Demonstrating leadership with 100,000 #EventProfs in Action

On the 14th April 2020, the team at Positive Impact found themselves taking unanticipated action due to Covid-19 and launched a campaign without funding.

The campaign provided #eventprofs with the tools required to demonstrate leadership within their communities and use their voice to make a difference. 

This report summarises the Positive Impact campaign to empower 100,000 #eventprofs to be in action building the future of how human connection happens. 

Exploring the Future of How Human Connection Happens

2020 has been a year of unprecedented change - we are facing crises of health, economics, climate and equality. Every company and government in the world is looking for solutions to address these crises.

This report explores how human connection could be a solution to our global crises by asking the question: What is the Future of How Human Connection Happens?

This report draws on the findings from an experiment undertaken with 12 senior corporate event planners.

Exploring the Future of How Human Connection Happens

Positive Impact Events invited 40 senior global corporate event planners to be part of an experiment to explore the future of how human connection happens. Following this event a white paper was produced.

This unique experiment allowed the attendees to explore the following: 

• How events can be used to advance progress towards the SDGs and what this means for the business case of events.

• How Heads of Events can strategically support their CEOs and Heads of Sustainability to advance progress towards the SDGs.

• What is the future of how human connection happens?

Why?

Today humanity is facing crises of health, economic, inequality and climate. Events have a vital role in addressing these challenges, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and enabling human connection. 

Read Laura’s story

How?

On 22nd September 2020, a select group of 40 senior corporate planners joined an experiment to explore human connection.

They were given access to a private LinkedIn group to guide them through the day’s experiments (you can see a snapshot of the agenda below).

The explorations happened in 4 formats:

1. Networking - a chance to meet your fellow explorers and get to connect with them during facilitated networking.

2. Experiments - join world famous dancers, award winning freelancers, teenage activists and more who will be leading YOU through a series of 20-minute experiments so you can experience how human connection happens.

3. Roundtables - contribute your ideas to frameworks, policies, white papers and other documents which will be used by United Nations bodies and corporate sustainability leaders. These sessions will be facilitated by high level partners so YOUR voice will be heard.

4. On Demand - for the times in the 24 hours when you are not networking, exploring or contributing you have the chance to access learning materials which will translate the United Nations Sustainable Development goals into practical guidance for event professionals.

View the synopsis

View the full agenda

When?

22nd September during the UN General Assembly Week and this event was listed as an action during the Global Week to #Act4SDGs.

Who?

Attendees accessed a range of sessions including those delivered by a teenage climate activist, an award-winning freelancer and an internationally reknowned dancer, alongside contributions from the Positive Impac1 Events team. Here are the original session overviews:

An experiment to explore moving

Paul White is an internationally renowned performer and choreographer, and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards for his work in the arts. He is in demand as a moderator, project developer and producer, and is a core worker for a number of non-for-profit foundations in dance and dance film.

In this session, Paul will explore how the language of your body can make a difference, be used to communicate and how this is important in virtual events.

An experiment to explore prioritising

Katy Carlisle has her fingers in a lot of pies. She’s a freelance web designer and trainer, runs an award-winning community for freelancers, co-hosts a podcast, co-founded a software startup and has recently launched an online magazine. Oh, and she plans her days around tide times.

In this session, Katy invites you to explore how you make your day work for you based on what matters most.

Experiments to explore human connection

Fiona Pelham lives her life as an example of how it is possible to create a lifestyle that works for you and contributes to a world that works for everyone. From choosing her home city based on its action for gender equality to generating income from creating a company recognised as a global leader.

Fiona will be leading 2 sessions, in the first Fiona invites you to explore how to build trust quickly and remotely and in the second Fiona invites you to explore the global policies and frameworks which will shape the future of how human connection happens.

An experiment to explore vocalising

Tia is a young person in action, vocalising the future she would like to see in the world. In this session Tia will share her story and explore how using your voice is an action everyone can take.

An experiment to explore transparency

Bec Mitchell is the leader of the small team building the Explore Series from an experimental framework. Her passion, enthusiasm and innovative capabilities have helped bring the Explore Series to life.

In this session, Bec invites you to explore the breakdown of how your money has been spent to create the Explore Series and how this transparency makes you feel.

There was a minimal administration fee of £100 (approx $130 or €110) overhead per person to attend this event.

Supporting innovation and leadership with Messukeskus

Finland’s largest convention centre wins a European event award for their sustainability strategy created with leadership and materials from Positive Impact.

Updating the #shareapositiveimpact toolkit

After Covid-19 significantly impacted the event industry, we updated our free Share a Positive Impact toolkit to include virtual events and emphasise the power of human connection.

Communicating how #eventprofs are in action to #TurnItAround during SDG Action Week

Laura Miller, Manager of Events & Customer Experience at Interface shared with the UN during SDG Action Week on how event professionals are in action to #TurnItAround and progress the SDGs through facilitating participation and inclusion (SDG 16.7.2.) through events.

Enabling Inclusion and Participation in Decision Making with Acceleration Action 2020

Engaging the Global Event Sector in the UN SDGs so that by 2030 we enable inclusion and participation in decision making and human connection is accelerating progress towards the UN SDGs.

In 2019 the United Nations asked for commitments to action to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

This was an opportunity to demonstrate the role of events in achieving the SDGs.

Click on the link below for an update on our 2019 Acceleration Action and our commitment to action for 2020.

Accelerating participation and inclusion (SDG 16.7.2) by using events

Positive Impact submitted an update to our Acceleration Action to ensure inclusion and participation in decision making is enabled and human connection is accelerating progress towards the UN SDGs.

Event industry urged to accelerate its response to climate change

Miguel Naranjo, programme officer at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, warned that there “would be no events industry” if society fails in facing this challenge.

Promoting the use of business events as a means of addressing the UN SDGs

Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact Events, talks to The Iceberg about the opportunities available from taking action around sustainability to thrive in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Upskilling over 30 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Offices on sustainability

Positive Impact collaborated with British Embassy Helsinki to create an ISO 20121 toolkit which was shared widely to empower and upskill the FCDO network to be in action on event management sustainability.

Engaging with CEOs on the UN SDGs White Paper

Exploring the role of the SDGs in building the future of how human connection happens.

This white paper has been written to engage with CEOs, Corporate Heads of Sustainability, Global Government Staff, United Nations event organisers, Association CEOs and Corporate Heads of Events and any others who are in action innovating to achieve the SDGs. 

This white paper explains why the event industry is best placed to play a key role in SDG achievement and explores the ideas, inspiration and calls to action available. 

Please fill in your details to get access to the White Paper 2020. We’ll also send a copy by email.

Engaging with CEOs on the UN SDGs

Positive Impact wrote a white paper to engage with CEOs, Corporate Heads of Sustainability, Corporate Heads of Events and United Nations event organisers and any others who are in action innovating to achieve the SDGs. It explored the role of events in achieveing the SDGs and building the future of how human connection happens. It could also be used by event professionals to talk to their CEOs about the SDGs.

Empowering 1000 event professionals to be ambassadors for a sustainable event industry

The Positive Impact Events community reaches over 1,000 global Ambassadors, and guidelines for planning an event with the consideration of human and child rights are launched.

Contributing to the UK Events Report 2020

Positive Impact Events CEO Fiona Pelham provided content for the Sustainability in Events chapter, which was shared with members of the UK Parliament as part of the Business Visits and Events Report.

An executive summary of the report is also available.

Closing our sister company, Sustainable Events Ltd

In Spring 2020, after 10 years of providing consultancy to create a sustainable event industry, Sustainable Events Ltd has closed.

Listen to this message from our CEO to understand why this is a good sign for the future of the global event industry.

Addressing the role of plastic in the event industry

Positive Impact collaborated with Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau to launch a campaign to address the role of plastic in the event industry. This award-winning campaign resulted in an app being created to measure the plastic being used at events.

Empowering 100,000 #eventprofs to be in action building the future of how human connection happens

On 14th April 2020, we joined our Ambassadors in launching our grassroots campaign to empower 100,000 #eventprofs to be in action building the future of how human connection happens and:

• Get 15+ hours of FREE education resources

• Engage with event professionals around the world

• Understand how to make the business case for human connection in a way global governments and businesses will understand

This summary report explores the results of this campaign and shows that together we can be 100,000 #eventprofs in action building the future of how human connection happens.

We asked our community to champion this campaign and provided them with the information below to support this.

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What inspired this campaign?

This campaign is in response to the COVID-19 crisis which has significantly impacted the global event industry.

The team at Positive Impact Events have volunteered to create resources to empower a global community of #eventprofs to be in action to build a sustainable* future for the event industry.

Why 100,000?

A community of this size is enough to be noticed and it aligns with a commitment made to empower event professionals to further the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Who are Positive Impact Events?

For over 15 years not for profit Positive Impact Events have been providing engagement, collaboration and engagement to create a sustainable event industry.

Since 2016 Positive Impact Events has had memorandums of understanding with various United Nations Bodies including UNFCCC and UN Environment.

Why are Positive Impact Events doing this?

Why not? We believe in the power of events to create human connection and we have an interesting community and network which we believe could be utilised now to make a difference.

What is the content for this programme based on?

Content will support the Acceleration Action (submitted to the UN SDG Summit September 2019) and will be based on data gathered from:

1. My World Events Survey (the only UN-related survey tailored for event professionals)

2. Input from United Nations Bodies

3. Event industry best practice

4. Event industry leaders 

5. Sustainability experts.

30 mins of content will be emailed every 3 days for 90 days from the date you sign up.

How is this campaign being funded?

There is no funding behind this campaign. The Positive Impact Events Team are trained and able to deliver these resources and now is the time it needs to happen. People are volunteering time, energy and expertise.

I have some examples of best practice event sustainability can I share it?

Yes please do! As part of this campaign we will be encouraging the 100,000 event professionals to share their best practice. We will have a toolkit on line explaining how they can use social media to do this

How can I tell everyone else I am one of the 100,000 taking action to build the future of how human connection happens?

When you register we will send you a social media filter/badge which you can use.

Who is the target audience for this education?

Event professionals around the world who want to enhance their understanding and ability to be sustainable and support the development of a strong, strategic and sustainable global event industry.

I am an event industry association can I share this content with my members?

Yes please do!

I am event industry media can I share this content with my readers?

Yes, please do!

How can I get involved?

1. Register to be part of the 100,000 community on our website and put time in your diary for 90 days so you plan to explore the content we will email you

2. Encourage your event professional friends to be one of the 100,000

3. Share your content and best practice via social media (see the guidelines and toolkit on our website

4. Be ready to take action - who knows how this will go, you may see an opportunity to host a virtual conversation on a key topic or you may have new ideas to share - please do!

Is this certified education content?

No it is not - if you would like certified content please ask your local event industry association.

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About the campaign

Will you be one of 100,000 #EventProfs in action building the future of how human connection happens? Watch our recent #EventIcons interview to find out more.

From April 2020 the Positive Impact Events team will be delivering a no cost, online programme so that:

• 100,000 event planners learn how to deliver sustainable* events

• 100,000 event planners gain new skills to be able to market the value of the event industry in the language of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

• The future of the event industry as a sustainable* event industry is set 

*sustainable meaning the continuation of our industry

The difference we hope this programme will make includes:

• Creating a culture for sustainable events, including building awareness for the business demand from global corporate companies

• Empowering confidence within event professionals to deliver events in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including practical resources and tools

• Creating the future of how human connection happens (the global event industry) by empowering and inspiring event professionals around the world, including insight from the world’s leading events

Sharing examples of how events can be used to achieve the UN SDGs for #EarthDay 2020

The global #eventprofs community joined Positive Impact Events and shared examples of how events can be used to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Starting at 6am BST on April 22nd this #earthday, this global conversation took place on Twitter and via the hashtags #eventscreatechange and #earthday across social media channels.

View our hosting schedule

See our hosting guidelines

Read our press release

Watch our Earth Day webinar below where we discuss the future of the event industry and hear about our campaign to empower 100,000 #eventprofs to be in action building the future of how human connection happens.  

Hear from a panel of industry leaders including:

• Amy Kramer, Market and Product Innovation Leader, Maritz Global Events

• Fiona Pelham, CEO, Positive Impact Events

• Josh Adams, Industry Relations Strategist, streamlinevents, inc

• Judy Elvey, Director of Marketing, Event Cloud Europe. Cvent, Inc

Exploring the future of the global meetings and events industry for GMID 2020

Positive Impact celebrated Global Meetings Industry Day by hosting a webinar with a panel of industry leaders including Cvent, Northstar Meetings Group and UNFCCC on the future of the global meetings and events industry. This webinar discussed how the events industry can help achieve the UN SDGs and our 2020 100,000 campaign to empower and upskill 100,000 event professionals to build the future of how human connection happens.