About Us
As of February 2024, Positive Impact has a community of almost 2,000 global event professionals, over 40 corporate Head of Events, over 40 Corporate Head of Sustainability, over 160 SMEs with a Race to Zero commitment, over 5 memorandums of understanding with United Nations bodies.
We are the only event sector body to be a Race to Zero Accelerator, UN SDG Action mobiliser and to have education certified by the world’s largest and leading CPD accreditation working across all sectors, so our education is accessed by heads of marketing, HR and sustainability.
For over 15 years not for profit Positive Impact have been providing engagement, collaboration and education to create a sustainable event industry. You could describe Positive Impact as the ‘critical friend’ of the global event sector.
Our funding comes from everywhere and nowhere, and every penny, cent or yen is used to advance the event sector so every time an event happens the UN Sustainable Development Goals are advanced and events are recognised as ensuring 'participation and inclusion in decision making’ (UN SDG16).
This is a timeline of Positive Impact's journey and the creation of a sustainable event industry. It reflects initiatives from:
The United Nations
Positive Impact
CEO Fiona Pelham
Key developments in the creation of a sustainable event industry.
SDG Acceleration Actions platform launched
The Political Declaration of the 2019 UN SDG Summit stressed the urgent need for concerted, accelerated action by all stakeholders at all levels to achieve the 2030 Agenda. In the lead up to the SDG Summit, an online platform was created to capture new and ambitious SDG Acceleration Actions.
The Political Declaration of the 2019 UN SDG Summit stressed the urgent need for concerted, accelerated action by all stakeholders at all levels to achieve the 2030 Agenda. In the lead up to the SDG Summit, an online platform was created to capture new and ambitious SDG Acceleration Actions.
UN Collaborations
Positive Impact begins to sign Memorandum of Understanding with UN bodies (including UN Environment, UNFCCC, UN SDG Action) to enable increased collaboration and conversations on events. Collaboration begins with Unicef UK on guidelines for planning an event with consideration of human and child rights.
Positive Impact Events begins to sign Memorandum of Understanding with UN bodies (including UN Environment, UNFCCC, UN SDG Action) to enable increased collaboration and conversations on events. Collaboration begins with Unicef UK on guidelines for planning an event with consideration of human and child rights.
International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development recalling the potential of tourism to advance the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development recalling the potential of tourism to advance the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable Development Goals launched
On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force.
On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force.
