Five tips to supercharge your communications at COP29
“Let’s look to the future” was the invitation recently shared by Mukhtar Babayev, the minister who will chair the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP29), taking place from 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Collective ambition and meaningful collaboration are key to a successful conference. The opportunity to come together with fellow policymakers and delegates – as well as thought-leaders, innovators and advocates (or “non-state actors”) – draws thousands to attend COP every year.
With 40,000 people expected to head to Baku in November – and many more following progress from afar – COP29 offers a prime opportunity to reach a global audience of policy experts, industry leaders, academics and civil society.
If you’re thinking about launching a bold campaign, hosting a Pavilion, or organising a fringe event at COP29, keep reading for our pro tips on how you can make the most of COP – and ensure that your communications cut through the noise.
What do we know about COP29 so far?
Much is still to be agreed, but we know that climate finance will be a major talking point this year. The main aim of COP29 is to set a “new collective quantified goal” for the investment needed to bring about a global green transition.
Health is also expected to be a big focus at COP for the first time. Spring 2024 saw the World Health Assembly approve a new resolution on climate and health co-sponsored by 37 governments, setting a precedent for policymakers to develop health-centred commitments to present at COP29.
The COP29 Presidency plans to reduce the focus on Pavilion space compared to previous COPs and shift more emphasis onto the negotiations themselves. Many organisations are planning a smaller presence at COP29 as a result, but those who attend will have the opportunity for a greater share of voice.
1 – Start planning for COP29 now
Starting early is critical to ensure you get the most out of COP29 and have plenty of time to develop a thorough and effective communications strategy. By getting a head start, you can bring your community together, allow time to develop consensus on key messages and policy demands, ensure high profile spokespeople are booked in, and create an impactful campaign.
A long lead-in time also allows you to take advantage of the many milestones in the lead-up to COP, including awareness moments (like Zero Waste Week and World Food Day) and other major, related conferences (like the World Health Summit in Germany, and World Food Forum in Rome). These can be leveraged as hooks to announce your initiative or to galvanise support ahead of COP29.
One month before COP28 in Dubai, Greenhouse supported the Food Systems Pavilion – a global coalition of food and climate organisations – to issue an open letter with an urgent call to the UNFCCC, which received support from over 70 international signatories and amplified the demands of the Pavilion ahead of the conference.
Pro tip: Create a timeline and plan out what’s happening every week in the lead up to COP29 – including key awareness days and milestones.
2 – Be creative in your communications
While there may be fewer Pavilions than in previous years, attendees will still be in the tens of thousands, so it’s important to stand out. The Children and Youth Pavilion is one example of a refreshingly bold and creative brand which has received significant attention and engagement at previous COPs.
Think about what you want to say and how you want people to feel. By developing clear brand guidelines, your website, social media, and any in-person creative elements will tie together – and a messaging framework will help to ensure that your narrative is consistent across all of your communications channels.
Start to build and promote your campaign well in advance, so that you will be recognised and established by COP29.
Pro tip: Create a focus group of key partners and stakeholders to test the initial concepts for your brand guidelines and key messages.
3 – Collaboration is key
Blue Zone badges can only be obtained by organisations accredited with the UNFCCC, but the badges can be extended to anyone. It’s worth putting feelers out as soon as you’ve decided you want to attend COP in-person, as these badges are always in high demand.
A successful Pavilion – or even a one-off event – at COP29 will require a diverse range of speakers, as well as smooth facilitation and audience numbers. Take the time to map out your networks and reach out to your dream collaborators and event speakers in advance. Consider running an online webinar or a media briefing in advance of COP29, to help generate momentum and build an invested audience.
Remember that many individuals and organisations in your network will have an established social media following, which will be much more efficient to tap into than creating new social channels from scratch. Share easily customisable creative templates with your partners to help them amplify your campaign across their existing channels.
Pro tip: Develop a simple toolkit to share with collaborators and stakeholders which houses your key messages, brand guidelines, assets and template social copy.
4 – Inclusive communications at COP29
The most engaging and stand-out campaigns at COP are often those which directly involve attendees.
Participatory activities include signing petitions, creating artwork, recording video messages, interactive exhibits, peaceful marches and demonstrations. During COP28 in Dubai, Greenhouse supported the Faith Pavilion to hold an interfaith walk through the Blue Zone, mobilising attendees from all faith communities.
We recommend setting a target number of participants for an action and inviting key media to witness or take part.
COP is international, and you have the opportunity to reach a wider audience by translating messages and social copy into key languages, and hiring interpreters for your events. It’s also important to consider how audiences not attending in-person can get involved and support, by having a digital version of the action which is easily shareable.
Pro tip: Make sure online participants can be reflected in your action by printing or projecting their contributions.
5 – Report and reflect on COP29 activity
COP is typically one of the busiest periods of the year, so it’s important to plan in time to report on your campaign and reflect on the outcomes. Decide how you will measure your success and any tools or reporting mechanisms you need to set up in advance. If volume of social posts and shares is a key campaign metric, it’s worth devising a campaign hashtag, and incorporating this across your branding and toolkits.
As well as monitoring media coverage, social shares and link clicks, consider if there is any data you want to collect on-the-ground, like numbers of event attendees or participants in an action.
Finally, remember that while COP29 is a key milestone in the climate calendar, it isn’t the be-all and end-all. Think about devising a campaign strategy which uses the momentum of COP to drive engagement towards a more long-term goal.
Pro tip: Arrange a debrief several weeks after COP29 to reflect on the campaign with your key partners and stakeholders. Allow plenty of time for discussion and focus on how you can build on your efforts post-COP.
Greenhouse Communications at COP29
As the climate crisis intensifies, we believe it is crucial that we engage in the COP process to capitalise on the opportunity to galvanise action from world leaders, policymakers, investors and businesses.
The Greenhouse team has attended the annual climate conference every year since COP25, using the power of communications to supercharge the efforts of visionary changemakers holding governments and industry to account, as well as advocating for climate action and accelerating climate solutions.
We offer a wide range of communications services to organisations and coalitions driving impactful change at COP, including:
- Crafting powerful messaging, designed to cut through with a clear call to action.
- Designing branding and content to reach and engage your target audiences.
- Engaging with global media remotely and on-the-ground, including hosting media events.
- Establishing and increasing leadership profiles to amplify your mission.
- Running Pavilion communications, including planning, content development, stakeholder engagement, story mapping and running proactive press offices.
We work as an extension of your team, offering communications expertise, connections and extra support throughout the conference.
Do you have a message you want to amplify at COP29?
