The events sector must transform itself in order to address the issue of global climate change, stresses Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events. With COP26 — the United Nation’s 26th Climate Change Conference — just months away, the industry must take action now.
 
COP26, set for Oct. 31 - Nov. 12, 2021, in Glasgow, will bring parties together to accelerate action toward meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This should be of vital importance to meeting professionals, says Pelham. Coming out of a year where we saw a dramatic reduction in meetings and travel, we are now challenged to resume those activities in a much more sustainable matter.
 
The June 29 launch event, “Road to COP26: Events Sector Transformation,” aims to compel at least 1,000 meeting and events professionals to commit to a carbon-reduction target and begin the necessary action to achieve it. The program, which provides tailored resources and education, is ideal for small to medium enterprises that don’t already have a carbon target, says Pelham.
 
Among the points she addresses on this episode of Eventful, the Podcast for Meeting Professionals, are:
 
Why planners should now be seeking ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their events (8:35)
 
Why being proactive on climate change initiatives can help planners avoid having tougher restrictions being imposed on them later (10:00)
 
How the discussion about climate action provides an opportunity to trumpet the importance of events (12:55)
 
What a “sustainable event” looks likes (14:20)
 
The business opportunities that are created by focusing on sustainable meetings (20:35)

The events sector must transform itself in order to address the issue of global climate change, stresses Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events. With COP26 &mdash; the United Nation&rsquo;s 26th Climate Change Conference &mdash; just months away, the industry must take action now. &nbsp; COP26, set for Oct. 31 - Nov. 12, 2021, in Glasgow, will bring parties together to accelerate action toward meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This should be of vital importance to meeting professionals, says Pelham. Coming out of a year where we saw a dramatic reduction in meetings and travel, we are now challenged to resume those activities in a much more sustainable matter. &nbsp; The June 29 launch event, &ldquo;Road to COP26: Events Sector Transformation,&rdquo; aims to compel at least 1,000 meeting and events professionals to commit to a carbon-reduction target and begin the necessary action to achieve it. The program, which provides tailored resources and education, is ideal for small to medium enterprises that don&rsquo;t already have a carbon target, says Pelham. &nbsp; Among the points she addresses on this episode of Eventful, the Podcast for Meeting Professionals, are: &nbsp; Why planners should now be seeking ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their events (8:35) &nbsp; Why being proactive on climate change initiatives can help planners avoid having tougher restrictions being imposed on them later (10:00) &nbsp; How the discussion about climate action provides an opportunity to trumpet the importance of events (12:55) &nbsp; What a &ldquo;sustainable event&rdquo; looks likes (14:20) &nbsp; The business opportunities that are created by focusing on sustainable meetings (20:35)

Hosted by Northstar Meetings Group, Eventful invites you to listen in on insightful conversations about hot topics in the meetings and events industry. Tune in for interviews and analysis of the editorial coverage in Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meetings, Meeting News and Incentive.

Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals

How Creating Sustainable Events Will Benefit the Meetings Industry — and the World

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/37ffe223-859b-4955-b6ca-aab8005d8b43/clips/537d3b37-6fdc-4b0d-9942-ad640125663c/transcript