When and Where

February 14-16, 2023, Scottsdale, AZ, at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn

Audience

More than 1,600 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)

Topics

Each of our six 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; natural capital and biodiversity; resilience; business model transformation; and policy engagement.

Tracks

• Net Zero Everything: Technologies, strategies and business models to help achieve dramatic drops in carbon emissions, waste and water and halt biodiversity loss.

• Finance and ESG: Navigating disclosure and standards that align capital markets, investors and financial mechanisms to drive change.

• Leading Change: Strategies and skills that help you advance bold actions and strong governance.

• Circular Value Chains: Rethinking material and energy flows to transform resource use and confront climate change.

• Engaging Your Audience: Empowering employees and reporting on your progress to customers, communities, activists, investors and leadership.

• Supply Chain Resilience: Innovative strategies to increase the integrity and transparency of sourcing, manufacturing and labor practices.

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. We uphold a strong commitment to diversity throughout our conference program, including gender, race and ethnicity, as well as in background, areas of expertise, and perspective.

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.