Event Management services: Management of Canada’s Pavilion Event Program for COP28

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) takes place annually. It functions as both the UNFCCC’s supreme decision-making body as well as a broader UN climate change conference. COPs bring together up to 50,000+ participants from around the world through several streams of engagement and discussion:

• Technical negotiations: country delegates advancing technical work in the various areas of the UNFCCC’s mandate, including advancing the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
• High Ministerial dialogues and events: political leaders strategically engaging to advance global efforts on climate change.
• Official side events and exhibits: parallel thematic discussions, events and pavilions showcasing climate action and technologies, including by representatives of business, civil society, sub-national governments, Indigenous peoples, and others.

COP28 will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, from November 30 – December 12, 2023. While the UAE has yet to formally outline details concerning the event, national pavilions will again be a prominent feature of COP28. Pavilions are physical high-visibility spaces within the COP that can help advance a country’s priorities by providing a hub for networking and engaging with stakeholders, a space for hosting events with partners and a ready-made venue for showcasing and promoting Canada on the world stage.

Canada intends to divide its pavilion space to serve two key functions:

1. A space for gathering and networking, where officials, partners, stakeholders and delegates from around the world can gather to interact and learn more about Canadian climate initiatives.
2. A space to host events where the Government of Canada, subnational governments, Indigenous peoples and Canada’s domestic and international stakeholders can host short events dedicated to profiling specific climate change initiatives and themes to an in-person audience of up to 20 people.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is seeking the services of an Event Management Team (EMT) to assist with the gathering of event proposals, the creation of the event program, and assist with the logistical coordination (e.g., room set-up) and execution of the events on site (e.g., changes to schedule), which will take place at Canada’s national pavilion at COP28. ECCC is seeking to achieve a dynamic and memorable Canada program that reflects the breadth of Canada’s climate leadership and ensures that Canada distinguishes itself as climate leader in a highly competitive international environment at the Pavilion.
The program will run for 10 days from December 1 to December 11, 2023 (excluding Thursday, December 7). The program is estimated to include up to six events per day ranging from 1 to 1.5 hours in length on average, with 30 minutes between each event for set-up and take down.