Your dose of positive-impact-ivity 

Having just returned from AIPC 2024 at Costa Rica’s remarkable San Jose convention center, where innovation for the common good is second nature, I’m delighted to bring you a dose of positive-impact-ivity. And positive proof that what we, as event professionals, do makes a difference.

Natasha Richards, Director of Impact and Industry Relations, IMEX Group

Acts with real impact 

Since we launched our Impact Talking Point at the beginning of the year, we’ve been monitoring the positive progress being made in our industry and beyond. And I’m sharing a snapshot here, from a Costa Rican MICE forest (which is not a forest full of Costa Rican mice, the musophobic amongst us will be relieved to know; I have visited to check), to a new trade deal to remove tariffs on environmental products. 

Four impact insights from IMEX Frankfurt 2024 

Harnessing the power of events for good is my reason-for-being at IMEX, so I was more than pleased to see that event professionals increasingly recognizing their role as catalysts for positive change was one of the key insights picked up (with help from Snapsight and Spark AI) during our education program at IMEX Frankfurt 2024.  

The grand slam of sustainability?

When an event/venue with huge global reach takes sustainability seriously, it’s not just about what they actually do, but about the groundswell they create. Like many of us (me included), our PR Manager and Wimbledon local, Emma Blake lives and breathes tennis for two weeks every July. In this ace article, she serves up the AELTC’s sustainability strategy. 

Image source: AELTC/Florian Eisele

A masterclass in creating impact through experience design 

You can feel the energy and enthusiasm of Tahira Endean’s report from WXO New York bouncing off the page, as our Head of Programming said yes to everything, sought out serendipity and sank into “somatic wellness”. This is how I’d like to feel after every event I attend, wouldn’t you? WXO clearly equals WOW! 

Our industry—driving positive change 

Held in April ahead of June’s European Parliament elections, the EU Dialogue saw 200 event professionals and policymakers from 15 countries come together to set out priorities for the new EU leadership. Organized by visit.brussels together with JMIC, CityDNA and EEIA, the event and the resulting manifesto demonstrate our industry’s power to drive economic growth, foster innovation and promote sustainability across Europe. What we do matters, perhaps now more than ever. 

Image source: Unsplash/Guillaume Perigois

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