Wednesday, August 14, 2019

10 ways not to attend the Asia Sustainability Reporting Summit

The first week of September is going to be #reportingmania week in Singapore, as the third annual Asia Sustainability Reporting Summit (ASRS) on 4th and 5th of the month promises to be the biggest and bestest yet. With 70 speakers from almost as many countries, it's going to be a packed two days of learning, inspiration and exchange. So here are 10 coping mechanisms just in case you cannot make it this year. 

1. Spend 30 minutes a day meditating, using the collage below of ASRS 2019 speakers as your inspiration - it won't help you predict what they might say, but it will make you realize what you are missing. If you start now, there will be just enough time to register before the start of the Summit.


2. Sign up for my pre-conference workshop. You will be compelled to continue the conversation for a further two days at the Summit. 


3. Order a three day supply of ice cream in a range of flavors. Only ice cream 🍦🍦🍦can take away the pain of not attending the most fun Summit on Sustainability Reporting in Asia. 

4. Sign up for the live-stream conference feed. Ooops. No live stream. You will just have to book your ticket. 

5. Gather your thoughts about whether sustainability reporting should be mandatory or self-regulated. This will be an illuminating debate in a panel session with 5 leading figures in the Sustainability Reporting world. While the session is taking place, you will be able to imagine yourself following the insights of these experienced practitioners and agreeing or questioning their thoughts.   


6. Plan a vacation in Singapore to coincide with the two days of the conference. Once you get to Singapore, you will be magnetically drawn to the Novotel Clarke Quay Hotel to register for the conference. Who needs vacations anyway? 

7. Take a look at the Summit Agenda and try to imagine yourself sitting at home or in the office while all this is taking place. Do you really think you can do it? Be kind to yourself and resolve this inner struggle by signing up without delay. 

8. Reconnect with #womenpower. 57% of the speakers at ASRS 2019 are women. This summit is a celebration of women's leadership in sustainability. If you are  a woman, man or individual of any gender, you will know that women's leadership is always INCLUSIVE. And that means inclusive of YOU. So sign up for the Summit and be included.  


9. Focus on the future. Think about your next sustainability report and how you will refresh your reporting, ensuring you are abreast of innovation, frameworks and new regulation in the region and globally. Think about how you might get a concentrated boost of energy, motivation and inspiration to fuel your next reporting cycle. Don't let your mind wander to the fascinating debates and insights that will take place at ASRS. Don't dwell on the time you will waste by not attending ASRS where you have everything under one roof over 48 hours. Got a plan? Think you can cope without attending the Summit? Feeling confident?  Great, but if not, you might want to send in your ASRS registration. Jus' sayin. 

10. Finally, if all the above doesn't work, you will probably need the Deep Detox solution. Book in at the Sustainability Reporting Detox Clinic for a two day intensive full body and mind detox, where the words sustainability and reporting are banned and people talk only about sunshine, beaches, Netflix, gourmet meals, ice cream flavors and places to visit when you retire. Any mention of anything connected to sustainability reporting sends you to solitary confinement for your entire stay with no internet, no phone, no connection to the outside world and no ice cream. Best to do this before the Summit starts, so that if it doesn't work, you still have time to register

For all of you for whom these coping mechanisms are not likely to work, see you in Singapore!




elaine cohen, CSR consultant, Sustainability Reporter, HR Professional, Ice Cream Addict. Owner/Manager of Beyond Business Ltd, an inspired Sustainability Strategy and Reporting firm having supported 100 client reports to date ; author of three books and several chapters on Sustainability Reporting and the Human Resources connection to CSR; frequent chair and speaker at sustainability events and judge in several sustainability awards programs each year. Contact me via Twitter , LinkedIn or via Beyond Business  



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