Roundtable
Blueprinting Sustainability
Before the pandemic,
only a third of countries
were on track to achieve the
United Nations target to
sustainably manage forests
and halt biodiversity loss.
10m hectares of forest are
destroyed each year and
two billion hectares of land
is now degraded, affecting
some 3.2bn people. Evidence
suggests that animal
trafficking, and in particular
the movement of 370,000
pangolins used for Chinese
medicine, may have been
responsible for transferring
Covid-19 to humans. Our
contribution as an industry
to helping to meet these
goals is crucial, as many of
the raw materials we use
in exhibitions today can
directly affect our forests
and the countless species of
animals that rely on them.
Attitudes towards
sustainability are changing,
and how our planet has
responded to Covid-19 has
only fuelled this further.
This has been an important
time to stop and think about
what is important to us,
our families and the world
around us.
EN partnered with GES to
deliver a roundtable looking
at a ‘Blueprint for Event
Sustainability’ to assess
where we are as an industry,
and what we need to do more
of to help protect our planet.
Key people from some of
the world’s most prominent
exhibition companies
gathered for the debate.
Where are we now?
Jason Stead, MD (EMEA),
GES, believes the industry
is generally in a good place.
He said: “We are already a
pretty sustainable
ON THE PANEL
» Miriam Sigler, Way and Means
» Kimberley Barnes, Clarion
» Tabitha Neill, EventShaper
» Judith Wilson, Eventit
» Kerrie Kemp, Informa Markets
» Matthew Lambert, Maelstrom
» Iain Pitt - Clarion Events
» Mike Seaman, Raccoon Events
» Victoria James, Hyve Group MEA
» Piers Kelly, Reed Exhibitions
» Anna Anson, Ops Squad
» Jason Stead, GES
» Jeff Lee, GES
August — 23