How far is too far? Rethinking train travel for events

How far is it reasonable to expect people to travel by train to an event? It’s a question more of us are asking as the events industry takes meaningful steps towards sustainability.

Choosing trains over planes is often cited as a win but what does that really look like in practice? How long is too long? When does the balance tip from responsible to unrealistic? 

Earlier this summer, I decided to find out, taking the train all the way from London to Copenhagen to attend How To Copenhagen, a sustainability-focused study trip hosted by the Copenhagen Convention Bureau.  

That afternoon, the train carried me smoothly to Cologne, where I spent the night. I stayed at the historic Excelsior Hotel Ernst, just a short stroll from the station. Their concierge met me off the train and helped with my bag, a wonderful gesture of welcome after a long day and I was able to make the most of my time with a site visit, exploring their meeting rooms and bedrooms with balcony views over the cathedral. Even better, I met up with fellow event prof Sabrina Meyers for a walking tour and a Kölsch or two. What could have been a simple stop over became a mini-experience. 

The next morning, we travelled together through Hamburg and on to Copenhagen, watching the landscape unfold and playing a few rounds of train bingo en route. We swapped snacks (Katjes and Knoppers vs Neuhaus chocolates), shared stories and marvelled at the engineering feat that is the Great Belt Bridge. 

The journey took around 20 hours spread over two days, but in 2029 that will drop to five hours between Hamburg and Copenhagen, making the idea of overland travel to Scandinavia much more feasible for business travellers. 

Honest reflections 

There were lessons learned. Book first class if you’re travelling for work, the extra space and peace are worth it. Pack light. And always check the platform board (German efficiency is real, but not infallible). Still, everything ran smoothly and connections felt easy. The European rail system is more intuitive than many expect, with platform signage and even carriage placement guidance on the platform that makes transfers less daunting than feared. 

What worked: 

• Through-ticket booking from London to Germany via Eurostar 

• Peace of mind with guaranteed connections, even with delays 

• Opportunity to explore cities like Brussels and Cologne en route 

• Hotel site visits integrated into stopovers 

• Time for reflection, collaboration and genuine arrival readiness 

What didn’t: 

• Sharing a carriage with a school trip (lesson learned: book first class) 

• Occasional platform changes, stay alert 

• Travel light. Just because you can take as much luggage as you like doesn’t mean you should. Pack only what you can carry 

Sustainability with a Danish twist 

One of the most impressive parts of the trip came after arriving in Copenhagen. The city’s infrastructure is a model of modern mobility from driverless trains and seamless metro connections to more bike lanes than you can imagine. It’s all intuitive and easy to navigate. Add to that the CopenPay scheme, a local initiative that encourages more conscious choices from both visitors and residents by offering cultural and lifestyle rewards, and you begin to see what’s possible when a destination empowers people to be part of the solution.  It’s not just leisure tourists who benefit, business visitors are included too, with the scheme embedded into three major congresses over the summer. 

The scheme also encourages visitors to stay longer and explore more of Denmark. I opted to linger, hopping on a local train just 45 minutes north to Helsingør (Elsinore), home to Kronborg Castle, Shakespeare’s inspiration for Hamlet. With sea views and fresh air, it felt like the perfect way to unwind after a packed programme. 

During the study trip I also attended a talk on behavioural psychology, which focused on the concept of nudging, the idea that we can gently shape better choices through smart design. It stuck with me. In events, we are influencers, whether we realise it or not. From travel choices to catering decisions, we have the power to shape behaviours. CopenPay shows that rewarding action, rather than shaming inaction, is how you make sustainability stick. Offering a choice of how we travel is part of that solution.