Fresh thinking at the Green Events & Innovations conference 15

Students and staff from Falmouth's events and tourism management courses recently contributed to conversations about the future of events at the Green Events & Innovations 15 (GEI15) conference. 

Students representing Falmouth’s Sustainable Festival Management BA, Sustainable Tourism Management BA and Creative Events Management MA courses were at the forefront of new thinking in the events and sustainability space recently, as they joined thought leaders, industry professionals and event managers for 2023’s GEI15 conference.  

Celebrating its 15th year, GEI is the leading conference for sustainability at live events. The event is a partnership between not-for-profit sustainability specialists A Greener Future and the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which is the world’s leading platform for the touring and festival sectors.  

Sessions cover transport, energy, food, equality, inclusivity and climate justice, design & materials usage for circularity, and much more.  

It was a room of people who wanted to change the world either by moving forward with new technologies or going back to more natural processes. It is definitely an experience I would recommend getting involved in.

Adrian Bossey, Falmouth University’s Head of Business & Experience Design (Cornwall Business School) participated in the event’s AEME sustainability panel on 'Moving forward sustainability theory, research and practice'.  

Speaking after the conference, Adrian said: “Falmouth was really well represented, there were plenty of graduates from our A Greener Festival short course attending, as well as Creative Events Management MA students and current undergraduates from Sustainable Festival Management and Sustainable Tourism Management.

"It was great to catch up with lots of other sustainable friends and to see some fantastically insightful presentations. I'm looking forward to GEI16 already!”

Sustainable Festival Management BA student Nick De Prazer was one of the Falmouth students who attended the conference. Speaking of the experience, he said: "It was a great experience with a range of speakers talking about all sorts of sustainable issues.

"There were wonderful innovations and fascinating insights. Excellent chances of networking with industry experts. I would highly recommend this event to anybody interested in sustainable events." 

Kat Ainley, a Sustainable Tourism Management BA student, added: "Being able to connect to other students and industry professionals, while hearing great talks and being fed amazing food, was amazing.

"It was a room of people who wanted to change the world either by moving forward with new technologies or going back to more natural processes. It is definitely an experience I would recommend getting involved in."

Teresa Moore is Director of A Greener Future. Speaking of Falmouth’s presence, she said: "It was great to meet so many of Falmouth’s undergraduate and post graduate students attending GEI15 this year and I was delighted to hear how much they enjoyed our conference - and the vegan lunch!”

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