Sponsored Breakfasts/Lunches

A sponsored breakfast/lunch is a one-hour panel discussion created by sponsors and hosted during one of the main event's breakfast or lunch times. These sessions are open to all attendees and give them an opportunity to learn about the sponsor's newest sustainability initiatives, products/services, or partnerships while enjoying their breakfast or lunch.

IMPORTANT:

• Please note that sponsored lunches are different from VIP lunches. The main difference is that sponsored lunches are open to all attendees, whereas VIP lunches are invite-only. Please refer to the VIP lunch kick-off email sent by your customer success manager for more details on VIP lunches.

• Submit session items - Please send your customer success manager the following session items by March 29 at the latest.

  • • Session date - Sponsored breakfasts can be hosted on May 23 (7:50-8:50am) or May 24 (7:50-8:50am). Sponsored lunches can be hosted on May 22 (12:15-1:15pm) or May 23 (12:15-1:15pm). Please confirm which date you prefer and note they are reserved on a first come first serve basis.

    • Session title -90 characters with spaces max, title case. The word "(Sponsored)" will be added to the end of the title to mark it as a sponsored session (this is required for all sponsored breakfasts/lunches). We recommend using forward-looking phrases and avoiding words that are too niche or generic. Your title will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.

    • Session description - 750 characters with spaces max. Please make sure to check our online program to ensure your description/topic does not conflict with other sessions. We recommend including clear takeaways in the description so attendees know what they will learn. Your description will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.

    • A/V needs - Please confirm if you have any A/V needs for this breakfast/lunch. GreenBiz will cover the cost of essential A/V items such as a monitor, mics and sound system. Please note that your team will need to bring your own laptop if you plan on showing any slides, images, or videos. If you have a Mac, please bring your own Mac HDMI adapter.

• Submit speaker info - Please submit your speaker info by May 3 at the latest. Once you have submitted the above session items, your customer success manager will provide a form for speakers to submit their information. Please note your session must have at least one speaker from outside your company and panels of three or more people cannot be all-male. We also recommend including at least one BIPOC speaker.

• Book hotel rooms & register speakers - Please make sure your speakers book their hotel rooms by April 29 and register for the event by May 10 following the directions on this page. All sponsored breakfast/lunch speakers get complimentary Speaker All-Access passes.

• Read prep-materials - Please have your speakers read through the sponsored breakfast/lunch tips and logistics listed below to ensure your session runs smoothly.

• (Optional) Add live poll questions - Live poll questions can be added to your session through our conference app, Whova. This allows the audience to take polls through the app and the moderator is able to read the results live or display them on the screen. Note one of your speakers will need to add the poll questions to the app themselves (directions here).

• (Optional) Use live Q&A - Live Q&A can be administered through our conference app, Whova. This allows the audience to submit questions through the app and the speakers are able to view all questions and respond to them verbally or in the app (directions here).

• (Optional) Use slides - You can create slides from the Circularity 24 template (please download before editing). Note it is not required to use the Circularity 24 template if your team would like to present slides. Please also note GreenBiz will NOT be providing any slides for these sessions (it is the sponsor’s responsibility to create the slides and set them up with your own laptop onsite if you decide to use them - Mac users will need to bring their own HDMI adapter).

Here are six tips intended to help you develop a successful sponsored breakfast/lunch:

1. Engage your audience. The best sessions are those that are interactive and participatory. Including a hands-on exercise in your session enables your participants to meet one another, work collaboratively and helps them get to know you. At the very least, include plenty of time for Q&A and feedback during the session (at least 20 minutes is recommended).

2. Focus on tangible knowledge and real world data. The most effective sessions are those that present data, metrics and case studies to help us ground an aspirational circular economy in the reality of what’s actually happening today, uplifting actionable insights and success stories (and failures we can learn from.)

3. Set a specific outcome. Participants appreciate knowing they’ve used their time well, especially when they have other options on how to spend it. Give them a specific goal or outcome — “Today, you will learn how to make smart choices in choosing energy-efficiency projects.” That will give everyone a clear vision of what success looks like for the hour.

4. Be transparent about controversies/challenges. If your session topic is controversial or it has caused your company challenges, it’s best to address this upfront with the audience. This will help your company gain credibility and attendees will appreciate the opportunity to learn how your company is managing the issue.

5. Be clear when selling. If you’d like to focus your session on a product or service, it’s best to be clear about this in your title and description. Communicate who should come to the demonstration and how they would benefit from your offering.

6. Use slides wisely. Slides can be very helpful in presenting your ideas to your audience, but it's important to keep them visual rather than text-based. Make sure you're not distracting attendees by using text-heavy slides that they'll try to read as you speak. Visual slides are a great way to support your presentation and guide the audience.

• Timing: Sponsored breakfasts will be hosted during the event's main breakfast times - on May 23 (7:50-8:50am) or May 24 (7:50-8:50am). Sponsored lunches can be hosted on May 22 (12:15-1:15pm) or May 23 (12:15-1:15pm). Each sponsored breakfast/lunch will only occur once.

• Format: Sponsored breakfast/lunch rooms will be set in rounds for 50 people and we will have stools available at the front for speakers. We will not provide head tables or stage risers as this creates a barrier between the speakers and the audience and discourages interaction.

• Menu: Sponsored breakfasts/lunches will have a full buffet in or near the room. GreenBiz will be managing the menu.

• Signups: There is no advance sign-up — participation is first-come, first-served. All participants will have their badges scanned so we can track attendance and the attendee lists will be sent to sponsors after the event.

• Session info: Sponsored breakfast/lunch information will be available on the event website and conference app for attendees to see before and during the event and will be labeled as sponsored. We will also have onsite printed signage and a conference app notification sent the day of the breakfast/lunch to direct people to the session.

• Feedback: Our conference app contains a survey feature — please encourage your participants to provide feedback following your session. Just have them click into your session on the app and click on the survey button. You can request your session feedback from your customer success manager after the event.