Independent Organizers Insights Hour: 18 February 2027

Includes a Live Web Event on 02/18/2027 at 1:00 PM (CST)

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- Freeman Member - Free!
- Member - Free!
- Non-member - $49
- IAEE Member Organizer - Free!
- Non-member Organizer - $49
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Join us for the Independent Organizer Insights Hour in which participants will be the subject matter experts! This session will be focused on sustainability event design and best practices independent event organizers are utilizing.

Beyond the Association: Sustainability Best Practices from the Event Organizers Doing the Work

Sustainability looks different when you’re planning events for a corporation, an agency, a university, a government office, or your own independent business. You may not have an association’s member mandate, shared sustainability standards, or a dedicated green committee behind you, but you still face rising client and attendee expectations, tighter budgets, and pressure to show measurable impact. This session is specifically designed for independent event organizers that are not with an association.

This session is built around the expertise already in the room. Rather than a lecture, it’s a facilitated peer exchange where you, the event professionals in attendance, are the subject matter experts. Together we’ll dig into what’s actually working across venue and destination selection, food and beverage waste, transportation and travel, materials and signage, supplier and contract language, and measuring and reporting results. We’ll also tackle the harder conversations: how to make the business case to clients or leadership, how to sustain momentum without a formal program, and how to avoid greenwashing.

Come ready to share a success, a lesson learned, or a challenge you’re still working through. You’ll leave with practical ideas you can apply to your next event and a stronger network of peers committed to more responsible events.

Participants will be able to:

Identify practical sustainability strategies suited to corporate, agency, independent, and institutional event settings
Apply peer-tested approaches to reduce waste, emissions, and resource use across the event lifecycle
Build a stronger case for sustainability with clients, stakeholders, or leadership
Connect with fellow organizers to continue exchanging ideas after the session

Registration is capped at 60 participants so make sure to sign up early to reserve your spot! This session is eligible for 1 clock hour towards their CEM recertification.

Jody M. Shaw, CMP, CEM, PMP, MS, Prosci

Director of Learning Experiences

IAEE

Jody M. Shaw, CMP, CEM, PMP, MS, Prosci, is the Director of Learning Experiences for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). She joined IAEE in June 2025 and she is responsible for educational logistics for webinars and annual conferences. She oversees the IAEE Learning Management System (LMS) and assists with the IAEE Education Committee, Expo! Expo! and the IAEE Leadership Institute, and leads the IAEE's Independent Organizer and IAEE's Emerging Leaders programming. Throughout Jody's career education, events, innovation, and creating a positive impact for non-profits have always been her focus. Jody's experience in events for the last two decades has ranged from overseeing innovative and nimble small events with 60 attendees to large in-person events with up to 25k attendees. Her project management experience has included re-designing Learning Management Systems, creating automated workflows, and large-scale multi-year and multi-Million-Dollar capital improvement projects.

This session is eligible for 1 clock hours towards CEM Recertification.