First introduced in early January, a new sustainability-strategies conference for the meetings and events industry that’s coming to Barcelona this October now has a revised name and a fleshed-out agenda. These and other details were revealed by Sherrif Karamat, president and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association, during the IMEX Frankfurt show in Germany in mid-May.
PCMA-founded Convene 4 Climate—which was originally known as the Climate Tech Conference—is set to happen October 2-3, right after the group’s three-day, Convening EMEA event ends in Barcelona. The conference also has the Strategic Alliance of National Convention Bureaux of Europe as a co-organizer.
In press release, Karamat noted that the inaugural event “aims to drive responsibility, harness the power of technology, and deliver transformative solutions to address the persistent challenges of climate change. Together with SANCBE, PCMA is co-creating a way forward for a regenerative future that empowers the global business-events industry to continue to operate in a common-sense way while driving positive change for a new economy [and] inspire sustainable progress, igniting a movement towards a more resilient tomorrow.”
Convene 4 Climate will explore three central themes—reimagine, inspire, and movement—"to shift events toward climate-impact mitigation as well as long-term profitability while inspiring optimism for a continued global movement.”
“Business events offer platforms for addressing complex issues and act as crucial catalysts for merging sustainability and digitalization, added SANCBE co-chair Matthias Schultze, managing director, German Convention Bureau. “Europe leads this twin transformation with initiatives such as the European Green Deal, offering a consistent strategic framework and avenues for practical solutions. To invigorate our collective mission, we will now synchronize efforts and find inspiration in one another.”
Smaller Conference, Deeper Conversations
Although Convening EMEA will have about 500 participants, Convene 4 Climate will be far smaller in order to allow small working groups to address aspects of event sustainability more deeply and create action plans that will be made available to the entire meetings and events industry.
Interested participants must complete an Expression of Interest “as the event is targeting a diverse and influential community of sustainability leaders. The intentionally curated programming will allow for meaningful discussions, collaborative problem-solving, and the development of actionable strategies,” according to the PCMA release.
