Valencia is the pilot city for the Urban Entropy Calculator, a pioneering tool designed to measure the full impact of MICE tourism and improve its sustainability.
With an budget of 5.2 million euros and 80% of its funding coming from ERDF, the European project Zentropy MICE is set to run until 2028.
The calculator that measures the intangible
Valencia is at the forefront of conference tourism thanks to the development of the Urban Entropy Calculator, an innovative tool that enables the real impact of MICE events on the city to be measured for the first time. This initiative forms part of the European Zentropy MICE project, which applies scientific criteria to transform conference activity into tangible economic, social and environmental benefits.
The calculator was developed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia in collaboration with the Valencia City Council, Valencia Innovation Capital, the Visit Valencia Foundation, the Valencia Congress Centre and the Khora Urban Thinkers consultancy.
Based on life cycle analysis and integrated scientific data, the tool enables the evaluation of impacts, the identification of inefficiencies and the comparison of events over time. This helps to guide MICE tourism towards a more sustainable model.
Paula Llobet, Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment Attraction of the Valencia City Council, highlighted that this initiative ‘reinforces Valencia’s commitment to a sustainable MICE tourism model based on rigorous impact measurement and data-driven decision-making’.
Urban entropy calculator
Through the urban entropy calculator, Valencia city is moving towards more responsible management of conferences and events, aimed at reducing the flows of energy, resources, and emissions that put pressure on the urban environment, while maximizing their contribution in terms of knowledge, innovation, and positive legacy. The Zentropy MICE project therefore puts sustainability at the heart of the tourism strategy, aligning the growth of the sector with urban balance and European climate objectives.
This project establishes Valencia as a leading city in the use of data and knowledge for more sustainable and responsible tourism management. Valencia is thus reinforcing its commitment to a MICE tourism model that creates value and opportunities for the city while contributing to preserving urban balance and respecting the quality of life for its residents.
In the words of Tomás Gómez Navarro, professor at the Institute of Energy Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, ‘the project focuses on keeping urban entropy as low as possible, while minimising the flows of matter, energy, water, and other impacts of MICE tourism that degrade urban systems and limit their development potential’. At the same time, it promotes an events model that increases the city’s potential for innovation, knowledge, and reputation, and fosters sustainable urban development. To this end, a measurement tool guides decision-making towards a MICE tourism model that does not degrade the city, but rather strengthens its development.
As one of Spain’s leading MICE destinations, Valencia is becoming an urban laboratory for a new tourism model based on data, scientific evidence and sustainability. This model is aligned with Europe’s climate and urban development goals.