For Immediate Release
Contact: Sara O’Neil or Veronica Ferguson
Marketing and Public Relations
soneil@meetings-incentives.com
vferguson@meetings-incentives.com

Caledonia, Wisconsin (April 10, 2025) – Registration is now open for Event Sustainability: Facts, Fiction, & Future, a live discussion hosted by global event agency Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc. (M&IW) and featuring leaders from Copia, a technology-enabled surplus redistribution service, and PURPOSE, a consulting and education organization for event professionals and organizations.

The live discussion will be held on Wednesday, May 7, at 11:00 a.m. CT. Registration is free and can be completed here.

Speakers include Donna Collins; Sustainability Champion, M&IW; Paige Lowe, Vice President of Customer Success, Copia; and Marley Finnegan, Founder, PURPOSE. During this discussion, they will: 

• Collaborate on the future of event sustainability and how to keep forward momentum. 
• Explore the foundational truths of sustainable event planning. 
• Debunk myths and address challenges. 

As a global industry, meetings and events have an incredible opportunity to address social and environmental impacts both locally and worldwide. During this free event, this experienced panel in event sustainability will share actionable recommendations and thought-provoking insights to help event owners, planners, and suppliers make a difference throughout their programs. Attendees will leave with new ideas and a fresh outlook on sustainable event planning and strategy.

Attendees are encouraged to come prepared with their questions, ideas, and best practices. All knowledge levels are welcome.

Meet the Speakers

Donna Collins, Sustainability Champion, M&IW

Donna Collins has 30+ years of industry experience and has been with Meetings & Incentives Worldwide since 2016. In her current role as Sustainability Champion, she is responsible for spearheading M&IW’s sustainability initiatives to be a smarter, more sustainable enterprise. A self-proclaimed lifelong learner, Donna’s approach to sustainability comes with great curiosity and a desire to work toward a world without waste, starting with meetings and events.  

Donna collaborates across departments with all levels of the organization to define, develop, and deploy a successful sustainability program for M&IW and their customers and industry partners. In her former role as a Sr. Customer Success Manager, she provided leadership to the Customer Success team in supporting customer-focused solutions. She is perceptive, conscientious, and dedicated to building strong and lasting relationships.

Marley Finnegan, Founder, PURPOSE

Marley Finnegan is the founder of the PURPOSE Sustainability Strategy + Group Travel Emissions calculator, PURPOSE Net Zero. A 20-year event industry veteran, she specializes in helping agencies, planners, DMCs, and corporate teams scale sustainable event strategy expertise. Inspired by her child’s entry into the world, she has taken over 260+ hours of sustainability and regenerative systems education and is highly passionate about climate justice, food equity, and systems change to support optimal futures.

Acknowledging the highly complex yet essential psychology of climate change, she is also the creator of “The Blueprint Within” podcast, with the mission that when we heal our inner landscapes, we enable conscious healing of our outer environment.  

Paige Lowe, Vice President of Customer Success, Copia

Paige Lowe is the Vice President of Customer Success at Copia, where she spearheads initiatives to help kitchens minimize food waste and facilitate safe donations of surplus and unsold food. At Copia, Paige leads a team dedicated to guiding customers through every stage of their journey—from sales to onboarding to growth and expansion, serving both businesses and nonprofit organizations. Before joining Copia, Paige’s expertise was in advertising and technology, managing high-profile relationships with Fortune 500 companies. She is passionate about leveraging technology to drive meaningful impact. 

Event Details

Event name: Event Sustainability: Facts, Fiction, & Future

Event site: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7315829389634506752

Date and time: May 7 at 11:00 a.m. CT

Speakers:

• Donna Collins, Sustainability Champion, M&IW 
• Marley Finnegan, Founder, PURPOSE 
• Paige Lowe, Vice President of Customer Success, Copia 

About Meetings & Incentives Worldwide (M&IW)

M&IW is a women-owned event agency specializing in planning meetings, conferences, and incentives of all scales worldwide. We have 350+ employees and operate events in over 90 countries.

We provide customizable event solutions ranging from end-to-end to a la carte, with a focus on integrating neuroscience and sustainability principles in events. We also develop strategies across events to provide visibility, efficiency, and savings.

M&IW is a third generation, privately held, certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) in business for more than 55 years. We serve industries such as life sciences, technology, financial services, manufacturing, insurance, and more.

To learn more, visit www.meetings-incentives.com.

About Copia

Copia makes it as easy as possible to donate to local nonprofits in need. Copia’s advanced technology powers corporate dining, hotels, schools, restaurants, stadiums, and more to efficiently redistribute surplus food. Trusted by national brands across the US, Copia helps combat food insecurity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by diverting food from landfills, and boosts profitability through enhanced tax deductions. With real-time analytics to track and celebrate your impact seamlessly, Copia is your partner in sustainability and operational efficiency. Learn more at gocopia.com.

About PURPOSE

PURPOSE Sustainability Strategy is consulting and education for event professionals and organizations. The PURPOSE Sustainable Event Strategy Accreditation is a foundational, comprehensive, self-led course which supports organizations in scaling actionable, tangible sustainability implementation, organization wide. PURPOSE was tapped to help create PCMA’s first sustainability course, Sustainable Events Blueprint, along with supporting Destination Canada’s in-person storytelling presence at PCMA’s Convening Leaders. 

PURPOSE Net Zero is a Group Travel Emissions calculator, measuring the 70–90% of emissions associated with the attendee travel journey.

PURPOSE advised the 2024 Democratic National Convention and partnered with Copia for food rescue logistics and data tracking, which resulted in their “most sustainable convention in history.” Successes included a 27,000 lb. food rescue, which kept over 93,000 pounds of carbon emissions from being created in landfill; measuring travel for 20,000+ attendees, resulting in a hyper-local “carbon insetting” approach; and supporting Growing Home, a Regenerative Organic Farm on Chicago’s South Side. 

Learn more at eventsofpurpose.com.