In a commentary launched this September, Positive Impact, with input from five UK academics, explores how events may hold the answer to achieving the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
“This commentary coincides with 2017 being the United Nations Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a roadmap to create a world that works for everyone. Events bring people together and when people meet face to face that is the environment for collaboration, innovation and providing solutions,” commented Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact.
The commentary focuses on five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and in addition to sharing academic insight it provides case studies, offers a suggestion of the potential impact the event industry could have and what practical steps governments, businesses and individuals could take to make this potential impact a reality. The UNWTO described the commentary as “providing tangible ways forward and raising key challenges”.
One of the Sustainable Development Goals focused on is goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” The commentary suggests that at its most basic level every event from school sports day to business conference provides an opportunity to promote peaceful and inclusive societies as people come together to share knowledge, learn from others and create community.
Global technology company VMware Inc is used as a case study example of the impact events can have on societies, as each international event the company delivers for staff is organised with a focus on leaving the event destination better than when they arrive. In 2016 this contributed to VMware being listed in Fortune Magazine’s 100 best companies.
While the commentary provides some interesting insight, particularly for sustainability professionals who are looking for ways to expand their organisation’s positive social, environmental or economic impact, it serves a specific function in being the catalyst to inspiring contribution from the global event industry about the future of the event industry and how events can be used to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals.
From 1 September anyone with ideas on how events could be used to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is invited to share their opinions through the Positive Impact website until 1 November, after which time a final report will be created and shared with the UNWTO at ibtm World, an exhibition for the global meeting industry. Since 1 August event industry associations, universities and key influencers have been engaged to encourage their communities to contribute their ideas with the intention that the final report tells the story of the unique power events have to create a world that works for everyone.
Kerry Prince, portfolio director, ibtm events, Reed Travel Exhibitions has sent a questionnaire to gather input from over 500 events leaders across the RX global portfolio as part of this initiative. She commented: “We know that gathering data and sharing insights is vital to understand the future of the global event industry. We believe that events can have a positive social, economic and environmental impact and the more our governments, business’ and communities understand this, the more events will be used to make a positive difference in the world.”
