The awards were presented during the GDS-Awards Ceremony, held as part of the GDS-Forum and Impact Day in Szczecin, Poland. The programme recognised achievements across three categories: the Innovation Award, the Impact Award and the newly introduced Changemaker Award.
The Changemaker Award was presented to Fanny Beaulieu Cormier of Tourisme Montréal in recognition of her contribution to advancing regeneration within a destination. Commenting on the recognition, Beaulieu Cormier said: “I have dedicated my career to sustainable tourism for more than eight years. This appointment fills me with immense pride and reflects the work we have accomplished with our partners to transform Montreal’s tourism sector into a more sustainable, inclusive model that generates positive benefits for the community. Strategic alliances focused on biodiversity conservation, local sourcing, inclusive and Indigenous tourism, as well as visitor education and trainings for our local stakeholders, have been particularly successful.”
The Impact Award, presented in collaboration with #MEET4IMPACT, was awarded to Fáilte Ireland for its business events impact and legacy programme.
Paul Mockler, Head of Commercial Development at Fáilte Ireland, said: “On behalf of Fáilte Ireland, we are proud to see Team Ireland winning the GDS Impact Award. At Fáilte Ireland, we were proud to submit our Impact and L
egacy Programme for this award. This programme, which was cocreated with Ireland’s Business Events Ecosystem is transforming how association conferences deliver value, placing emphasis on economic, social and environmental impact. Through practical and financial supports, we are supporting and encouraging the integration of purposeful impact into event design.
Aligned with Government priorities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this work is helping to build long-term legacy, strengthen communities, sustain jobs, and position Ireland as a global leader in delivering purposeful, sustainable business events.”
The Innovation Award was presented to Gdansk Tourism Organization for its “Nothing about us without us” initiative, which provides accessibility audits and communication cards designed to support more inclusive destination development.
Łukasz Wysocki, President of the Board of Gdansk Tourism Organization, said: “Receiving the GDS-Movement Innovation Award is a great honour for Gdansk and a strong motivation to continue our work. With this project, we wanted to show that accessibility is not an abstract idea or an additional feature – it is a practical way of designing better destinations for everyone. This initiative was shaped together with people with disabilities and people with diverse accessibility needs. Their voices help us understand how places are truly experienced and what needs to change
Our hope is that this project will inspire other destinations to make accessibility more visible, practical and universal – and that the Communication Card will one day become a standard in customer service, improving the daily lives of millions of people.”
The shortlist for the Changemaker Award included Fanny Beaulieu Cormier of Tourisme Montréal, Jac Callan of Visit Belfast, Matti Pollari of Visit Tampere and Petra Stušek of Ljubljana Tourism.
The Impact Award shortlist featured Barcelona Convention Bureau, Invest in Bogotá, Göteborg & Co and Fáilte Ireland. The Innovation Award shortlist included VisitAarhus, Gdansk Tourism Organization, Göteborg & Co, Culture Liverpool and Ottawa Tourism.
Reflecting on the awards, Guy Bigwood, CEO of GDS-Movement, stated: “The 2026 GDS-Awards winners exemplify the bold leadership and innovation required to transform tourism and events globally. These powerful initiatives and individuals demonstrate how destinations can deliver measurable environmental and social impact while strengthening resilience and competitiveness.”
He added: “We introduced the Changemaker Award to show our commitment to celebrating those individuals driving transformation through leadership to benefit communities, partnerships, and people. They inspire us all to continue creating lasting change together.”
Genevieve Leclerc, Co-founder and CEO of #MEET4IMPACT, said: “The Impact Award sets the standard for what the business events industry must deliver: real, measurable change that benefits all. This year’s winner proves that events and destinations are not just participants in sustainability, but powerful drivers of transformation at scale.”
The Innovation Award judging panel included Roger Lehner, James Lancaster, Rikke Holm Petersen, Jane Cunningham and Steen Jakobsen. The Impact Award judges included Elegast Monbaliu, Ksenija Polla, Vicky Koffa, Bénédicte Losseau and Inga Davison.
The Changemaker Award winner was selected through live audience voting during the GDS-Awards Ceremony at the GDS-Forum and Impact Day 2026.
Tags: Paul Mockler, Fáilte Ireland, Łukasz Wysocki, Gdansk Tourism Organization Guy Bigwood, GDS-Movement
