The Circular (Economy) Hotspot Events

The Circular Hotspot Event is a global, annual gathering in a local setting, aimed to shape and accelerate the local circular economy. It is a living demonstration where local context shapes global impact, and where the change makers, governments, enterprises, industries, and communities come together to further shape and advance the transition. It is not a conference, but an international stage dedicated to support the local progress to circularity. It showcases and scales local circular practices, initiatives, and policies, while fostering cross-border collaboration, knowledge exchange, new business and policy partnerships.

Together, Circular Hotspot Events create momentum, turning ambition into action and local leadership into global progress.

The event series was born in the Netherlands in 2016. What began as a single initiative quickly proved too powerful to stay in one place. Recognizing its impact, the concept was entrusted to us, Holland Circular Hotspot, which carried it beyond borders—into regions, countries, and continents around the world.

The Circular Hotspot Event aims to:

• Accelerate long-term circular transition and create local impact
• Showcase and scale local circular innovation, practices, initiatives, policies
• Foster crosspollination and (international) connections
• Build new business and policy collaborations, including transnational

The event serves as a landmark to create the change you want to see in your country / region.

Today, it has grown into a truly global movement. With 17 editions delivered across five continents, each event creates strong local impact while generating international visibility.

What happens at a Circular Hotspot Event

A Circular Hotspot Event is structured around four core elements: an official welcome, sessions and workshops, targeted business matchmaking, and site visits showcasing circular solutions in practice.

Each event is designed around the host region, focusing on market sectors where strong local momentum already exists—economically, environmentally, or in terms of circular transition readiness. This ensures immediate relevance and tangible local impact.

The programme addresses key cross-cutting themes such as policy, extended producer responsibility (EPR), finance and procurement, inclusiveness, design, leadership, and impact metrics, while directly linking these to broader priorities including resilience, competitiveness, climate action, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and job creation.

Alongside the core programme, engaging elements such as pitches, hackathons, policy statements, local music, and regional food experiences are integrated to strengthen connection, creativity, and collaboration.

Check out the Highlights from previous events here.

The Role of Holland Circular Hotspot

The Circular Hotspot events are hosted locally, but the overall framework, selection process, and international coordination are led by HCH.

HCH ensures the consistency, quality, and positioning of the Circular Hotspot series worldwide by knowledge sharing, event guidance and marketing & visibility support.

What's in it for You?

Hosting a Circular Hotspot Event positions your country or region on the international circular economy stage. It brings global visibility to your local ambitions, leadership, and solutions—while accelerating concrete action at home.

By hosting, you call together a powerful mix of stakeholders across the circular economy ecosystem:

• Companies, from innovative startups to established industry leaders, gain international exposure, access to targeted business matchmaking, and opportunities to scale solutions across borders.

• Governments and public authorities use the event to strengthen international positioning, exchange policy insights, and mobilize public and private actors around shared circular goals.

• NGOs, knowledge institutes, and academia leverage the platform to showcase initiatives and research, connect with global peers, and build new cross-sector and international collaborations.

Beyond the event itself, hosting a Circular Hotspot creates lasting value: new partnerships, strengthened ecosystems, concrete business and policy outcomes, and a clear milestone in your circular transition journey.

In short, a Circular Hotspot Event turns local leadership into global impact—and puts your region at the center of the transition.

Bring the Hotspot Event to your Country/ City or Region

Are you ready to become the next host city or region for the Circular Hotspot in 2026 or 2027?

This is a unique opportunity for governments and organizations to showcase local circular practices — from innovative business models and industrial solutions to pioneering regional and national policies. The mission? To make the event a catalyst for local circular development — sparking momentum, collaboration, and lasting impact.

Applications will be shortlisted by a panel of the local organizers of the current Circular Hotspot and Holland Circular Hotspot. The jury consists of members of previous and upcoming Circular Hotspot Event hosts.

To learn more about the application process, please read our FAQ.

More questions? Email us:  Vesna.Lavtizar@hollandcircularhotspot.nl