A Sustainability Report sets out objectives and indicators. But before it becomes a document to analyse, it is a process that runs through the organisation, brings different areas of expertise into conversation and encourages a closer look at how work is actually done. Our latest Report began precisely there. First and foremost, it was an exercise in reconstruction: gathering a large amount of data from different functions, checking it, connecting it and identifying which elements truly reflected the Group’s evolution. The aim was to bring to light the system that had begun to consolidate from 2022 onwards: an increasingly structured model in which sustainability is progressively becoming part of both corporate culture and event design.
Looking at the organisation from a different perspective
Producing a Sustainability Report means looking at the company from an unusual angle. Activities that often follow parallel paths in day-to-day work (resource management, internal training, governance, supplier relationships, social initiatives and project management) are brought together within a single framework. This is where reporting reveals one of its most important functions: helping the organisation itself recognise connections that might otherwise remain invisible in everyday operations. The information-gathering process involved operational teams from different divisions, each asked to contribute proactively to the development of a shared perspective. Sustainability therefore stopped appearing as a sequence of separate initiatives. Inclusion policies were considered alongside workforce data; training was examined in relation to the evolution of skills; environmental performance was connected to operational decisions; and projects delivered through events were linked to the communities, destinations and partnerships that made them possible.
Every indicator answers one question, and often opens up several more. In 2025, OIC Group had a workforce of 102 people, with 94% employed on permanent contracts. Women accounted for 95% of new hires, while 75% of managerial positions were held by women. A total of 744 training hours were also delivered. From an environmental perspective, the reporting process also made it possible to reconstruct the initiatives connected with the events delivered in 2025. For the emissions quantified, carbon credits covering more than 3,000 tonnes of CO₂ were purchased and retired, linked to seven certified projects in renewable energy, forest conservation and sustainable development. These figures describe only part of our organisation. The most important work lay in interpreting them: understanding what they revealed about the business model, which areas required greater attention and which tools were needed to strengthen our ability to measure performance. A clear picture, including the areas that are still taking shape.
Designing, measuring and improving: the value of sustainable events
The most significant shift concerned the way we look at OIC Group’s core business. Every event inevitably creates environmental impacts, from mobility and resource consumption to materials and waste. At the same time, it activates economic supply chains, engages professionals and suppliers, brings people into cities and shares knowledge beyond the event itself, sometimes creating new opportunities for collaboration within the wider community. But there is another layer. Every event creates a temporary social environment. It establishes new forms of interaction, influences behaviour and produces experiences that are lived collectively. Events are never neutral spaces, because even apparently operational decisions can affect the quality of participation and the value that remains once the experience is over.
This awareness led to a new question: How can we design, from the very first decisions, the value an event will leave over time?
The answer begins in the earliest stages of planning: choosing the destination and venue, building synergies with the host community, engaging the entire supply chain, and considering accessibility as a principle that cuts across and shapes every dimension of the event. This vision gave rise to the OIC Impact Method, OIC Group’s proprietary model for translating ESG principles into operational criteria and integrating sustainability throughout the event lifecycle from the very first stages of design. The stories included in the Report show how this approach can take different forms. At the Global Spine Congress 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, for example, sustainability was integrated into the congress project through environmental and social initiatives. At Low Vision 2025 in Florence, accessibility was placed at the centre of the experience: materials were designed according to readability criteria, while people with low vision and patients were directly involved alongside inclusive and solidarity-based initiatives across the local area.
Two different projects, guided by the same principle: understand the context properly, engage the right stakeholders and identify the actions capable of generating value for that specific community. There is no single sustainable event model that works for everyone. There is, however, a method that helps us ask the right questions, make more informed choices and measure what has been created with a broader perspective.
From the Report to everyday culture
The 2025 Sustainability Report marks a specific step for OIC Group: the transition from a set of commitments and actions to a system built on clear objectives and internal tools shared across the organisation. This does not mean the process is complete. On the contrary, it means we have built stronger foundations for the future. The challenge now is to ensure that what the Report makes visible becomes increasingly embedded in everyday decisions and in the way the success of an event is assessed. Sustainability becomes part of organisational culture when it changes the way a company understands its role and translates that awareness into everyday work and relationships. This is the process described in our Report: open, practical and constantly evolving, guided by a clear objective to generate intelligent impact that can be recognised, measured and improved over time.