GEI 15 reveals full agenda
A Greener Festival (AGF) has announced the full agenda for the 15th edition of the Green Events & Innovations conference, taking place next Tuesday (28 February) at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
The day kicks off with a discussion on the impact of climate change on live events in Adapting to a New Climate, hosted by Jonathan Overend (BBC/NinetyFour19), and with a panel that includes Artur Mendes (Boom Festival/Being Gathering), Ric Robins (The Met Office), and Jane Healy (Glastonbury/Boomtown).
Following that, The Platinum Jubilee Pageant provides the basis for two fantastic case study presentations. Firstly, Rosanna Machado (Zebra) reviews the sustainability actions that were delivered for this iconic event, and then Mark Stevenson (CUR8) discusses the minefield of carbon offsets and the approach taken by the Pageant for its carbon removals in Carbon Offsets: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
Next up, Holger Jan Schmidt (YOUROPE) and AGF’s Nikita Coulter provide an early look at the new European Green Festival Roadmap 2030; whilst Switching on Your Audience – Creative Climate Communication, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Lucy Siegle, sees Zed Anwar (Visual Artist), Hannah Cox (betternotstop), and Dave Ojay (NAAM Festival) discuss the challenges of communicating the need for climate action.
Continuing that theme, Moving on From Fossil Fuels, led by Ecotricity founder Dale Vince OBE, explores alternative power options needed to address rising temperatures and energy bills.
GEI will toast the events and venues that became AGF certified in 2022 and reveal the winners of its International AGF Awards
The final two sessions of the morning include Circularity: Turning Off the Tap on New, with Lucy Siegle and Julia Davies from We Have The Power; and Food: Back to the Future sees Dale Vince and Andy Cato (WIldfarmed/Groove Armada) discuss the future of sustainable food and Andy’s journey from global touring artist to regenerative farmer.
The afternoon sessions kick off with exclusive insight into the Act 1.5 research project with writer and producer Mark Donne, Carly McLachlan of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and host John Robb (Louder Than War / The Membranes); and the Quick-fire Innovation Round, hosted by Abena Fairweather of Legacy Marketplace and featuring five delegates’ unique and innovative sustainability ideas, covering everything from carnivals to reforestation.
Next up, the Association of Event Management Educators (AEME) bring together a panel of the brightest research minds from across the UK to discuss the current and future direction of event and sustainability research. And in A Greener Tour Round IV, we’ll examine the progress the touring sector has made in becoming greener, with host John Robb and industry experts Carol Scott (TAIT) and Jamal Chalabi (Backlash Productions/AGF).
The final session of the day, the keynote, will see the return of Brian Eno, who will be joined by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jacob Collier. They will discuss Music as a Social Synchroniser with host Emma-Louise Amanshia.
To round off the day, GEI will toast the events and venues that became AGF certified in 2022 and reveal the winners of its coveted International AGF Awards 2023. For more information, or to buy tickets to GEI, click here.
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Brian Eno, Jacob Collier lined up for GEI keynote
The 15th edition of the Green Events and Innovations Conference will welcome back Brian Eno for a keynote conversation with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier.
Titled Music as a Social Synchroniser, the conversation will see the artists explore the social function of music and how it changes us, how it offers us a local counterpoint to the big things happening in the world and why it is so important in a community.
The keynote will also address “the whole question of where music comes from, and how it arises not just from the minds of individuals, but from whole societies, traditions and living ecosystems, is a way to also connect it to the big question of the climate crisis and music’s response to it”.
Eno is a renowned musician, producer, visual artist and activist who first came to international prominence in the early seventies as a founding member of British band, Roxy Music, followed by a series of solo albums and collaborations. He interviewed Norwegian popstar Aurora for GEI’s 2022 keynote.
The keynote will also address “the whole question of where music comes from”
Collier, meanwhile, is a five-time Grammy-award-winning artist that has been featured on songs by UK music icons like Coldplay and Stormzy, and American R&B superstars such as SZA, Kehlani, and Alicia Keys.
In his own projects, Collier has worked with a diverse cast of artistic powerhouses, from Malian singer Oumou Sangaré to John Mayer, T-Pain, Ty Dolla $ign, Daniel Caesar, Tori Kelly and Mahalia.
He has also helped Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer score the recent Boss Baby films and has written for a forthcoming West End musical on the life of opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.
Eno and Collier join a first round of speakers for GEI 15 that includes Dale Vince (Ecotricity), Rosanna Machado, Mark Stevenson (CUR8), Zed Anwar and Andy Cato (Wildfarmed, Groove Armada).
GEI is A Greener Festival’s flagship event and is organised in partnership with the ILMC, which takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel between 28 February and 3 March.
The leading gathering for sustainability at live events will take place on 28 February 2023. For more information on the conference, or to purchase tickets, click here.
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The O2 first English arena to achieve Greener Arena merit
London’s The O2 has become the first arena in England to achieve its Greener Arena certification, thanks to the venue’s sustainability practices and commitments.
The certification is awarded by A Greener Festival (AGF), a not-for-profit company and sustainability expert, dedicated to helping events, festivals, and venues around the world to become more sustainable.
The Greener Arena certification considers measures that reduce emissions and environmental impact, as well as the health and wellbeing of staff, along with equity, diversity and inclusion – all of which result in an ‘Outstanding’ rating for The O2.
“We’re so proud to have achieved our Greener Arena certification and to be paving the way for other arenas in England and around the world,” says Steve Sayer, VP and general manager at The O2 (cap. 21,000).
“Sustainability has been an integral part of our business strategy this year, and with events like Overheated we’ve been able to make real strides in this space. Becoming a more sustainable venue is a constantly evolving task, and we know there’s still a lot more work to do, which is why we’re hiring new, dedicated resource next year to help take on this challenge.
“Sustainability has been an integral part of our business strategy this year”
“We’re looking forward to working closely with AGF following the actions from their certification report and publishing a comprehensive Green Rider for The O2. This will ensure that we provide a best-in-class experience for both artists and fans in an even more sustainable way.”
The O2’s 2022 sustainability-driven initiatives include hosting the cross-campus climate festival Overheated in June which saw the arena go vegan for Billie Eilish’s six show dates, and saw a reduction in the amount of single-use plastic used at the venue through the implementation of paper cups and recycled PET plastic wristbands.
The venue’s catering partner Levy UK + Ireland has committed to reaching net zero at The O2 arena by 2025, which will be a venue-first for the catering company.
AGF was honoured at last night’s inaugural LIVE Awards with The LIVE Green Award, ahead of the 15th edition of its Green Events and Innovations Conference.
GEI is AGF’s flagship event and is organised in partnership with the ILMC, which takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel between 28 February and 3 March.
For more information on GEI 15, or to purchase tickets, click here.
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AGF announces first speakers for GEI 15
A Greener Festival (AGF) has announced the first speakers for its Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI 15), set for 28 February 2023 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
The conference will 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.
Dale Vince, founder of the world’s first green electricity company Ecotricity and chairman of ‘the world’s greenest football club’, will discuss the transformation of Forest Green Rovers into the world’s first Vegan football club.
The conference will delve into the challenges of delivering green global events
In addition, major event organiser Rosanna Machado will share the social and environmental ambitions and achievements of HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
Mark Stevenson of CUR8 will deep-dive into credible and durable carbon removals and the pitfalls of offset claims that lack credibility and efficacy.
Plus, award-winning creative Zed Anwar will speak about the importance of creativity when communicating about climate issues and his campaign concept for WWF about brands becoming extinct.
And Andy Cato, regenerative farmer, cofounder of Wildfarmed and one-half of the electronic music band Groove Armada, will give insight into transforming our agricultural practices to support biodiversity and store carbon.
More speakers for GEI 15 will be announced soon. For more information on the conference, or to purchase tickets, click here.
GEI is AGF’s flagship event and is organised in partnership with the ILMC, which takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel between 28 February and 3 March.
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AGF announces 15th annual GEI conference
The 15th annual edition of the Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI 15) has been announced by A Greener Festival (AGF) and the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
The leading conference for sustainability in events will take place on 28 February at a new venue, the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
GEI 15 brings together leaders and innovators in the global live and events sector to network and accelerate environmental and social best practice to make impactful change.
Industry leaders, experts, governments, and cutting-edge organisations will gather to identify, share and implement practical actions and holistic measures to help with this critical transition.
The programme ranges from strategic senior-level commitments, to “how to” case studies and workshops for operational implementation on the ground, and networking opportunities.
Sessions will cover topics such as transport, energy, food, equality and inclusivity, climate justice, reducing and calculating emissions, design and materials usage for circularity, the interface between the sector and politics, carbon removals and more.
“How the live sector moves towards a greener business model is now a critical issue”
The International AGF Awards also return to GEI 15 in 2023, celebrating the most innovative and worthy events, venues, organisations and individuals from events worldwide in the last 12 months.
AGF CEO Claire O’Neill says: “Finally, the status quo is uncomfortable enough for change to happen fast. We have to reduce emissions by more than 50% in the next seven years – a phenomenal task that no single organisation or sector has the answers nor the power to do alone.
“With many aspiring to a zero-carbon future, how the live sector moves towards a greener business model is now a critical issue. We look forward to welcoming the industry once again to GEI to reflect on the years progress, approach the difficult questions, and steer in the right direction for the year ahead.”
GEI is AGF’s flagship event and is organised in partnership with the ILMC, which takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel between 28 February and 3 March.
Limited super early bird tickets for GEI are now available here, as well as sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities. Find out more information here.
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