Supporting Major Events, Sustainable Travel and Brilliant Visitor Experiences
As the year moves towards its close, the ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ team has spent a busy autumn and early winter attending, speaking at and supporting events across the live events, mobility, sport and sustainability sectors. From major conferences and awards to roundtables, webinars and site visits, these moments gave us the opportunity to reconnect with clients and partners, share insights from live deployments, and contribute to ongoing conversations about sustainable visitor travel, accessibility and travel demand management. Below is a snapshot of where we’ve been and the key discussions shaping our year ahead.
(The ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ panel at The Events Summit 2025.)
(The YST team receiving the “Best Loved by a Client” Award at the MEI Gala Dinner.)
The Events Summit 2025 & MEI Members Symposium
Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester | 3–4 November
The season began in Manchester with two back-to-back industry gatherings: the MEI Members Symposium and The Events Summit 2025, both centred on practical delivery and collaboration across the events sector.
At The Events Summit, ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ hosted a panel on sustainable visitor travel, led by Chris Thompson (CEO), alongside Gary Wright (Great Run Company), Chris Marr (Bradford UK City of Culture) and Steve Gilholme (Transport for Greater Manchester). Drawing on real event case studies, the discussion explored how personalised travel planning can influence audience behaviour, enhance visitor experience and support event delivery objectives. Across the two days, the YST team connected with delegates both on stage and at our exhibition stand, continuing conversations throughout the event.
The programme concluded with ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ being named winner of the “Best Loved by a Client” Award at the MEI Gala Dinner — thank you to the MEI team and to our clients for the recognition and continued support.
WSA Sustainability in Sport Conference 2025
Rodney Parade Stadium, Newport | 5 November
The WSA Sustainability in Sport Conference brought together sports clubs, venues, governing bodies and sustainability specialists to explore how sustainability is being embedded across sport.
YST attended alongside fellow members, with sessions covering data, reporting, accessibility and practical delivery. We also shared dedicated insight into how attendees travelled to the conference, using WSA Travel Assistant data to better understand travel choices and behaviour. Read more here.
(Panel session at the WSA Sustainability in Sport Conference 2025.)
(Alex Townshend of ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ speaking during a live debate at the Sustainable Events Show 2025.)
Sustainable Events Show 2025
University of Chicago Booth, London | 7 November
The Sustainable Events Show replaced traditional panels with live debates designed to encourage challenge and discussion.
‘You. Smart. Thing.’ took part as a speaker, with Alex Townshend (Head of Environmental & Socio-Economic Impact) debating Danny Pecorelli (Exclusive Collection) on the motion: “Sustainable venues don’t make a difference — are we obsessing about the wrong metric?” Alex argued for greater focus on audience travel, where some of the biggest opportunities for sustainability impact often sit.
The debate sparked lively audience engagement and reflection – exactly what the format set out to achieve. Read more about Alex’s reflections following the debate here.
National Modeshift Convention & Travel Awards 2025
Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds | 25–26 November
The National Modeshift Convention brought together local authorities, transport operators, event organisers and cultural organisations to discuss travel behaviour change and accessibility, followed by the Team Modeshift National Travel Awards.
‘You. Smart. Thing.’ contributed to a panel session hosted by Chris Thompson (CEO), alongside Gary Wright (Great Run Company) and Jamie Saye, Carbon Literacy Trainer at Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture (Executive Director & Co-Founder, SAIL).
The session focused on how better travel information, curated routes and collaboration between stakeholders can help events influence travel choices and reduce pressure on transport networks. The YST team also had the chance to reconnect with existing clients, meet new attendees and continue conversations at the exhibition stand.
Read more about our panel at the National Modeshift Convention here.
(YST CEO Chris Thompson on stage at the Team Modeshift National Travel Awards.)
(Source: Connected Innovation – Tech Delegation to SLUSH 2025, Helsinki)
SLUSH Helsinki 2025
Helsinki | 18–20 November
Members of the YST team attended SLUSH Helsinki to connect with founders, investors and technology companies working across mobility, climate and digital innovation.
The event offered fresh perspective on emerging trends and future opportunities relevant to the ongoing development of the ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ platform.
Reflecting on the experience, CEO Chris Thompson shared:
“Slush was mindblowing! 13,000+ delegates, 50% inventing tomorrow, 50% looking to back a better future. Inspiring content and flawless production — and a B2B event networking platform that really works.”
Host City 2025
Technology & Innovation Centre, Glasgow | 1–3 December
Host City 2025 brought together host cities, rights holders, organisers and suppliers to explore how major events can deliver long-term social, economic and environmental value.
‘You. Smart. Thing.’ contributed to two sessions during the programme. On Day 2, the YST team hosted a panel titled “Empowering Host Cities & Event Organisers Through Exceptional Visitor Experience”, exploring how travel demand management can support more sustainable and impactful visitor journeys. Speakers included Helen Helliwell (CEO, Invictus Games Birmingham 2027), John David (President & CEO, SportsETA) and Dr. Igor Lanzoni (Vice President, International Ju-Jitsu Federation).
Later in the programme, Chris Thompson (CEO, ‘You. Smart. Thing.’) spoke on Panel 9: Sustaining the Future with Major Events, examining whether sustainability should be viewed as a burden or a business opportunity for major events.
(Chris Thompson, CEO of ‘You. Smart. Thing.’, speaking during a sustainability-focused session at Host City 2025 in Glasgow | image source: Host City | LinkedIn.)
(Alex Townshend presenting on accessible visitor travel at the Access All Areas Conference & Awards 2025.)
Access All Areas Conference & Awards 2025
London | 4 December
The season concluded at the Access All Areas Conference & Awards, bringing together venues, organisers, access professionals and industry partners.
‘You. Smart. Thing.’ contributed a presentation delivered by Alex Townshend (Head of Environmental & Socio-Economic Impact), focusing on how personalised travel planning can support more accessible and inclusive visitor journeys. The session reinforced a simple idea: when travel works better, everything else follows. Read more about our presentation at the Access All Areas Conference & Awards.
Beyond the Conference Floor
Alongside major conferences and in-person events, the ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ team continued to share learning and connect with partners through a mix of smaller sessions, site visits and online activity. Emma Gibbons (Head of Client Development) took part in a Transport East webinar, sharing insights from YST’s work on rural transport and what’s needed next to improve access and travel options for rural communities. Read more here.
The team also attended a number of other valuable industry moments, including:
- Birmingham City FC / Sports Quarter Stadium Reveal, exploring how new stadium developments are being designed as multi-use destinations connected to their communities.
- GSBS Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sports Report Launch – highlighting the value of shared data, benchmarking and shared learning across the sports sector. Read a summary shared by Luke (Sustainable Travel Consultant) here.
- SMARTEX Smart Transport Forum, covering topics such as mobile ticketing, smart payments, AI in transport and inclusion.
- BASIS Sustainable Sport Awards 2025 at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, bringing together sustainability leaders from across UK sport. Read further reflections shared by Alex Townshend, Head of Environmental & Socio-Economic Impact) here.
- Smart City Expo World Congress, Barcelona, where YST team members attended across multiple days, visiting the UK Pavilion led by Connected Places Catapult and connecting with UK exhibitors and partners across transport, events and destination planning.
(Dinner reception at the BASIS Sustainable Sport Awards 2025, held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.)
(Presentation at the Birmingham City FC / Sports Quarter Stadium Reveal.)
(The UK Pavilion at Smart City Expo World Congress.)
Looking Ahead
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to meet with us over the past few months. These conversations continue to shape how we develop the ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ platform and support destinations, venues and events. As we move into 2026, our events calendar is already filling up. We look forward to continuing these conversations, speaking at more events and connecting with many of you again soon.
