amfori Unleash Opportunity Trade with purpose Digital Talks
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amfori · Trade with purpose

We inspire collaboration.
We inspire action.

By sharing our experiences and ideas we can spark sustainable impact across global supply chains — and network with the leading lights in open and sustainable trade.

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The programme

Talks With Purpose

Following the call-off of the 2020 Cologne conference, elements of the Unleash Opportunity programme were explored for digital delivery through the webinar series “Talks With Purpose”, covering sustainable trade, responsible recruitment and gender equality.

Talks With Purpose

Sessions were scheduled for 28 May, 25 June, 27 August, 24 September and 29 October 2020.

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Opening session

The first session, on 28 May 2020 from 10:00 to 11:00, addressed the EU regulatory landscape on transparency: business challenge or opportunity?

Session details
Conference edition

Unleash Opportunity is described as the leading conference dedicated to open and sustainable trade across Europe, organised by amfori.

About amfori
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About

Collaboration at the heart of our vision

Unleash Opportunity is described as the leading conference dedicated to open and sustainable trade across Europe. To live in a world where sustainable and open trade thrives, we need to collaborate — sharing insights and best practices, taking action, and keeping on top of trends to see what is on the horizon.

amfori is the leading global business association for open and sustainable trade, bringing together over 2,400 retailers, importers, brands and others, and supporting the SDGs.

Read about amfori
2019 line-up

Plenary speakers

The 2019 conference line-up featured John Elkington (Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Volans Ventures), Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, Tshering Tobgay, Bas Van Abel and Naga Munchetty.

John Elkington was noted as the author of “Cannibals with Forks” and co-author of “The Breakthrough Challenge”.

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  • John ElkingtonVolans Ventures
  • Dr. Nadya ZhexembayevaPlenary speaker, 2019 line-up
  • Tshering TobgayPlenary speaker, 2019 line-up
  • Bas Van AbelPlenary speaker, 2019 line-up
  • Naga MunchettyPlenary speaker, 2019 line-up
Registration

Participant rates

Rates listed for the conference edition held on 9 and 10 June, with German VAT of 19% excluded.

Early bird until 2 April · standard rate from 3 April
Category Early bird Standard rate
Members (2-day pass, 9 & 10 June) 155 € 190 €
Non-members: NGOs, governments, academics (1-day pass, 10 June) 125 € 160 €
Non-members: Service Provider, amfori listed (1-day pass, 10 June) 270 € 320 €
Non-members: Service providers, amfori non-listed (1-day pass, 10 June) 470 € 520 €

For Journalists and Press Corps registration, contact John McCarrick, amfori Media Relations Expert. Members of the press were asked to reach out directly for details.

amfori's Unleash Opportunity programme is built around a simple conviction: that trade can be a force for good for people and planet. The homepage message captures this directly, promising to inspire collaboration and action by sharing experiences and ideas that spark sustainable impact across global supply chains. Rather than presenting trade as a purely commercial activity, the framing positions it as a vehicle for positive change, connecting business growth with responsible practice and shared value throughout the value chain.

The talks calendar sits at the centre of the programme experience, signalling that learning happens through convened conversation. Bringing together leading lights in open and sustainable trade creates a space where participants can compare what works, surface what does not, and take ideas back to their own organisations. The emphasis is on exchange rather than broadcast, on practical insights drawn from real operational experience, and on the partnerships that emerge when practitioners meet face to face or online.

Following the call-off of the 2020 Cologne conference, elements of Unleash Opportunity were explored for digital delivery through the webinar series known as Talks With Purpose. The shift to an online format reflected the wider context of public health concerns and the need to keep momentum on sustainability topics despite disruption. What began as an emergency response to changed circumstances gradually became a durable channel for continued dialogue across the network.

The Talks With Purpose series addressed themes that sit close to the heart of sustainable trade: sustainable trade itself, responsible recruitment, and gender equality. Each theme was explored through expert contribution and participant discussion, with sessions scheduled so that a global audience could engage regardless of time zone. The programme structure allowed questions, debate and knowledge-sharing to happen in a single format, turning an online audience into something closer to a room of peers.

Transparency and the regulatory landscape formed a critical part of the conversation. As reporting expectations, supply chain due diligence and public scrutiny increased, businesses faced the challenge of identifying where the greatest risks and opportunities lay. The discussions helped participants navigate a shifting compliance environment, treating disclosure not as a burden to be minimised but as an opportunity to demonstrate integrity, build trust with buyers, and strengthen the resilience of the whole chain.

Collaboration is presented as a practical necessity rather than an abstract ideal. Supply chains are long and fragmented, and progress on sustainability depends on many actors acting in concert. By connecting people across sectors and regions, the programme encourages partnerships that might otherwise not form, and it highlights how shared ambition becomes shared capability when knowledge moves freely between companies, auditors, workers and civil society.

The programme also reaches into the critical decade ahead, connecting trade activity with the Sustainable Development Goals and the need for accelerated progress. The framing acknowledges that incremental improvement is insufficient: the window for meaningful action is narrowing, and the time available for building better systems is finite. This urgency shapes the tone of the content, which favours decisive, actionable ideas over cautious language and encourages participants to identify opportunities rather than dwell on regret.

Sharing sits at the core of the approach. The homepage invites audiences to spread, inform and update themselves, and to contribute by sharing experiences with their own networks. Content from the programme is designed to travel beyond the events themselves, entering internal meetings, industry forums and conversations with colleagues. In this sense, the programme treats communication as an active ingredient of impact rather than a downstream marketing exercise.

The visual language of the site reinforces the message. Bold, condensed headlines sit against deep charcoal and photographic backdrops, with a strong red accent and warm wood tones carrying through the design. Large full-bleed imagery creates an appetite for the subject, while sharp-edged buttons and abrupt material changes between sections give the experience a rugged, industrial character — an aesthetic suited to a programme concerned with making trade more tangible, more accountable and more human.

For organisations considering how to engage, the invitation is straightforward: watch the talks calendar, register for sessions, and bring questions. Whether your interest lies in sustainability performance, workforce practices, gender equality or the regulatory direction of travel, the programme is positioned as a place to learn from peers and to contribute what you know. Getting in touch is encouraged whenever further clarity is needed, and ongoing updates keep participants connected to the conversation as it continues.

Practical information

Dolce La Hulpe, near Brussels

One conference edition was hosted at Dolce La Hulpe, a hotel in the Sonian Forest, only 20 minutes from Brussels International Airport.

  • AddressChaussée de Bruxelles 135, 1310 La Hulpe
  • Phone+32 (0)2 290 98 00
  • TransportFree shuttle transportation between Brussels Central Station and Dolce La Hulpe on 17–18 June
  • AccommodationRoom booking was available through a dedicated booking page
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Members’ Award

Best Member of the Year 2020

amfori put three members in the spotlight for their work in sustainable trade. Finalists received complimentary tickets for themselves and one colleague, and the winner was named “Best Member of the Year 2020” at an evening dinner in Brussels.

Showcase

Three amfori members recognised for their work and efforts in the field of sustainable trade.

Share your story

Members were invited to share inspiring stories and best practices through the Members’ Award.

Evening dinner

The winner was to be named at an evening dinner, alongside the conference in Brussels on 9–10 June.

Sponsors

Platinum, Gold, Silver and Giveaways

Sponsoring Unleash Opportunity was presented as an effective way to raise the profile of a company with a targeted audience of high-level stakeholders and key industry players, with the lunch and coffee breaks facilitating dialogue and opportunities to meet and build relationships.

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Platinum tier

Confirmed sponsors were listed across Platinum, Gold and Silver tiers, together with a Giveaways partner.

Sponsors page
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Gold tier

Lunch and coffee breaks were used to open dialogue and communication between sponsors, delegates and potential business partners.

Sponsors page
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Silver and Giveaways

A contact form was provided on the sponsors page for sponsorship enquiries about the different tiers.

Sponsors page