Positive Impact Events is empowering its 1,400 strong community of Ambassadors to raise funds that will support the creation of a science-based carbon target and reduction framework, a requirement to ensure future generations can still attend events. Centered around Earth Day (22nd April ’21), the Ambassadors will be asking fellow event professionals, marketing their sustainability initiatives, to do so in a way that will make a difference for the future of the event sector.
The Climate Action framework, which will be developed in partnership with the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), will identify both a carbon target and actions which event professionals could take to achieve this target. Stakeholder engagement is a vital part of the creation of a framework, allowing the industry the chance to provide input and share initiatives they are already taking to reduce their carbon footprint. The funding raised during Earth Day will go towards the facilitation of this stakeholder engagement and provide secretarial services for the creation of the framework.
The final framework could be trialed first in the UK as the sector prepares to host COP 26 before being rolled out across the world as a consistent way for event professionals to manage, measure and improve the carbon impacts of their events. The initiative would put the event sector in line with other sectors which have science-based carbon targets, including sport, fashion and a growing majority of corporate brands.
The global community of Positive Impact Ambassadors are keen for this framework as ambassador Anais Elias, an independent event planner based in Trinidad & Tobago, explains:
“The Climate Action Framework is important to all of us as ambassadors who have been doing the work and contributing where we can. Taking action in the event sector is the only way to learn. From where I live in the world, I do not have the privilege of associations and laws and rules that can help govern events. So, the Climate Action Framework is the closest tool I will have to action practical change with the governments in the Caribbean. I really want it to happen”
Positive Impact Events have created an opportunity for their ambassadors to collaborate with companies, communities and peers to raise funds by marketing their sustainability initiatives during Positive Impact’s annual Earth Day initiative (April 22nd) to a community of at least 1.5 million event professionals. At a fee of £800 ($1100 and €930) per company and a ‘pay as much as you can afford’ donation for individuals, the Positive Impact Events team are confident this opportunity to market for good will be a win win with everyone.
Explained Heidi Wilson Positive Impact Events Ambassador and Community Coordinator: “We have seen a growing number of sustainability marketing initiatives across the event sector. This is fantastic as it shows the creativity of our sector, however we can’t ignore the need for science-based targets – our future event attendees will choose the events they attend based on these criteria and the corporate clients that use events are already making public statements on their net zero commitments. The time to act so the event sector is part of the solution and not the problem is now.”
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
