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How can business events help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
Goal 17: partnerships for the goals
The SDG are a universal call to action, and everyone has a role to play in achieving them. The need for collaboration and global action is captured in Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
Goal 17 calls on people from all countries and professions to recognise the urgency with which our world, climate, and life need to be protected for future generations.
Help achieve these goals
Business events are the perfect forum to bring people together to help meet the SDG. Business events bring global communities together to discuss significant global topics like poverty, human health, or climate change.
In the Business events industry, we need to understand how individual business events can help achieve the UN SDG. Business events professionals, venues and convention bureaux are all part of this journey.
We need to recognise that business events can be a force for good and create positive and social change.
World Down Syndrome Congress 2018 at SEC, Glasgow
© Downs Syndrome Scotland
Impact outside of the conference hall
Event planners, working with local support (i.e., convention bureaux, national bodies) need to understand how their conference programme relates to the SDGs. Also, how can they have a real-world impact outside of the conference hall?
There are many ways this can be achieved depending on the conference, the country, and the subject. Some organisers will prioritise conference proceedings, rather than external issues, and that's ok, it’s for each conference to decide on their objectives. But for those conferences who are keen to engage and help use their knowledge and power, we are ready to help them maximise their impact.
A network of partners
In Scotland, we have engaged a network of national partners and are working closely with the Scottish Government. We aim to help connect conferences with policy makers, industry leaders and our innovation centres.
- We want to help make the connection between business events and the SDG clearer.
- We want to help business events realise their potential to contribute positively towards the SDG.
- We want to help business events become outcome focused and help develop events that create change in the world, delivering value, education and community to delegates and members.
