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.
Telling the story of the power of events during the UN Year of Sustainable Tourism
Positive Impact Events delivered a year long campaign to raise the profile of events during a UN year focused on Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Positive Impact Events delivered a year long campaign to raise the profile of events during a UN year focused on Sustainable Tourism for Development.
During the United Nations Year of Sustainable Tourism in 2017, a conversation began to tell the story of the power of events to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
A white paper was also produced as an update on how this conversation furthered in the following 12 months.
Celebrating Earth Day with #CSRshareDay
Positive Impact Events curated a 24 hour collaboration by event professionals around the world to share best practice examples of sustainable events on social media.
Positive Impact Events curate a 24 hour collaboration by event professionals around the world to share best practice examples of sustainable events on social media.
Discussing the future of the event industry for GMID
Positive Impact celebrated Global Meetings Industry Day by hosting a webinar with a panel of experts to hear how the focus of global governments and business will impact the meetings industry in the future. This webinar also discussed the future opportunities available to the event industry and what actions #eventprofs could take to make the most of them.
Positive Impact celebrated Global Meetings Industry Day by hosting a webinar with a panel of experts to hear how the focus of global governments and business will impact the meetings industry in the future. This webinar also discussed the future opportunities available to the event industry and what actions #eventprofs could take to make the most of them.
Providing an overview of our Share a Positive Impact campaign
We put together a simple one-page PDF to show how easy it is for anyone in the event industry to get inspired and #shareapositiveimpact
We put together a simple one-page PDF to show how easy it is for anyone in the event industry to get inspired and #shareapositiveimpact
Creating a toolkit to support event professionals have a roadmap to act on their sustainability goals
Positive Impact Events launch a toolkit supported by the SITE foundation which can be used as a first step in a sustainability strategy.
Positive Impact Events launch a toolkit supported by the SITE foundation which can be used as a first step in a sustainability strategy.
Relaunching our ambassador programme
The ambassador programme relaunches to provide resources to our ambassadors so they can act as a catalyst for conversations and action and help shift the global event sector toward more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable practice. In 2016, we had 43 ambassadors.
The ambassador programme relaunches to provide resources to our ambassadors so they can act as a catalyst for conversations and action and help shift the global event sector toward more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable practice. In 2016, we had 43 ambassadors.
Providing opportunities for the next generation
Positive Impact have a well-established internship programme that provides real skills and sense of achievement for those who take part. This note is from a former intern thanking the team for the experience.
Positive Impact have a well-established internship programme that provides real skills and sense of achievement for those who take part. This note is from a former intern thanking the team for the experience.
Engaging with event professionals to create a sustainable event industry
Positive Impact Events launch an in person summit, in collaboration with UK event agency Smyle, which takes place annually until 2016.
Positive Impact Events launch an in person summit, in collaboration with UK event agency Smyle, which takes place annually until 2016.
Inspiring the event industry to #shareapositiveimpact
In 2016, we created a short video which showcased the impact of our Share a Positive Impact campaign and how the simple act of sharing can create a snowball effect to inspire others.
In 2016, we created a short video which showcased the impact of our Share a Positive Impact campaign and how the simple act of sharing can create a snowball effect to inspire others.
Celebrating Earth Day with #CSRshareDay
Positive Impact curated a 24 hour collaboration by event professionals around the world to share best practice examples of sustainable events on social media.
Positive Impact Events curate a 24 hour collaboration by event professionals around the world to share best practice examples of sustainable events on social media.
Celebrating the first Global Meetings Industry Day
This year was the first Global Meetings Industry Day. Positive Impact celebrated by giving 10 top sustainability tips for events. You can see tip #1 here. To see the other 9 top tips search ‘Top Sustainability Tip #X for GMID’ on our youtube channel. Fiona Pelham also wrote a blog on why events and bringing people together is essential for collaboration, innovation and creating a world that works for everyone.
This year was the first Global Meetings Industry Day. Positive Impact celebrated by giving 10 top sustainability tips for events. You can see the tip #1 here. To see the other 9 top tips search ‘Top Sustainability Tip #X for GMID’ on our youtube channel. Fiona Pelham also wrote a blog on why events and bringing people together is essential for collaboration, innovation and creating a world that works for everyone
Writing to Prince Charles about Positive Impact’s work
In 2016, the Positive Impact team wrote to Prince (now King) Charles and received a response from his office, highlighting his work around sustainability.
In 2016, the Positive Impact team wrote to Prince (now King) Charles and received a response from his office, highlighting his work around sustainability.
Sharing best practice examples of sustainability in action at events becomes a resource for implementing SDGs at events
Positive Impact Events gather the industry’s best practice sharing into a small library of practical actions to take to further the SDGs at your event.
Positive Impact Events gather the industry’s best practice sharing into a small library of practical actions to take to further the SDGs at your event.
Addressing the role of sustainability at the Sustainable Events Summit
In this Exhibition News article, Fiona Pelham talks about the Sustainable Events Summit (co-founded by Positive Impact) and the progress that the even industry has made.
In this Exhibition News article, Fiona Pelham talks about the Sustainable Events Summit (co-founded by Positive Impact) and the progress that the even industry has made.
Listing accessible ways to improve sustainability in Exhibition World magazine
Positive Impact CEO Fiona Pelham writes about easy ways to start taking action around sustainability and explains the role of grassroots movements in changing the industry.
Positive Impact CEO Fiona Pelham writes about easy ways to start taking action around sustainability and explains the role of grassroots movements in changing the industry.
Encouraging the event industry to share examples of best practice
Positive Impact Events begin an initiative to use social media to capture best practice examples of sustainability from events through our Share a Positive Impact campaign.
Positive Impact Events begin an initiative to use social media to capture best practice examples of sustainability from events through our Share a Positive Impact campaign.
We also provided a PDF with information for supporters to contribute to the growth of the campaign.
In our What We Do video, we talked about why the campaign was created and how to start taking action.
Explaining what we do (and why)
In 2014, Positive Impact created a video to explain our mission to create a sustainable industry. It included opportunities to take action through our Share a Positive Impact campaign, education materials and workshops.
In 2014, Positive Impact created a video to explain our mission to create a sustainable industry. It included opportunities to take action through our Share a Positive Impact campaign, education materials and workshops.
Delving deeper into sustainability strategies at the Sustainable Events Summit
Conference News magazine highlights plans for the Sustainable Events Summit, co-founded by Positive Impact.
Conference News magazine highlights plans for the Sustainable Events Summit, co-founded by Positive Impact.
Hosting a sustainability workshop at the Emerging Host Cities Conference
Positive Impact CEO, Fiona Pelham, delivered a workshop on practical steps to implement ISO 20121 for cities and events organisers at the 2013 conference.
Positive Impact CEO, Fiona Pelham, delivered a workshop on practical steps to implement ISO 20121 for cities and events organisers at the 2013 conference.
Sharing ideas to make events more sustainable
Positive Impact team member Charlie Banks writes about practices to make events more sustainable, in the Hospitality & Events North magazine.
Positive Impact team member Charlie Banks writes about practices to make events more sustainable, in the Hospitality & Events North magazine.
