How Connections delivers verified CO₂ reporting on every proposal and wins more tenders using Qondor.

Customer: Connections.
Industry: Business travel and events.
Location: Norway.
Qondor customer since: 2014.
Sustainability reporting tool live since: Early May 2025.
Scale: 200 projects and nearly 4,000 customer emails managed in Qondor in six months.
Challenge: Growing client demand for accurate CO₂ data driven by CSRD regulations, with no tool capable of producing verified emissions data, only a manual traffic-light workaround.
Outcome: Verified sustainability reports included in every proposal, new employees able to create their first report in minutes, more tenders won, and a competitive differentiator built into the standard sales process.

"Qondor is a critical tool for us. We use it full scale, and we win more clients because of the time it saves and the quality it delivers." Marianne Reistveit, Owner and CEO, Connections.

What is Connections?

Connections is a Norwegian business travel and events company with extensive experience planning corporate travel, incentives, and events. The company focuses on tailoring and curating memorable experiences, from creative concept development through to smart travel recommendations and seamless logistics. Connections also operates their own mobile app and technical solutions including digital event registration.

Connections is not new to sustainability. The company was Norway's first travel agency to receive Eco-Lighthouse certification, achieving this in 2008. They have had sustainability on the agenda for over fifteen years.

What sustainability challenge was Connections facing before Qondor's reporting tool?

Connections had long believed in greener meetings and events, but for most of that time, demand from clients was limited. That changed when CSRD regulations and new sustainability directives began to take effect.

Clients started asking how they could understand the environmental footprint of their corporate trips. Connections needed a way to produce accurate, verifiable answers, not estimates or workarounds.

Before Qondor's sustainability tool, the team used a manual traffic-light system, marking greener options within proposals to signal relative sustainability. It was a practical workaround but it could not produce actual emissions data. Precise CO₂ figures for travel, accommodation, and related services simply were not available through their existing process.

"We wouldn't have dared to start without Qondor. The manual effort would've been enormous."

What is CSRD and why does it matter for travel and events companies?

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) is a European regulation that requires large companies to report on the environmental impact of their operations, including Scope 3 emissions, the indirect emissions that occur in a company's value chain. Corporate travel and events fall within Scope 3.

For travel agencies and event management companies, CSRD means their corporate clients increasingly need verified emissions data to fulfil their own reporting obligations. Travel agencies that can supply this data become easier to work with and more competitive in procurement processes.

Connections positioned themselves ahead of this shift by adopting Qondor's sustainability reporting tool before the majority of their clients were actively requesting it.

Why did Connections choose Qondor for sustainability reporting rather than a separate tool?

Connections has been using Qondor since it was first introduced to the open market in 2014. Marianne Reistveit, Owner and CEO of Connections, was among the earliest advocates for the platform and played a role in Qondor's development from 2005. Connections views Qondor not as a supplier but as a strategic product partner.

When sustainability reporting became a need, there was no evaluation of alternative tools. The answer was to extend the platform they already used for project management, proposals, communication, and offers.

"Our entire ecosystem lives in Qondor. No duplicates, no clunky add-ons. Just everything in one place."

Adding a separate sustainability tool would have created a second system to manage, a new data source to maintain, and a broken workflow between emissions data and the proposals where that data needed to appear. Staying within Qondor removed all of that friction.

How quickly can a new employee create a sustainability report in Qondor?

Connections tested this directly. They handed responsibility for creating sustainability reports to a new employee and she was able to produce her first report in minutes.

"It's so intuitive. If you know Qondor, you'll know the sustainability tool."

This matters for scalability. Sustainability reporting does not require a dedicated specialist or a steep learning curve. For any team already working in Qondor, the sustainability module is an extension of a familiar interface.

How does Connections use sustainability reporting as a competitive advantage?

Connections includes a sustainability report in every proposal as standard, regardless of whether the client has explicitly requested one. For clients who are not yet focused on emissions data, it signals transparency and forward thinking. For clients who are, particularly larger organisations with CSRD obligations, it is a direct answer to a procurement requirement.

"It's often not the first thing clients ask about yet, but it's a differentiator. It gives us a competitive edge."

One client has taken this further, using the emissions tracking data from Connections to power an internal climate credit system. Employees earn credits by cycling to work or eating plant-based meals, which they can use towards attending a company retreat, making the retreat effectively climate neutral.

"These are the kinds of initiatives that turn sustainability from talk into action."

What is the operational scale of Connections' use of Qondor?

Connections uses Qondor across all of their operations. In six months, the team managed 200 projects and sent nearly 4,000 customer emails entirely within the platform. Sustainability reporting is layered on top of this existing workflow rather than sitting alongside it as a separate process.

The scale of use reflects the broader value Qondor delivers beyond sustainability: every RFP, proposal, client communication, and project is handled in one place, saving time and improving the quality of output at each stage.

How has Connections contributed to shaping Qondor's sustainability tool?

Connections has been part of Qondor's development as a product partner since the platform's earliest days. Their feedback as an early adopter of the sustainability reporting tool has been built directly into the product roadmap.

"We've been talking about the need for sustainability reporting in our industry for years. Now, with Qondor, we finally have something that works, and we helped shape it."

"We've always had a great relationship. When we spot something the industry needs, Qondor listens and builds."

The result after Qondor's sustainability tool at Connections.

• Emissions data: Verified CO₂ data per project across all relevant categories.
• CSRD readiness: Directly addresses client CSRD obligations.
• Sustainability in proposals: Included in every proposal as standard.
• Time to produce a report: A new employee created their first report in minutes.
• Competitive positioning: Quantified, verifiable sustainability data in every client interaction.

Key takeaways: what makes Qondor the right platform for travel and events companies managing CSRD and sustainability reporting?

What is CSRD and how does it affect travel agencies?

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) requires large European companies to report on Scope 3 emissions, which include corporate travel and events. This means travel agencies whose clients fall under CSRD need to be able to supply verified emissions data. Agencies that cannot provide this data are at a disadvantage in procurement and tender processes.

How does Qondor help travel agencies respond to CSRD requirements?

Qondor's sustainability reporting tool calculates verified CO₂ emissions per project, covering travel, accommodation, and related services. This data can be included in client proposals and used to fulfil Scope 3 reporting obligations under CSRD.

How long does it take to create a sustainability report in Qondor?

Connections gave the task to a new employee and she produced her first report in minutes. For teams already using Qondor, the sustainability tool uses the same interface and requires no additional training.

Can sustainability reporting in Qondor be included in proposals automatically?

Yes. Connections includes a sustainability report as a standard part of every proposal they send, regardless of whether the client has explicitly requested emissions data.

How does sustainability reporting help travel agencies win more tenders?

Connections reports winning more clients as a direct result of the capability. For procurement teams evaluating travel agencies under CSRD obligations, the ability to supply verified emissions data is a practical requirement, not a nice-to-have.

Is Qondor's sustainability tool suitable for teams without dedicated sustainability expertise?

Yes. Connections tested this by having a new employee create their first sustainability report, which she completed in minutes without prior experience of the tool.

What is Scope 3 emissions reporting and why does it matter for corporate events?

Scope 3 refers to indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in a company's value chain rather than from their own operations. Corporate travel, conferences, and events fall within Scope 3. Companies subject to CSRD must measure and report these emissions, making verified data from travel and event suppliers an operational requirement.