Dear event professionals,

This Global Meeting Industry Day (4th April 2019) has the potential to be the last Global Meeting Industry Day where we have the opportunity to demonstrate that event professionals are part of the solution to creating a world that works for everyone and not part of the problem.

On the 15th March over 1.5 million children in over 123 countries took part in a school strike to ask business and political leaders to act on climate change. Their message was ‘our house is on fire’ and they asked us to take quick, bold and significant action to address this.

On behalf of the 1.5 million future event attendees, event professionals and world leaders this Global Meeting Industry Day will you pledge to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

In collaboration with various United Nations Bodies including UNFCCC, UN Environment, UNICEF, UN SDG and UNWTO there is the opportunity to create resources, education and collaboration opportunities so the business events industry is known as one that brings people together face to face to create positive world changing solutions.

To mark Global Meeting Industry Day, Positive Impact have released a webinar which includes a number of children who took part in school strikes in the UK, Scotland and Hong Kong. These young people understand that large events create carbon emissions as people fly to them, generate plastic waste from materials being used and food waste when there are people starving in the world. They understand that connection can happen virtually and question why carbon emissions can’t be reduced by less travel to events.

In November 2018 the IPCC Climate Change Report included the approach which seems obvious to the young climate protesters and suggested that global governments and business should use more technology for their events and decrease their travel as a way to lower carbon emissions. The business case for our industry to take immediate action is clear.

If you are an event professional who wants to be part of the solution rather than the problem mark this Global Meeting Industry Day by signing a pledge for change.

Signed