The Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI 15), the foremost conference for sustainable events is delighted to announce the first speakers for the 15th edition, which will take place on 28th February 2023 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

As the World Cup is underway and under fire for questionable carbon neutral claims, in addition to human rights abuses, GEI assemble leading voices to delve into the challenges of delivering green global events, venue construction and operational impacts, genuine carbon removals vs misleading offsets, impactful truthful communications vs greenwashing, and the power and responsibility of using high profiles for positive change.

GEI welcomes Dale Vince, founder of the world’s first green electricity company Ecotricity, and chairman of the world’s greenest football club according to the UN and FIFA, Forest Green Rovers. Major event organiser Rosanna Machado shares the social and environmental ambitions and achievements of HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant. Mark Stevenson of CUR8 deep dives into credible and durable carbon removals and the pitfalls of offset claims that lack credibility and efficacy and award winning creative Zed Anwar who will speak about the importance of creative communication in communicating about climate issues and his campaign concept for WWF about brands becoming extinct.

Food is one of the top 3 impacts to our emissions and biodiversity loss globally. Andy Cato, regenerative farmer, cofounder of Wildfarmed and one half of the electronic music band Groove Armada gives insight into transforming our agricultural practices to support biodiversity and store carbon. Dale Vince, by nature, demonstrates success in challenging the status quo with the transformation of Forest Green Rovers to the world’s first Vegan football club.”

This stellar line-up of speakers will be bringing their passion, expertise, and insight to GEI15 with more speakers to be announced soon.

GEI 15 brings together leaders and innovators in the global live and events sector to network and accelerate environmental and social best practices to make impactful change. The programme ranges from strategic senior level commitments, to “how to” case studies and workshops for operational implementation on the ground, and all important networking opportunities.

GEI is AGF‘s flagship event and is organised in partnership with the ILMC. Join pioneers, activists and leading collectives in the space of greener events, festivals, tours, venues and entertainment, unite to discuss the key questions in an industry in the midst of transformation.

About AGF.
AGF is a not-for-profit company committed to helping events, festivals and venues around the world adopt environmentally efficient practices. AGF provide certification, education and training, consultancy, resources and green riders, facilitating the exchange of good ideas. They share information about how environmentally efficient methods are currently being employed at events and how the impact on the environment can be limited at future events. They offer independent assessment and verification of events sustainability claims through the AGF Awards for festivals, venues, tours and events.

Andy Cato.
Andy Cato, Wildfarmed co-founder, is an award-winning mixed arable and livestock farmer. An article about the environmental and health consequences of modern food production inspired Andy, a Grammy nominated musician, to sell his publishing rights to fund a farm in France. There he spent a decade trying to find a more restorative and sustainable way of growing food. He was awarded the 2020 Laureate Nationale for innovation in agroecology, as well as the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole – the equivalent of a knighthood for services to agriculture. Now back on British soil and farming as a tenant of the National Trust, Andy and his Wildfarmed colleagues are on a mission to help farmers move towards soil focused farming, and make real food grown in real soil available on the high street at affordable prices.

Dale Vince.
Dale Vince has led a remarkable life. From “enemy of the state” to “green energy tycoon” he has dedicated his life to challenging conventional wisdom in pursuit of a better way to live. As a traveller Vince was an outlaw, living a decade outside of society, on the road and off the grid in constant tension with the police. After an epiphany in the 90s, he ‘dropped back in’ to build a big windmill on the hill he parked on and from there, went on to start the world’s first green energy company, Ecotricity. Dale kickstarted the now-global green energy movement using the goals and values he developed on the road to bring green energy into the mainstream. He pioneered the electric car, built the Electric Highway to power them and runs Forest Green Rovers – the word’s first green football club. Created diamonds out of carbon in the sky. Most recently he launched a new range vegan burgers. His whole life has been a strive for change and the result of a questioning mind that doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He is the UN Ambassador for Climate Change.

Mark Stevenson.
‘Reluctant Futurist’ Mark Stevenson is a strategic advisor to governments, investors, NGOs and corporates and co-founder of Carbon Removals company CUR8. He helps organisations change the way they feel, think, invest and operate in order to answer the intertwined questions the future is asking us – on climate change, inequality, the retreat of democracy and the failures of the markets to price risk properly (to name just four). His two bestselling books, An Optimist’s Tour of the Future and the award-winning We Do Things Differently map out some existing and proven solutions to our current dilemmas. He is Global Ambassador for environmental law firm Client Earth, ‘Chief Annoying Question Asker’ at The Tour Production Group and former strategic advisor on peace, national security and climate change to the UK Ministry of Defence. Elsewhere, he enjoys a successful side career as a comedy writer and songwriter, including a hit podcast with comedian Jon Richardson and systems change advocate Ed Gillespie.

Rosanna Machado.
Rosanna has worked in the events industry for over 20 years, managing large complex events such as the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and the G8 Summit. She thrives on building communities through managing senior and varied stakeholder groups, as well as mentoring and inspiring teams. Whilst working on these events, she noticed the importance of emotional intelligence to get the best out of people in a pressurised environment. She is an Executive Coach, Group Coach and Lecturer and specialises in raising self-awareness to shift perspectives and unlock potential. Energised by contributing to the community, she is a volunteer at the WeSwim disabled swimming club, trustee at the Thames Festival Trust and offers pro bono coaching to charities and individuals.

Zed Anwar.
Zed Anwar is an award winning creative based in London, who is very passionate about the environment and our planet. Previously Zed created the ‘World Without Nature’ campaign where famous football teams and brands across the world, removed the animal from the logo. This campaign was a major hit and now is a yearly event, which grows bigger every March. This year Zed followed up that campaign with “we need to end our dependency on fossil fuels” concept campaign for greenpeace, which has garnered massive success, with his work being shared all over the world and it was even featured on French national news. Zed believes creativity can change the world, and puts that to the forefront of his thinking, when he is working on creative ideas for brands.

AGF official: Website

H/T N.M.