Foremost Forums Upcoming in November

• Net Impact is a superb organization of more than 10,000 business school students and young business professionals worldwide that annually hosts a North America Conference on the campus of a different member school. This year’s program takes place on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, New York, on November 13 – 14. Speakers scheduled include Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, GE; Seth Goldman, President & TeaEO, Honest Tea; and Patty Calkins, Global Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety, Xerox Corporation. Conference attendees gather “to discuss a vast array of innovative ideas that will create social and environmental value for our future.”

• The Economist Conference Group’s Carbon Economy Summit is launched specifically in anticipation of the UN’s Climate Change conference in Copenhagen in December, taking place November 17 – 18, at the Reagan Trade Center in Washington, DC. The agenda’s premise is that “many things have changed – the signs of climate change are increasing; there has been a radical awakening of public consciousness; Europe has established a carbon price; carbon trading has become a big business; and by the time of the summit there will be clear indication of the Obama administration’s commitment to constraining emissions and being part of a global solution.” Program discussions will focus on the overarching challenge for the world’s businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations to effectively manage an economic environment in which the control of carbon emissions is a central feature.

• The Business Week Asia CEO Forum—taking place November 19 – 20, at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Beijing—is self-described as “the leading platform for business leaders to explore critical challenges and emerging opportunities for companies in Asia and other growth markets globally.” Forum convenes CEOs of Asian companies and global companies doing business in Asia to discuss best practices in addressing the issues impacting businesses in Asia, with special emphasis on China, India, and Southeast Asia.

• Ethical Corporation’s Corporate Responsibility Reporting and Communications Summit will be held November 25 – 26, at the Marriott Hotel Regents Park in London. The program attracts senior executives with UK companies who are involved in CSR and sustainability reporting and/or communication programs and provide them with the tools to “create a readable, transparent and precise CR report.” A similar-focused event is held annually in Europe and attracts executives from companies on the continent.
 
• Everybody knows about the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos in late January. What they may not know is that a large part of the Davos agenda will be developed at the WEF’s Summit on the Global Agenda taking place November 20 – 22 in Dubai. Produced in partnership with the Government of Dubai, the forum’s deliberations are designed to identify prospective topics and speakers for the Annual Meeting. Attendees represent the WEF’s Global Agenda Councils, comprised of companies and individuals who meet in smaller groups throughout the year to discuss “the foremost topics in the global arena.”