Your blueprint for transformative events

I've always believed in the transformative power of events. At IMEX I'm lucky enough to be in a position to help influence that power, and to share how we strive to make that transformation happen. From making small changes for big impact, to using events to combat loneliness, to embracing a "hand up" ethos for long-term benefit, to balancing our carbon footprint.

Roger Lehner, Senior Operations & Sustainability Executive, IMEX Group

Small change = big impact

Making year-on-year improvements to the big-ticket sustainability areas such as waste reduction and single-use plastic elimination is critical, but often the most noticeable impact comes from the smallest and easiest-to-implement tweaks. 

Do events really have the power to transform?

I 100% believe that they do. And that they should. With reports showing we're in the grip of a global loneliness epidemic, could events be "the remedy for a disconnected world?" People are longing for real and meaningful interactions—and we event profs know how to deliver them. Let's go do it!

Don't just hand out—hand up!

I loved this thought from IMEX speaker, humanitarian, author (and former MMA fighter), Justin Wren, when we posed a “how to create positive impact” question to him at IMEX America last year—to consider not just quick short-term handouts but instead long-term transformational hand-ups. A really useful qualifier to keep in mind when deciding on CSR initiatives.

Take four steps for impact

Director of Clean the World and IMEX Frankfurt 2025 speaker, Tommie Eaton shares his four steps for impact. And lays down one key challenge for all those of us already on sustainability journeys, “we need to inspire those not yet in the conversation—that’s where the true potential lives”. We need everyone to be on a sustainability journey, so I’ll definitely be asking Tommie for his advice on this when I hear him speak in May—join me!