Starting a new conversation
The last few years have been a shifting time for events and sustainability.
The word sustainability is being used less, on the one hand for good reasons (we know the actions we need to take to live a life that works for the climate and our communities so it makes more sense to name those actions, rather than use a broad term) and on the other hand for terrible reasons (I like to think of this period a ‘the last hoorah of the ruling white man’ as a way to make sense of how quickly concepts like equality and environmental responsibility have been swept aside).
Events are having a moment of attention as a attractive economic business model, ‘everyone wants face to face in the world of AI' is a well heard phase amongst event professionals right now.
At the same time budgets are low, event professionals are burnt out and prioritising the economic business model means we are ignoring the most important thing events deliver- human connection.
A shift is happening and the unknown is where the shift will take us? For the past few months I’ve found myself asking people for that answer and getting really frustrated with the same people having the same conversations in the same places and bringing no new answers. This frustration has led to 2 ‘aha’ moments:
1- Realising (really realising) that not everyone is interested in participating in the shift that is happening. Many people just want to do what their manager tells them and be paid at the end of the month. I admit I get annoyed with that, I’ve created my career where impact is as important as income and I’ve ‘built a muscle’ to challenge the norm. I forget not everyone has that context.
2- Understanding that if I can see a new narrative is needed to interrupt the same conversations, I should start it.
So starting 2027, the Positive Impact Change Maker programme launches.
It builds on a trial programme run in 2026 that has given 15 people the opportunity to gather and explore how human connection happens. It will be informed by over 100 articles about human connection, netweaving, social cohesion and relational infrastructure and it will bring in experts from outside the traditional event sector. Finally it will be focused on action taking v’s the all to common approach of ‘I will attend and listen and see what I can learn to implement when the time is right’.
This programme won’t be suitable for the majority of people I know but what is driving me is to create a programme that will have impact, rather than creating a product that will be an easy sell (that one line is the summary of my last 20 years in business!).
2027 is 20 years since I launched Positive Impact as a non profit providing education and engagement to create a sustainable event sector. The impactful successes and fantastic failures will be important reference points within the Change Maker programme and there is something perfect about 20 years after starting something to explain what the word ‘sustainability’ meant in the scope of events I now have the opportunity to create space for the next important narratives for events.
Since making the decision to launch this programme I have been enjoying exploring how to engage a global network of 20 years, how to share 20 years of learning in a way that contributes and how to create an experiment that pushes boundaries. Find out more about the programme here as the purpose of this blog isn’t to share all the details.
Right now starting a new conversation is appealing, exciting and of course a challenge. But what is a career for if its not to challenge the norm and start new conversations that improve everything for everyone (and if you nod in agreement of this point I hope to see you in the Change Maker Programme).