Speaker Proposals Wanted for 3BL Forum: Brands Taking Stands

Presenter proposals are now being accepted for 3BL Forum, the annual gathering of purpose-driven business leaders who are eager to accelerate sustainable business through continued collaboration and learning.

The theme for this year’s Forum is “Brands Taking Stands – What’s Next,” with a focus on the business drivers behind innovative and impactful corporate responsibility programs that as have seen, increasingly include social activism.

The event will be held at MGM National Harbor, just outside Washington, D.C., on October 29 and 30.

“Corporate citizenship today is measured by progress across a broad environmental, social and governance [ESG] agenda,” said Dave Armon, CMO of 3BL Media and publisher of CR Magazine. “By convening hundreds of business leaders for this important conversation, we can hasten the pace of change.”

Through its ongoing focus on Brands Taking Stands, 3BL Forum has become a central event both for “humble companies” intent on quietly doing important ESG work as well as brands eager to connect to social issues, added Armon, who reminds us that previous events in 2017 and 2018 witnessed the release of new research on corporate activism.

Is your organization pushing the envelope when it comes to taking a stand on political and social issues? What’s hard? What’s risky? What works?

We’re asking prospective speakers, presenters, panelists and other thought leaders to access 3BL Forum’s presenter prospectus here and submit it via email to forum@3blmedia.com. The submission deadline for all presenter proposals is Monday, April 1.

The key themes for this year’s forum will include:

• Brands Taking Stands...the evolution continues


• Employee activism


• Artificial intelligence, blockchain and tech drivers for sustainable development


• Not legacy VERSUS sustainable companies, but legacy companies AND sustainable businesses


• Investor perspectives on ESG and sustainability


• Imperative of a diverse and inclusive workforce and corporate culture


• Filling the pipeline of talent for the future


• Sustainability communications beyond ratings and rankings


• Expectations of an activist, action-driven generation


• Amplifying voices, not standing on the sidelines

3BL Forum will feature two days of dynamic and engaging speakers, panelists, conversations and interviews. In addition, many presenters will use the conference to announce new corporate initiatives or release significant research findings on corporate responsibility, talent acquisition and progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Conference attendees bring an array of corporate responsibility experience and expertise as they seek to learn and engage. To maximize the audience experience, the conference agenda promises to be fast paced and designed to cover a wide range of topics and issues.

One key highlight of 3BL Forum is the Awards and Recognition Dinner, where recipients of the CR Magazine Responsible CEO of the Year Awards will be announced – be sure to take a look at last October’s edition, which showcased the nominees. Nominations for this prestigious award may be submitted here.

3BL Forum’s organizers welcome submissions by CEOs, corporate responsibility practitioners and senior leaders on topics aligned with the Brands Taking Stands movement. In the event your proposal is accepted as part of the program, 3BL Forum’s executive producer will work with prospective presenters to identify where the topic fits into the agenda and how to best showcase content at the conference, whether that will be a main stage panel discussion, a one-on-one interview, an “issue table,” break-out session or another format.

A complete list of companies that participated in last year’s 3BL Forum is here. And just so you know, in less than 48 hours, the October 2018 event generated over 2 million social media impressions using the hashtag #BrandsTakingStands.

We look forward to seeing you at National Harbor, Maryland in October!