industry as the first day. Mònica holds a PhD in Geography with a specialisation in accessible and sustainable tourism. A professional with a hybrid profile, she divides her working days between her sessions as a lecturer-researcher at the Faculty of Tourism of several universities and professional training sessions both for tourism technicians of public administrations and private companies. She is a keynote speaker at congresses for the tourism sector.

Head of Visit Iceland

Sigríður Dögg Guðmundsdóttir

Sigríður Dögg Guðmundsdóttir is the Head of Visit Iceland. She is responsible for all aspects of promoting destination Iceland since 2010. Before Visit Iceland she worked at Visit Reykjavík promoting the capital region and managed a tourism cluster in Southeast Iceland called the Vatnajökull Region. Before her career in tourism she was a journalist at the largest newspaper in Iceland, Fréttablaðið. She holds a BA in Political Science and a MS in Marketing and International Business.

Resident Futurist

Ed Gillespie

Ed Gillespie is a keynote speaker, writer, communications specialist, serial entrepreneur and futurist. As well as the Resident Futurist at the GDS-Movement, Ed is a facilitator with the Forward Institute for responsible leadership, a Director of Greenpeace UK, a Trustee of Energy Revolution, and a founder investor and former Chair of pioneering online rail ticketing business ‘Loco2’ now rebranded as Rail Europe. Ed co-hosts Itunes chart-topping podcast ‘Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts’ and ‘The Great Humbling’.

Professor of Sustainability Marketing, University of Surrey

Dr. Xavier Font

Dr Xavier Font is professor of Sustainability Marketing at the University of Surrey. He researches and develops methods of sustainable tourism production and consumption. He has published widely about sustainable tourism certification, and has consulted on sustainable product development, marketing and communication for several United Nations agencies, the International Finance Corporation, the European Commission, multiple national tourist boards and industry. 

Senior Changemaker, GDS-Movement

Claudia van't Hullenaar

Claudia helps advance the transition to conscious and regenerative leadership and businesses. She is also a founder of Sustained Impact as well as a Senior Changemaker at the GDS Movement. Claudia combines 25 years multi-disciplinary, cross functional business and sustainability experience including an 11-year tenure at a Fortune 500 IT company. Here she designed and led the implementation of an award-winning corporate event sustainability strategy. Her passion lies in human potential and genuine transformation, and facilitating collaborative processes for societal impact.

Co-Founder & CEO, CrowdRiff

Dan Holowack

Dan Holowack is Co-Founder & CEO of CrowdRiff and Localhood.com. Hundreds of Destinations around the world use CrowdRiff’s UGC and storytelling platform to influence how we travel and reshape how tourism empowers local communities. The visual stories created and scaled through CrowdRiff compel locals and visitors alike to discover new experiences, both near and far.

Senior Advisor, Helsinki Partners

Birgit Liukkonen

Birgit Liukkonen is a Senior Advisor at Helsinki Partners, responsible for the development, communications and marketing of the digital service Think Sustainably that helps locals and visitors choose more sustainable ways of living urban life. Birgit has previously worked with digital marketing, and has been leading the MyHelsinki.fi website as Managing Editor.

Changemaker, GDS-Movement

Alexis Keleruk

After working in tourism and events for over 10 years, Alexis set out to bring change to the industry by making positive social and environmental impacts the foundation of events and tourism. Her ethos comes from a place of personal experience. Alexis is also an international collaboration partner at #Meet4Impact supporting the development of social impact strategies within destinations. Although she graduated from Simon Fraser University, she found her best education has been her life experiences of global travel and working abroad in Africa, Colombia and the Philippines. Tourism is a very powerful tool to help solve global inequality and enact environmental change.

Founding Partner & CCO, Group NAO

Peter Rømer Hansen

Peter Rømer Hansen is founding partner in innovation and strategy agency Group NAO. NAO works with strategic transformation and innovation within the experience and visitor economy. Projects include The Tourism Co-Operative with South Coast Demark and Tourism Taxes by Design as a multi-client project. Peter has been a key figure in developing destinations and tourism co-operation across Europe. As Executive Vice President of Wonderful Copenhagen, Peter played a lead role in building a strategic and analytical DMO, taking tourism to new levels with Big Tourism and innovation strategies.

CEO & Founding Partner, Group NAO

Signe Jungersted

Signe Jungersted is CEO and partner in innovation and strategy agency Group NAO. NAO works with strategic transformation and innovation within the experience and visitor economy. Projects include 101sustainableideas.com with Gothenburg and Power of Community with European Cities Marketing. Signe is formerly Development Director with Wonderful Copenhagen (DMO), where she was lead responsible and author of the 2020-strategy that declared ”The End of Tourism” and welcomed a new era of people-centric tourism development and localhood.

Consultant, #Meet4Impact

Fathma Khalid

Fathma is a Social Impact Measurement Consultant, working with businesses and organisations to track and measure the social impact they create. She is also an international collaboration partner at #Meet4Impact supporting the development of social impact strategies within destinations. Experienced with methods including Social Return on Investment, Logical Frameworks and Theory of Change, Fathma prioritises understanding the key indicators needed to determine success and building them into a compelling story.

Guest Speakers

Over 20 guest speakers from destination management organisations around the world!