Climate:Red

Client:

Location:

The first ever global, virtual climate summit. For everyone, everywhere.

On behalf of the IFRC, I was the project manager of Climate:Red which took place in 2020 on a new bespoke virtual platform, attended by 10,000 people across the world over 30 hours. Highlights included keynote speeches from IFRC president, Francesco Rocca and IFRC Secretary General, Jagan Chapagain and HRH The Prince of Wales.

Key Features: 

  • A fully virtual event running for 30 consecutive hours, enabling participation across all time zones without the need for travel.

  • Over 200 crowdsourced sessions, including plenaries, interactive panels, workshops, virtual tours, innovation pitches, and live podcasts, covering a wide range of climate-related topics.

  • Sessions available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility of attendance.

  • High-Profile Speakers featuring notable figures such as His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland), and various government ministers and climate activists.

  • Innovative Engagements like virtual coffee chats for networking, co-creation sessions for collaborative project development, and an Innovation Pitch Tent where participants can present climate solutions.

My work: 

  • Project Management: Oversaw the entire event, ensuring seamless coordination among global teams and adherence to project timelines.

  • Platform Development Collaboration: Collaborated closely with Open Lab on creation of a bespoke virtual events platform, pioneering virtual event experiences during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Speaker and Session Coordination: Managed communications with speakers and session leads, provided training, and developed comprehensive guidance materials.

  • Multilingual Content Management: Coordinated the translation of the platform and all session information into four languages, enhancing global accessibility.

  • Content Compilation: Aggregated and organized extensive crowdsourced content to build a comprehensive and engaging program.

  • Technical Operations Oversight: Managed various virtual meeting tools, coordinated technical run-throughs for high-level plenaries, and ensured smooth technical operations during the event.

  • Team Collaboration: Bridged communication between tech developers and program curators, fostering effective collaboration across all teams involved.

International Federation of Red Cross and red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Solferino Academy

Virtual, global

Impact:

Climate:Red was the first ever global virtual climate summit. It successfully united over 10,000 registrants from 195 countries in a ground-breaking virtual forum during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, exemplifying the potential of digital platforms to foster global collaboration on pressing issues. 

By facilitating 200+ sessions in four languages over a continuous 30-hour period, the summit transcended geographical and linguistic barriers, enabling inclusive and diverse participation. This innovative approach not only minimized the event's carbon footprint but also set a precedent for future large-scale, sustainable conferences. 

The collaborative efforts and shared insights during the summit have significantly advanced the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Strategy 2030, reinforcing a collective commitment to addressing the climate crisis through unified, global action.

Amy led the coordination of our first global virtual summit and it's no exagerration to say we could not have done it without her. Amy is highly organised and structured, and was able to meet any challenges. Her deep experience at event management was essential, she has extremely strong attention to detail and kept the whole team on track. She was highly respected by everyone involved, and if I find myself doing anything this challenging again, I'll be calling Amy first.

- Shaun Hazeldene, Head of Innovation, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent

Amy has been outstanding as an event manager for an incredibly complex and large-scale virtual event we recently organised. She is organised and diligent, keeping everyone on track, timelines tight, and role and responsibilities clear. She also has a really positive and warm approach, ensuring regular communication between all people involved in planning. I would highly recommend Amy to anyone planning an in person or virtual event, workshop, conference or summit.

- Tessa Kelly, Head of Innovation, Climate Change Coordinator, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent