Latest / PCMA Convene Podcast / Convene Series: Jaimé Bennett on How Convene 4 Climate is Transforming Sustainability in the Business Events Industry
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- Convene Series: Jaimé Bennett on How Convene 4 Climate is Transforming Sustainability in the Business Events Industry *Note: the transcript is AI generated, excuse typos and inaccuracies [00:05] Jaimé Bennett: So we took a circular approach to both events and explored how we could repurpose or reuse what we were producing for Convening EMEA at Convene 4 Climate. [00:17] Magdalina Atanassova: This is the Convene Podcast. My name is Maggie, Digital Media Editor. Welcome to Season 5 of the Convene Podcast brought to you by Madrid Convention Bureau. Today I'm joined by Jaimé Bennett who is a seasoned executive and passionate leader dedicated to fostering collaboration, mentorship, a sustainability by design approach, and driving diversity and inclusion. As the Managing Director, EMEA at PCMA, Jaimé remains focused on advancing the business events industry by empowering professionals and organizations to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world. Jaimé, it's a great pleasure to have you on the podcast. [01:06] Jaimé Bennett: Thank you so much for having me here, Maggie. [01:09] Magdalina Atanassova: Yeah, my pleasure. In 2024 you co located the inaugural Convene 4 Climate with Convening EMEA, so I want to focus a bit on that. Can you explain the idea of Convene 4 Climate for those of our listeners that might have been missed it out on how it came to be the partners involved and the event concept for sure. [01:31] Jaimé Bennett: So Convene 4 Climate was an event that took place in Barcelona in October 2024. It did co locate with Convening EMEA. The event came about due to both PCMA and the Strategic Alliance of National Convention Bureaus of Europe having identified through their own research the need for such an event. Having this shared vision and commitment, plus the reach both organizations, it made perfect sense for us to collaborate. So we then developed and launched Convened 4 Climate in May 2024. The event's mission was really to bring together key individuals within the business events, industry and adjacent sectors to grow knowledge and create solutions around the intersection of climate, tech and the world of business events. You asked a little bit about the concept, so we really wanted to start to build a community, provide insights into why we are here, and create an environment to allow everyone to be part of the solutions that we need. We did kick off the event with the Community Mixer and Tech Demo Exploration the evening before at NTT Data. And this was really to give participants a flavor of what tech solutions were possible and to open their own minds and thinking before the main event day where everyone would be put to work. So the main event really took our participants on a journey in the morning of why we are where we are, how it impacts us and our businesses and why it matters. This took the form of four kind of 15 minute keynotes from exceptional speakers who set the perfect tone of possibility to get us all ready for the workshop based segment of the event, we also partnered with Maritz and worked closely with Ben Goedegebuure and Rachel Riggs who supported with our program development and audience curation. Having launched the initiative in May 2024, it soon became obvious that this initiative had to be much more than just an event if we were really to deliver a transformation, as it is a journey, not a destination, and we were only getting started. So we set about to develop it further into a global platform stroke movement, if you like, with one of those goals being to have representation from the entire value chain of our industry and those that shared our commitment and were also driven by responsibility. We therefore were delighted to welcome during Convene 4 Climate in Barcelona four additional foundational partners, including Destination Canada, Failte Ireland, Marina Bay Sands and Singapore, and last but not least, United Airlines. [04:08] Magdalina Atanassova: That's wonderful. And why did the industry need this event right now? [04:13] Jaimé Bennett: That's a great question. The industry needed this event because we need solutions and, and to find solutions, we need the right people around the table from both within our industry and from outside of our industry if we're to deliver something different. Hence why we had to curate the audience and the content and event design format that we actually created. We must take a proactive approach to shaping our own industry's future while it is still within our control. And this platform will allow us to do that. There is a lot of great work out there, but we do not have harmony or a roadmap of transformation which is not just technology based, it is mindset shift, it is development of new business models and collaboration with sectors we've never considered collaborating with before. If we are really to take a regenerative economy approach, which I believe is vital to our industry's existence and success. So that's why the event was needed on the platform even more. [05:15] Magdalina Atanassova: And why do you think the business events industry is uniquely positioned to address the climate crisis? [05:21] Jaimé Bennett: We are uniquely positioned because many, if not all, industries in the world convene. They deliver or attend conferences and events. They have their own staff and community gatherings. And they understand the importance of face to face meetings to advance industries, organizations, societies, people and more. I think Paul Dickinson, one of our speakers at Convene 4 Climate, put it very well. He said, events are the thinking machine of the world and you're the thinking machine off the thinking machine. Therefore, not only do we have to take ourselves seriously, but we must ensure we create platforms like Convene 4 Climate to explore what it will take to Transform our industry for a sustainable future. We can only do that by having the right people at the table and creating environments that foster this interdisciplinary collaboration to benefit all and transform how we do business. [06:18] Magdalina Atanassova: What do you imagine the business events industry could look like in the next decade as it evolves to meet the challenges of climate change? [06:27] Jaimé Bennett: If I'm completely honest, I don't personally like to make predictions about the future. But what I am hopeful about is where we are now and what we have started as. It is a journey that we've all embarked upon. If I were to highlight a few things, they would be an industry of individuals and organizations empowered to take a sustainability by design approach to their operations and events that collaborate and partner not just with destinations, but also other events and suppliers on how to gather they can deliver better while reducing their emissions. I know it's quite lofty. The second would be measurement. And I do feel that we're getting closer to having a measurement tool or the need for a measurement tool that allow us to measure the positive societal and economic impact of our events, not only nationally, but internationally. The use of data, I think especially with technology advancements and AI and what's more to come, we have an international data repository that helps us all make intelligent decisions and understand the implications of those decisions. And then I think one area that is really going to come up more is justifications of events and travel. More and more organizations are requiring business cases for their staff to attend events and monitoring travel. And I believe this is only going to increase, which is why we need to ensure we can measure the the positive impact of events more provide multiple things that have events for participants, not just good content or good business, but they need to include content, community, commerce, exceptional experiences and more. [08:10] Magdalina Atanassova: And how does Convene 4 Climate encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between the industry and non traditional sectors like climate tech? [08:19] Jaimé Bennett: I suppose building an interdisciplinary community and creating collaboration opportunities is at the center of Convene 4 Climate and we encourage that by inviting people to join, by being very clear on why we are doing what we're doing, how it can benefit those involved and create environments that make the collaboration much easier. In addition, sharing findings and tools that are developed with all will also be key as Convene 4 Climate is not owned by any one person or organization. Yes, we have many driving it, but our call is for as many people to join as possible as we continue to develop the platform and explore other touch points, communications and resources that our industry needs. [09:06] Magdalina Atanassova: So that's all very interesting, but how and why was the audience curated and how did that help determine the outcomes? [09:16] Jaimé Bennett: So the how the audience was created was we really wanted to create an audience of associations, corporates, agencies, venues and DMOs alongside adjacent sectors such as technology, aviation and business services. We did that in terms of a pre qualification. So we asked each person to determine whether or not they had a decision making role within ESG or sustainability practices, or if ESG and or sustainability initiatives were part of their role. So that's how we curated it. The reason it was so important is again, like I said a little earlier, we needed to have different people at the table and we believe the decision makers are key influencers obviously, as well as the people that have sustainable and ESG part of their role and their remit. So that was really the premise behind it. And we looked at suppliers, partners, we looked at planners across organizations, associations, corporates, agencies as well as these adjacent sectors really to create this real great mix of community in the room. Because if we were bringing new perspectives to the table at different levels with different remits, we felt that would really help us have much more impactful outcomes within the workshop base because we're looking for solutions and if we only put the same people around the table and expect different results, we might not be very productive. [10:45] Magdalina Atanassova: A word from our sponsor. [10:48] Madrid Convention Bureau Ad: Voted the world's best meeting destination for five consecutive years, Madrid offers an exceptional transport network, breathtaking spaces, world class dining and accommodations, and a vibrant lifestyle that seamlessly blends business with leisure. Make your next meeting Madrileño. Discover more with the Madrid Convention Bureau. [11:08] Magdalina Atanassova: Now back to the program and you kind of alluded to it, but can you tell our audience about the workshop based approach and how it supports creating actionable solutions and maybe if you can touch on the outcomes. [11:22] Jaimé Bennett: Yeah, so I'll take two layers to this response. So one was really our content approach to Convene 4 Climate because it was across three themes that I would imagine will remain the same. One was to reimagine and it was really to have an exploration of ideas about the future, to cultivate opportunities and challenges and better prepare us to make decisions and the ability to act now. The second was really to inspire and it was a journey to create a future where every event is a catalyst for sustainability progress and inspiration. And then the third was to create a movement so that together we could navigate uncertainty and influenced the growing business case need for investments in sustainability through a community of practice. And to achieve that, we decided to create four streams to approach the day. And that really started from the keynotes in the morning right through to our workshop streams where we would explore four areas we felt were of vital importance to our industry now. And those workshop streams were. One was technology, data and measurement. The second was skills, people and mindset. The third was business models, risk and growth. And the fourth was innovation and collaboration to drive change. If you look at those on their own and collectively, we felt that they were the streams that we really needed to hone in on more in terms of developing those tactics that could deliver transformation. We pre allocated each participant to a group to take part during the workshops. This was based on their role, their location and their organization from the data we captured and really to assist optimal collaboration and results. So we set these groups to tasks and there were over phases. So phase one was to identify the tactics we need today to guarantee a sustainable future for our industry. And phase two was then to prioritize those tactics and explore the aid of technology. This was heavy work, yet highly engaging work for all. And the outcomes were the development of 12 tactics, three per workshop stream. And these tactics have been shared with our participants and we're now exploring the prioritization of those tactics for further research, exploration or indeed it may result in some adoption. [13:46] Magdalina Atanassova: I love that. Changing gears a little bit. Why was it important to collocate Convene 4 Climate with Convening EMEA? And how does this align with event's sustainability goals? [13:57] Jaimé Bennett: Thank you for asking that question, Maggie. It was important to locate again, like always with me, there's multiple answers for a number of reasons, mainly ensuring we were taking a sustainability by design approach to both events. One was the audience, so we had a large portion of the audience already being in Barcelona, so they would not be required to add an additional trip to their calendar. And we invited key people within Barcelona to also participate. The second was really the knowledge economy. So we invited exceptional organizations and people to contribute to the event's content, including NTT Data and other organizations. We had showcased the technology that they had developed as well as one of our opening keynotes, in turn showcasing really some of the knowledge economy Barcelona as a destination has to inspire others and help organizations bringing events to the area to potentially explore doing the same. And then the third piece was really the circular approach. So we took a circular approach to both events and explored how we could repurpose or reuse what we were producing for convening EMEA at Convene 4 Climate. This also included the reduction of many elements as we transformed the main stage of Convening EMEA to host the full day, including Networking and breaks for Convene 4 Climate. And we looked at everything from lanyards to signage equipment to stage design on how we could repurpose or reduce what we were producing. [15:28] Magdalina Atanassova: And how does co locating the events reduce resources and what lessons can event professionals learn from this approach? [15:37] Jaimé Bennett: I believe if you have a delivery team on site who can produce both events or play different roles, it reduces having to bring in a new team to deliver or new people having to travel there. It also fosters that trust element we all know as event planners. Your on site event delivery team is built on trust and sometimes that takes weeks and months of planning before. But then sometimes you have contractors on site that are just there from the day, so it really helps with that. It's also great to already have done an event there. So you have one event under your belt with the on site team within the venue from production to catering and event management, so that trust is built. You also have learnings from the first event that you can apply live. May it be participant flow stage design, how things could be tweaked or changed based on your learnings. I suppose in terms of what other professionals can learn from this approach and what I and the team enjoyed the most is it forces you to think differently and explore what can be repurposed or have multiple uses. So it could be interchangeable photo walls, it could be lanyards, it could be your equipment that you're bringing in. So really it makes you think of things dually. So you're thinking of two events and not one, which sometimes can be more efficient, but also it can spark a bit more innovation and creativity within individuals and allow other team members to contribute because you're asking them to approach something in a different way. A lesson for other planners could also be what you produce at one event, how it can be used at another. And that might not necessarily just be co located, it could be something else that you can use again. And I suppose I would really urge our planner community to look at their portfolio of events and their opportunities to co locate some of them and try it. Whether it be a board meeting or a pre con meeting that you do prior or a smaller segment event. But try one before saying no because it's really only through doing things differently and taking that step that we can transform how we produce. [17:46] Magdalina Atanassova: I love that. So speaking of lessons learned, what are your plans and priorities for Convene 4 Climate 2025 and maybe if you can tell us how Convene 4 Climate also was incorporated in the CO25 program so. [18:03] Jaimé Bennett: We, in partnership with SANCBE, the alliance and our foundational partners, are currently developing a roadmap from Barcelona. I did say it was very heavy yet engaging work, but we did develop a lot of tactics and they need the time to synthesize. So we're going to be prioritizing and developing those 12 tactics and in addition, we're going to be identifying future challenges. So this week in Convening Leaders, we had a workshop with some of the audience there and we captured from them what a platform would look like for them and how it would meet their challenges. So we'll be incorporating identifying those future challenges based on that data and others and what that platform really needs to assist our community, not just today, but tomorrow. Is it research? Is it case studies? Is it additional articles? Is it micro events of webinars or workshops to continue this movement and to collect more data and insights as to what our community needs, creating that space for those adjacent spaces and sectors. Convene 4 Climate 2025 will then take place in Rotterdam this October and we will also be sharing more news on that in the coming weeks and months. But I think we have many ideas in development with our foundational partners and our other partners and the skies are really the limit. But I suppose what I would like to add here is that this is a call for all to join the community. Now register on convene4climate.org we will keep you up to date with latest news, developments and insights. Because like I said before, this is not owned by a single person or an organization. The more people we can have join and contribute, the more success we will have in finding the solutions that the industry needs. [19:51] Magdalina Atanassova: I love this as a good wrap for our conversation. Thank you so much Jaimé for being on the podcast. [19:57] Jaimé Bennett: Maggie, it was a pleasure. Thank you so much. I'm really excited about this journey and thank Convene for giving us the platform to share our journey so far. But there is lots, lots more to come. [20:08] Magdalina Atanassova: Yeah and we'll keep on covering. Thank you so much. Thanks. Remember to subscribe to the Convene Podcast on your favorite listening platform to stay updated with our latest episodes. We want to thank our sponsor, Madrid Convention Bureau. Learn more about how to make your next meeting Madrileño at esmadrid.com/mcb. For further industry insights from the convene team, head over to PCMA.org/convene. Stay inspired. Keep inspiring. And until next time.