Taking place on Tuesday 27th February at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, GEI is organised by green-event pioneers A Greener Future (AGF) alongside the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).
GEI16 will feature a packed programme of inspirational leaders and innovators in the global live music and events sector including the highly anticipated EarthPercent Hour, which will include a Keynote Conversation with Brian Eno, hosted by EarthPercent’s executive director, Cathy Runciman. Jarvis Cocker will take to the stage during this grand finale to present his “Biophobia”.
Dale Vince (Ecotricity / Forest Green Rovers FC) hosts two sessions including ‘Low Emission Festivals & Events’, and ‘Avengers Assemble: Using Profile for Change’ with Sam Lee, Music Declares Emergency’s Fay Milton, and Louis VI following his keynote speech ‘Nature Ain’t A Luxury’.
The agenda tackles the structures on which the live sector depends including artist contract clauses hosted by Head of Sustainability for EMEA at Live Nation Patricia Yagüe (Live Nation) welcoming LIVE Green Chair Carol Scott (TAIT), Tom Schroeder (Wasserman Music) and Ross Patel (Whole Entertainment /Music Managers Forum) in ‘Contracts for Climate’. Sponsorship and Greenwashing are tackled by Luke Howell (Hope Solutions) sustainability advisor to Coldplay and Glastonbury Festival, Ella McWilliam (Full Fat), and Ed Collins (InfluenceMap) in ‘Presenting Ecosystem Collapse – Sponsored by Oil and Gas’
Continuing the theme of structures to tackle the climate crisis, The O2 will host the world’s first carbon-removed gig, featuring The 1975 in partnership with AGF and carbon-removal experts CUR8. The results of this event will be discussed in ‘The World’s First Carbon-Removed Gig’, hosted by John Langford (AEG) with Mark Stevenson (CUR8), Sam Booth (AEG Europe), and AGF’s Claire O’Neill.
The event also explores the current situation and adaptation in ‘Extreme Weather Events: Adapting to the New Climate’ highlighting the ever-increasing issue of extreme weather events brought about by climate change. Professor Richard Betts from the Met Office and University of Exeter will be joined by representatives of some of the events that were hit by extreme weather during the festival season of 2023, Yungblud and Massive Attack Tour Manager Jamal Chalabi (AGF/Backlash Productions), Alexandra von Samson (Safety & Security Consultant) and Cara Webster-Whiteside (Previse Events) to discuss the latest data on climate change, implications for insurance, and the future outlook for both our industry and the planet.
Continuing to look at global affairs impacting the live sector Ellie Kinney (The Conflict and Environment Observatory) will challenge the idea of the environment as a ‘silent victim of armed conflict in ‘The Military Emissions Gap’
It’s not possible to consider green events without considering the stage. ‘Greening The Stage’, hosted by John Robb (Louder Than War) and joined by Carol Scott (TAIT), Pauline Bourdon (Team Love/Soliphilia), Zarya Vrabcheva (STUFISH Entertainment Architects).
The complete line up for the ‘Quick-Fire Innovation Round’, hosted by Abena Fairweather (Legacy Marketplace), includes ChefChain blockchain for food traceability, ReClaim Audio recycled speakers, FibreStrap biodegradable cable ties, Take The Jump innovative communication strategy to cut through behaviour change messages, and Fluctuations the transnational boat festival wandering European rivers, to mobilise on social, environmental, and citizenship topics.
AEME (Association of Event Management Educators) will return to GEI bringing together a panel of academics including Adrian Bossey (Falmouth University), Jane Lovell (Canterbury Christ Church University), Andrew Lansley (University of Gloucestershire), Dimitri Lera (Edge Hotel School – University of Essex) to discuss the demand for sustainability skills across the industry in ‘Supporting sustainable employability skills for current and future generations of festival and events managers’
‘Influencing Audiences Beyond the Festival’, explores the influence of green festivals towards audiences beyond the event, and is based on AGF research undertaken with award-winning UK festival Green Gathering. AGF’s Dr Teresa Moore and Green Gathering’s Em Weirdigan.
A series of unmissable presentations will be held including ‘Sisyphean Or Herculean? The Task Ahead For Decarbonising Transport’ from Glenn Lyons (Mott McDonald/University of West England), ‘Chasing Waste Management Gremlins’ from Clive Philips (Greenbox Events Ltd) and ‘Carbon Impact Of Festivals: AGF Annual Report’ from Alex Fintoni (A Greener Future).
