Leadership Forums in bloom in March

While we all know that March was not a good month for Julius Caesar, we suspect that it will be a terrific month for the stellar forums occurring over the next 31 days.

Foremost forums upcoming

• CERA Week (Cambridge Energy Research Associates) (March 5 – 9; Houston). Event is self-described as a “gathering of senior energy executives offering new ideas, insight, and discussions on the major strategic issues facing the global energy industry.” Program focuses on issues impacting businesses engaged in global oil, natural gas, and electric power, addressing such topics as corporate responsibilities; changing investment dynamics; and coping with high and volatile prices.

• GreenBiz Verge DC Conference (March 14 – 16; Arlington, VA). Event aims to “bring together corporate leaders to discuss how the convergence of four technologies – energy, information, buildings, and transportation – has the potential to transform how we live, work, travel, shop, and play.” Through keynote interviews, breakout sessions, and “One Great Idea” 12-minute presentations, program addresses such topics as how the smart grid interacts with the enterprise; creating smarter buildings; energy demands and the cloud; and transportation-as-a-service.

• MIT Energy Conference (March 16 – 17; Boston). Conference aims to attract “current and future leaders in energy technology, policy and business” to focus on identifying “the limits and opportunities of various technologies and systems to make a significant impact on the global energy landscape.” Program addresses such topics as energy in emerging markets; strategic materials for energy; and renewable fuels. The theme for 2012: “Insight and Innovation in Uncertain Times.”

• Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics Conference (March 21 – 23; Santa Barbara). With a subtitle of “Creating Environmental Capital,” conference offers what has been called “a CEO-level view of the rapidly developing relationship between the environment and the bottom line.” Invitation-only event examines the business opportunities and risks that lie within the regulations and new sustainability technologies resulting from global conservation. Program covers topics such as green technology; the future of fossil fuels; and carbon trading. The 2012 theme is “The Future of Business and the Environment.” Read more.

• Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship International Corporate Citizenship Conference (March 25 – 27; Phoenix). Event is described as “the place where corporate professionals, academics and corporate citizenship leaders create dynamic, streaming conversation by sharing stories about their successes and missteps.” Event examines challenges, strategies and best practices for managing corporate citizenship in companies worldwide. General topic areas of focus include: how can corporate citizenship accelerate the growth of new opportunities; and how can the value of corporate citizenship be measured and communicated. The 2012 theme: “Corporate Citizenship: Managing Many Environments.”

• Economist Ideas Economy Series: Innovation (March 28; Berkeley). Event aims to “expand and possibly overturn established thinking about what innovation is, where it comes from, and how to make it work.” Program addresses such topics as better ways to nourish entrepreneurial activity inside large and small organizations; how to understand the risks associated with innovation; and what systems and structures needed to fuel innovation. 2012 theme: “Stimulating Economic Growth.”

• Babson Energy and Environmental Conference (March 30; Wellesley, MA). Conference is a student-run program with a goal to provide attendees with information to implement sustainability in practical, actionable ways that drive profits and strengthen competitive advantage. Topic areas include clean tech innovations; securing funding for new ventures; and energy policy trends. The 2012 theme is “Energy, Environment, and Entrepreneurship: Challenging Assumptions, Changing Perceptions.”

• Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference (April 1 – 3; Boao, China). Event supports the organization’s mission of being “the most prestigious and premier forum for leaders in government, business, and academia in Asia and other continents to share visions on the most pressing issues in this dynamic region and the world at large.” Recent topics have included: real estate dialogue: economists versus developers; green energy: public-private partnership; financial reform and innovation: risks and opportunities; and the future of the Internet.

Noteworthy conferences beginning agenda planning this month

• European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) has issued a call for contributions for its Annual Colloquium taking place July 3 – 4, 2012 in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a proposal submission deadline of March 30, 2012. The program’s aim is to “broaden and deepen understanding of the role of business in society, corporate responsibility in practice and theory, and its contribution to sustainable development and social cohesion.” Program examines these issues and challenges from global, company, and personal levels, with past topics having included corporate sustainability; the global governance paradigm; strategic management; and the stakeholder’s point of view. Read more.

• Global Initiatives will begin agenda development for its Climate Summit, scheduled for September 17 – 18, 2012 in London. Summit aims to “gather thought leaders from industry, government and NGOs to share innovations and strategies for achieving zero-based targets and transformative climate solutions. Discussions will explore new technologies and business models that leading companies have established, as well as the necessary support and infrastructure needed to accelerate solutions towards the vision of a zero footprint future. Program addresses such topics as renewable energy; consumer goods; and finance and investment.

• Forbes will begin solidifying the agenda for its Global CEO Conference being held October 21 – 23, 2012 in Dubai. Conference aims to provide an audience primarily of CEOs of enterprise-scale multinational companies with the opportunity to discuss current topics centering on the state of the global economy and world issues that most impact business practices. Program addresses such topics as mapping global growth; the road to riches; and backing the right horse. 2012 theme: “The Race Ahead.”