GLASGOW — By the end of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 on November 12, 30,000 delegates are expected to have taken part in the game-changing event. Media coverage has been filled with images of world leaders pledging to cut emissions, protesters led by 18-year-old Greta Thunberg, and Jeff Bezos taking the stage to announce that Amazon will power its entire business with renewable energy by 2025.
The business events sector has its own major announcement: the Net Zero Carbon Events Commitment hosted by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) – a roadmap to net zero emissions by 2050 and more immediate reductions by 2030, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
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More than 150 industry organisations – venues, event organisers, exhibitors, convention bureaus and suppliers – have signed the pledge. Signatories include many independent trade show organisers, including Questex, Tarsus Group, Clarion Events, Emerald and Informa.
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Business events industry leaders will present the commitment at a session on November 10 at 10 a.m. ET. Session participants include: Stephanie Dubois, Director of Event Operations at SAP; Kai Hattendorf, CEO of UFI; Monica Lee-Müller, Managing Director of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre; Charlie McCurdy, CEO of Informa Markets; Miguel Alejandro Naranjo Gonzalez, Program Manager at the UNFCCC Secretariat; Cristina Pace, Chair of the eSkootr Championship (eSC) Sustainability Working Group; Bob Priest-Heck, CEO of Freeman; Mike Seaman, CEO of Raccoon Events; Alan Steel, President and CEO of the Javits Center; Kathleen Warden, Director of Conference Sales at the Scottish Events Campus; and Barbara Weizsäcker, Secretary General of the European Major Exhibition Centres Association.
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JMIC called the effort, supported by the UNFCCC secretariat, the most inclusive global collaboration ever undertaken in the events industry. “The events industry has a unique role to play in tackling climate change,” said James Rees, executive director of ExCel London and chair of JMIC. “We provide venues and marketplaces to work on solutions to the climate crisis. At the same time, we have a responsibility to minimise our impact on climate change.”
Organizations can continue to sign the pledge after COP26 at netzerocarbonevents.org.
Contact James Rees on +44-20-70694747