The Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI), the foremost conference for sustainable events, reveals the full schedule for its 15th edition. An agenda packed with heavyweight speakers, innovators and industry leaders in the global live music, sports and event sector. GEI will take place 28th February at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London.

Sessions include the highly anticipated keynote conversation, with musician, visual artist and activist Brian Eno and Grammy-award-winning multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, exploring ‘Music as a Social Synchronizer’, which will be hosted by Emma-Louise Amanshia (Presenter on BBC Radio 1 Relax). Plus Andy Cato (Wildfarmed, Groove Armada) and Ecotricity Founder Dale Vince OBE (who also owns all-vegan football club Forest Green Rovers) will discuss what makes what we eat sustainable in Food: Back to the Future; and research project ACT 1.5, which is supported by the hugely successful trip-hop collective Massive Attack and the Arts Council England (ACE), will share their critical learnings exploring the practical challenges of addressing emissions in the live music sector in ACT 1.5: Exclusive Research.

Five years on since the first Greener Tour panel, John Robb heads up a discussion that will look at what has changed, what can be changed, and the practicalities of trying to change the touring model. In The European Green Festival Roadmap 2030 session, Holger Jan Schmidt and Nikita Coulter will present the prototype of the roadmap that was announced by YOUROPE at last year’s GEI. 

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant Case Study, hosted by author Sangeeta Waldron and Rosanna Machado, will review the sustainability actions and takeaways from this huge and iconic event, whilst in Carbon Offsets: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, the remarkable Mark Stevenson highlights the minefield of the current carbon ‘offset’ market with so many ambiguous impact claims. Adapting to a New Climate Panel, hosted by Presenter Jonathan Overend (BBC/NinetyFour19), explores the impact of climate change on creating and delivering events with major festivals and The Met Office; and with rising temperatures and rising energy bills, the issue of fossil fuels couldn’t be more important, a topic we’ll be diving into in Moving on from Fossil Fuels where we’ll look at how to make your energy bills matter, hybrid temporary power systems to reduce fuel consumption, and getting event sites onto mains power.

The Switching on Your Audience – Creative Climate Communication panel, hosted by Presenter and Journalist Lucy Seigle, will discuss how organisations are engaging their audiences and fans and why brands should take responsibility for the planet, featuring examples of poster campaigns created for Greenpeace and WWF; while the Circularity: Turning Off the Tap on New session will see Jullia Davies of We Have the POWER share her ‘Less Rubbish’ vision and how the companies she invests in are making circular work.

The Association of Event Management Educators (AEME) will bring together a panel of leading event and sustainability researchers from across the UK to discuss the current and future direction of event and sustainability research in Moving forward sustainability theory, research and practice; and the Quick-Fire Innovation Round will see delegates present their unique and innovative sustainability ideas: how the team at Carnicycle are making carnival sustainable; The Green Room’s approach to sustainable tools for online music; FWRD’s innovative ways to improve bin use through gamification; GEIA’s ideas to support forest restoration; and how Again use technology to make reusable packaging more accessible than ever before.

And to round off a packed day of inspiring insight and conversation, the event closes with the International AGF Awards and a champagne toast to celebrate the most innovative and worthy events, venues, organisations and individuals from worldwide events over the last 12 months. It will be the 16th edition of the AGF Awards and all of those certified in 2022 will be celebrated, as the winners of the International AGF Awards 2023 are revealed.

View full event schedule here. More info and tickets here.

H/T N.M.