Around 70 #eventprofs gathered at the new Birch (Selsdon) for micebook Ventures Chapter II, which focused on rewilding, restoring our world by doing better business, and getting back to nature in the 200-acre estate.
Kicking off on 5 June, the date on which World Overshoot Day 2023 – which marks the date when humanity’s resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources that year (this year’s date is 2 August) – was revealed, the event yet again challenged our community with thought-provoking content.
Following on from the success of Ventures Chapter I in Liverpool, we evolved the ideas, education and solutions available to the particular needs of the meetings and events sector by exploring why we must avoid the Sixth Extinction of our rich and varied biosphere and what can we learn from Mother Nature about how we organise, measure and value the part of our lives that still occupies most of our waking time.
The programme kicked off with a welcome lunch followed by one-to-one meetings, which were interspersed throughout the three days in between content sessions, activities and networking drinks and dinners.
Buyers from agencies including emc3, TTA, Hyphen, Shore Events, Sledge, Goho, Cheerful Twentyfirst, TTA, Goose Live, Chorus, Ulterior Events, CI Group, BCD M&E met with supplier partners including Singapore Tourism Board, Meet in Ireland, ACC Liverpool, Silverstone, The London Edition, Destination Vancouver, Level Up, Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism, ProColumbia, Just The Letter B, Visit Portugal, ASM Global and many more.
On Monday evening, a panel of experts outside the events industry took part in a BBC Question Time-style debate, which explored the statement that “Unless we give Mother Nature a seat at the business events table, carbon measurement and reduction are pointless.” (See panel highlights article here) Discussions continued over a meat-free barbecue on the terrace and informal campfire conervsations with our expert speakers.
The second day began with wake-up wellness sessions run by our fantastic partner Be in Your Element, and more meetings, followed by an afternoon of hands-on activities and getting back to nature. This included a walk through the Birch estate, which is undergoing a rewilding project, a forest bathing/yoga & meditation session in the wild, and pottery classes.
The gala evening kicked off with drinks on the terrace, dinner and entertainment by the fabulous team at Beyond Repair Entertainment. Disco unicorns accompanied guests to a secret surprise silent disco, and our guests danced the night away into the early hours.
After a final set of meetings, guests were invited to give back to the Birch with some planting and foraging activities before heading home.
This year’s programme also featured a separate track for agency leaders and MDs, who had workshop sessions with consultant, author and TEDx speaker Jon Barnes, and – thanks to our partner Speakers Corner – Jeremy Schwartz who shared his CEO expertise and sustainability innovations from working at world class brands such as L’Oréal, The Body Shop, Coca-Cola and Pandora.
Huge thanks also to our partners Open Audience, who once again provided seamless technology to match our wonderful community, our event photographer Baz Seal, videographer OneTake Shots and AV partner LUX Technical.
Leslie Robertson, CEO & founder of Open Audience, said the panel session that he facilitated was a highlight. “The conviction, emotion and engagement that the panellists showed for something that that they truly believe in was a pivotable movement for me. And the sense of realising that it’s more than just a job and how we deliver Ventures, and more about how we take home personal messages to make an impact for our generation and generations to come.”