News

Brian Eno and Jarvis Cocker Keynote Announced for Green Events and Innovations Conference

• 1st Feb 2024

The artist and musician Brian Eno returns to GEI for the third time in 2024. Having previously headlined the event alongside inspirational Norwegian popstar Aurora and multi-Grammy-Award-winning artist and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, he will this year share the stage with charismatic Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. 

GEI16 will feature EarthPercent Hour, which will include a Keynote Conversation with Brian Eno, hosted by EarthPercent’s executive director, Cathy Runciman. Jarvis will later take to the stage during this grand finale, to present his “Biophobia”. 

GEI is the foremost conference for live sector sustainability. It is organised by green-event pioneers A Greener Future (AGF) alongside the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

‘Unleashing the power of music in service of the planet’
EarthPercent is GEI’s official charity partner
“We are over the moon that Brian Eno and Jarvis Cocker will bring such a special experience to the GEI delegates this year. GEI, since its inception, has been about uniting the live community and beyond to make a better world for all of us. This is why we love the work of our charity partner EarthPercent and can’t wait to experience and share what we have in store next month.” Claire O’Neill, CEO, A Greener Future

Brian Eno – musician, producer, visual artist and activist first came to international prominence in the early seventies as a founding member of British band, Roxy Music, followed by a series of solo albums and collaborations.

His work as producer includes albums with Talking Heads, Devo, U2, Laurie Anderson, James, Jane Siberry and Coldplay, while his long list of collaborations include recordings with David Bowie, Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, David Byrne, Grace Jones, his brother, Roger, on ‘Mixing Colours’ and recently with Fred Again…. Brian’s latest album, ‘FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE’  was released to international acclaim in October 2022.

Eno’s visual experiments with light and video continue to parallel his musical career, with exhibitions and installations all over the globe. He has exhibited extensively, as far afield as St. Petersburg’s Marble Palace, Ritan Park in Beijing, Arcos de Lapa in Rio de Janeiro and the sails of the Sydney Opera House. He is a founding member of the Long Now Foundation, a trustee of Client Earth and patron of Videre est Credere. In April 2021, he launched EarthPercent, which raises money from the music industry for some of the most impactful environmental charities working on the climate emergency. In 2023, Brian was honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement by the Venice Biennale Musica.

Jarvis Cocker is a world-renowned musician and broadcaster from the north of England who formed the band Pulp while at school in 1978, going on to become one of the most successful British groups of the 1990s. He presented the BBC6 Music programme Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service, as well as the ongoing, award-winning BBC Radio 4 documentary series Wireless Nights. He also has not one but two honorary doctorates and his lyrics have been published by Faber and Jonathan Cape.

GEI16 takes place on Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel London. Expect the most cutting-edge discussions, engaging talks, and solutions for a greener event sector.  A jam-packed programme will delve into the challenges of delivering green global events, from music to sports, with discussion topics such as transport, energy, food, equality, inclusivity & climate justice, contracts and sponsorship, set design & materials usage for circularity, and much more.

Speakers include artists Louis VI, Sam Lee, Fay Milton (MDE), Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets / AIE), John Robb, sustainability pioneers and experts including Dale Vince (Ecotricity), Tori Tsui (Activist), Glenn Lyons (UWE), Richard Betts (Met Office), Teresa Moore (A Greener Future), Abena Fairweather (Legacy Events), Luke Howell (Hope Solutions), Andy Mead (Instagrid), Farah Ahmed (Julie’s Bicycle), Ellie Kinney (Conflict and Environment Observatory) and Mark Stevenson (CUR8 / The Futurenauts), plus key industry figures such as Sam Booth (AEG Europe), Patricia Yagüe (Live Nation), Zarya Vrabcheva (Stufish), Ross Patel (MMU), and Carol Scott (TAIT).

The event includes ample networking opportunities plus coffee breaks; a five-star, plant-based lunch; a champagne toast at the International AGF Awards; and a complimentary evening drinks reception with snacks all included in the price.

More info and tickets here.
More information at agreenerfuture.com / @agreenerfuture

Full agenda to be announced in the coming weeks. GEI is kindly supported by Ecotricity, TAIT, Instagrid, KB Event and The O2.