Connecting the Dots on Greener Events

Each year, EnviroCentre brings people together to explore a pressing question about how our communities can thrive while reducing emissions. Our annual symposium is a space to convene diverse voices, exchange ideas, and spark collaboration around challenges that are complex, timely, and deeply human.

In 2024, the focus was accelerating electric vehicle adoption. In 2025, it was rethinking how we talk about transit. In 2026, the conversation turns to the places where people meet, celebrate, and connect: events.

From conferences to concerts, festivals to fundraisers, events are engines of culture, commerce, and community. They shape how we gather, what we value, and how we experience our cities. They also carry significant environmental impacts — and the people who plan and deliver them often do so within tight timelines, budgets, and expectations.

This symposium is not about prescribing a single path forward. It is about creating space to explore, reflect, and learn together.

A conversation worth having

Connecting the Dots on Greener Events invites participants into a thoughtful, practical conversation about how sustainability and creativity can reinforce one another.

The day will focus on what is already working, where barriers remain, and how different parts of the events ecosystem — organisers, venues, suppliers, policymakers, and partners — can better align their efforts.

The question is not
What do events have to give up?

The question is
What can events gain by reimagining how they are designed and delivered?

Who you’ll meet

More than 100 participants from across the events landscape, including:

• Event organisers and producers
• Venue operators and service providers
• Associations, policymakers, and municipal staff
• Academics, advocates, and sustainability practitioners

This is a space for people who care deeply about both the impact and the experience of gatherings, and who are interested in what becomes possible when ambition meets action.

What to expect

The symposium will feature keynote talks, facilitated panels, and structured conversations designed to encourage exchange rather than instruction.

The keynote presenters will be Crystal Dreisbach, CEO of Upstream, and Kate Johnston, Executive Director of Hillside Music Festival.

Panelists and moderators include Dr Calvin Lakhan, Director, Circular Innovation Hub, Faculty of Environment and Urban Change, Mary Sayewich, Director, Strategy & Project Management at Ottawa Tourism, Valérie Leloup, Strategic Lead on Waste and Circular Economy, EnviroCentre.

Participants can expect time for reflection, honest dialogue about trade-offs and constraints, and opportunities to connect with peers working toward shared goals.

Food, accessibility, experience

A low-carbon, vegetarian lunch will be provided, along with coffee, tea, and light refreshments throughout the day.

The National Arts Centre is an accessible venue. Participants with accessibility needs or dietary requirements are encouraged to contact the organiser in advance so accommodations can be made.