Speaker Nomination

About GreenBiz 24

GreenBiz 24 is the premier gathering of sustainable business leaders seeking hands-on, tangible solutions. Join this growing community to recharge and learn what’s next in decarbonization, biodiversity, supply chains, strategic communications and much more — so you can continue to accelerate your impact and your career. 

When and Where

February 12-14, 2023, Scottsdale, AZ, at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

Audience

More than 2,500 participants, primarily executives from large companies along with nonprofit leaders, policy makers, academics and entrepreneurs. The GreenBiz audience is sophisticated and experienced, so we set a high bar for speaker proposals.  

What we value 

We are interested in topics that are relevant to environmental and social sustainability within the context of business, with a focus on large, mainstream companies. We like to be surprised by fresh, outside-the-box ideas that may not map exactly to our conference tracks.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commitments

GreenBiz is committed to ensuring our sessions reflect the world we live in. Our goals are to:

• Include the perspective of a BIPOC speaker in every session with three or more people (including the moderator)
• Increase the total number of BIPOC speakers across the entire program
•  Include gender diversity in every session with two or more people (including the moderator)

Tracks:

Each of our tracks will focus on “looking around corners” – what insights will help sustainability professionals tune in to the risks and opportunities that lie ahead? Each track will include breakouts on social impact and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; resilience; business model transformation; and policy engagement.

• Getting Decarb Done: Technologies, strategies and business models to help achieve dramatic drops in carbon emissions.
• Mastering Scope 3: Measuring and reducing your organization’s Scope 3 emissions from supply chain to end-use.  
• Regenerating Nature: Advancing strategies to halt biodiversity loss, advance ocean and freshwater stewardship and support natural systems.
• Transforming Value Chains: Rethinking how we source, manufacture, sell and distribute products and manage materials to align with circular principles and uphold human rights.
• Leading Change: Strategies and skills that help you advance bold actions, strong governance and your career.
• Finance & ESG: Aligning capital markets, investors, standards and metrics to drive a just transition to a decarbonized global economy. 
• Engaging Your Audience: Reporting data and sharing your company’s story with employees, customers, regulators, communities, activists, investors and leadership. 

Session Formats: 

• Keynote Talk: 10 minutes. An inspiring and thought-provoking solo presentation from the main stage given by a senior executive or innovator sharing a breakthrough, achievement or insight. We look for cutting-edge ideas and engaging presenters (especially new voices and companies not already well-known). We are not interested in presentations intended primarily to promote a company, product or service.
• Keynote Conversation: 15-20 minutes. A mainstage conversation facilitated by a skilled moderator. This can be a one-on-one interview with a high-profile thought leader or C-level executive; or a lively discussion among two or three experts offering diverse viewpoints around a particular topic. No slides or presentations — a “talk show” format.
• Breakout: 1 hour. 
  • Workshops offer a hands-on approach to learning and skills-building. 
  • Panels offer a moderated, in-depth discussion among no more than four individuals offering diverse, expert viewpoints. In both cases, breakouts are outcome-based and intended to engage attendees as participants, not just as passive listeners.

• Tutorial: 3 hours. A highly interactive session designed to train participants in a valuable skill or framework that will directly benefit their work. Tutorials must include an interactive component and facilitate peer-to-peer interaction for at least part of the session. Tutorial participation is limited to attendees with All-Access passes.

Who we want to speak:

Our speakers are sustainability leaders in their fields, whether senior executives from large companies or visionary rising stars. Also of interest are C-suite executives in risk management, marketing, operations, supply chain, procurement, finance, human resources, and investor relations.  

What we value: 

• How and why: The “what” is interesting, but the “how” and the “why” of sustainable business most valuable to the GreenBiz audience.
• Creativity: Sessions that emphasize fresh ideas, new perspectives and novel approaches to challenges help catalyze new ways of thinking and doing.
• Interactivity and peer-to-peer learning: Breakouts that facilitate interaction over passive listening better promote dialogue, empower active learning and enable participants to spark new connections with fellow attendees. 
• Proof points and tangible takeaways: Data, metrics and case studies help the audience ground an aspirational story or goal in reality, and help attendees apply similar work in their own companies.
• Fresh and timely content: What trends, research and tools do sustainability professionals need to do their jobs and advance their careers – and what fresh thinking is around the next corner? We are not interested in repackaged presentations given at other conferences.
• Diversity and inclusivity: We are committed to fostering dialogue among, and elevating the leadership of, speakers with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. This includes maintaining gender parity among speakers and ensuring racial diversity in all programming. We’re specifically looking to prioritize speakers who are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in the program, and appreciate your partnership in ensuring that the conference — and the industry — reflects the world in which we live. We also strive to offer content that holds an inclusive worldview, and create a culture of inclusion.