PCMA
Overshooting the mark
PCMA CEO SHERRIF KARAMAT EXPLORES HOW THE EVENTS INDUSTRY CAN MAKE THE TRANSITION TO NET-ZERO EVENTS BASED ON A CIRCULAR ECONOMY GLOBALLY POSSIBLE
U sually when you overshoot the mark it ’ s a good thing , like when you exceed your goals . But Earth Overshoot Day is no cause for celebration . This year , we reached Earth Overshoot Day on 2 August , marking the date when humanity ’ s demand for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year . To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day , the Global Footprint Network combines data and forms the most reasonable assumptions to assess humanity ’ s resource situation . Earth Overshoot Day would have landed even sooner – on 13 March – if the world ’ s population lived like residents of North America .
It ’ s a sobering data point that underscores the urgency of shifting to a circular economy , whose model of production and consumption involves sharing , leasing , reusing , repairing , refurbishing , and recycling existing materials for as long as possible .
While we as an industry have gone to great efforts to reduce , reuse , and recycle materials we use at our events , more needs to be done and we have far to go on the sustainability front . PCMA is endeavouring to lead the business events industry in that journey .
To that end , we hired our first head of global sustainability , Carolina Goradesky , who has hit the ground running since starting in mid-May . Due in large part to her initiatives , PCMA has earned a
Above : Sherrif Karamat
“ Earth Overshoot Day would have landed even sooner – on 13 March – if the world ’ s population lived like residents of North America .”
certificate badge from the Events Industry Council ( EIC ) Sustainability and Social Impact Foundations Certificate Programme , which reviews an organisation ’ s existing policies and plans .
At the first stage , we are mapping out areas where we can make an impact . At the same time , we are invested in developing collaborations with organisations that will be active players in delivering our objectives . AGU ( American Geophysical Union ) is one such partnership . A worldwide thought leader on climate change impact and innovation , AGU will help us design sustainable events , convene conversations related to risk and climate change , support the business events community with education and tools , and establish goals for meaningful progress in the reduction of carbon and actual offset programmes .
Most recently , at Convening EMEA , held 20-22 September in Copenhagen – one of the world ’ s leading sustainable meetings destinations – we announced the launch of a new climate-tech event to take place in 2024 in partnership with the National Convention Bureaux of Europe . The one-day conference will be focused on exploring groundbreaking innovations and cutting-edge climate-friendly technologies to reimagine business events and create new business models . Put another way , new technologies make an indispensable contribution to sustainable meetings and turn the task ahead of the meetings industry into a twin transformation of sustainability and digitalisation . We ’ ll be exploring such questions as : Is the transition to net-zero events based on a circular economy globally possible ?
Business events are an essential tool for solving complex issues , and the climate crisis is the No . 1 challenge of our time . We have before us a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to contribute to the global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change .
n Published with permission of Convene , the magazine of PCMA , © 2023 .
ISSUE 127 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 17