Vedens Lustgård and the “Skaraborg Event Funnel” Win Sustainability Awards

In a press conference on June 4, 2024, the winners of this year’s Sustainability Step in Skaraborg were announced. Vedens Lustgård was awarded in the tourism business category, while the Event Funnel method developed by Lidköping and Skövde municipalities through their companies Destination Läckö-Kinnekulle and Next Skövde won in the municipal initiative category.

The Sustainability Step is an annual award in the West Swedish tourism industry, established by the Tourist Board of West Sweden. It recognizes one tourism business and one municipal initiative for their efforts in sustainable tourism.

Vedens Lustgård: A Local Food Haven

Filip Larsson and Sara Runsten, owners of Vedens Lustgård, were surprised by the award. They stated: “When we started, we wanted to take over the world, and now we’ve realized that our place, here at Vedens Lustgård, is the center of the world, and we’re developing our business based on that. That’s why it feels incredibly exciting to receive this award right now.”

The jury praised Vedens Lustgård for their dedication to sustainability and the local community. They highlighted the business’s passion for spreading food joy, celebrating local farmers and producers, creating good relationships with neighbors, and working with sustainable ingredients while reducing food waste.

The Skaraborg Event Funnel: Innovative Event Planning

Andrea Johansson, event manager at Destination Läckö-Kinnekulle, and Katarina Blad from Next Skövde accepted the award for the Event Funnel initiative. Johansson explained: “We started this in 2019 with the Melodifestivalen in Lidköping as a pilot to tackle the challenge of how we can objectively evaluate events. We have worked with colleagues in Skaraborg and the University of Gothenburg to develop this evaluation model. In the past year, it has been further developed in a collaboration network with 25 destinations around Sweden, from Kristianstad in the south to Stockholm City Office and Umeå in the north, and it all started with the ‘Skaraborg Event Funnel’.”

The jury commended the innovative and comprehensive work in creating a model for sustainably assessing and developing events. The model enables strategic decisions to attract future events that bring visitors during off-peak times and contribute to a robust tourism industry benefiting both residents and visitors.

Next Steps

The winners from the four sub-regions in Västra Götaland will now compete to be named the Sustainability Step of the Year for the entire region. A main jury will assess the candidates, with the winner to be announced in November at the Great Tourist Council Day in Gothenburg.

For more information about sustainable tourism initiatives in West Sweden, visit Hållbarhetsklivet.