Isla to end paid membership and focus on TRACE platform to drive sectorwide sustainability

Event‑industry sustainability body isla has told members it will close its paid membership programme at the end of 2025 to concentrate on what it describes as “strategic action at scale” to drive sustainability outcomes across the sector. Anna Abdelnoor, isla’s chief executive, said in a statement released on 14 August that the organisation’s mission—to create a low‑carbon, circular events sector—remains unchanged even as it pivots away from the membership model.

Abdelnoor set the decision against what she called a backdrop of “more acute intersecting pressures” facing the industry, naming rising costs, supply‑chain volatility, shrinking margins, talent shortages and “AI‑anxiety” as factors that have sustainability implications across events. She said isla will prioritise its TRACE carbon‑measurement platform as the tool through which the organisation expects to drive consistent reporting and turn data into actionable industry‑wide change. The announcement also confirmed that isla intends to run a sector consultation to co‑design the organisation’s next phase and invited stakeholders to an update webinar in mid‑August.

TRACE has been positioned by isla as a purpose‑built carbon and waste measurement platform for live, hybrid and digital events. According to the platform’s promotional materials, it delivers real‑time data capture and reporting aligned with recognised standards such as the GHG Protocol and GRI, covers scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and offers estimation, comparison and measurement modes alongside reduction guidance, reporting exports and verification services. Independent reporting when TRACE launched in 2022 noted early adoption by major event brands and organisers and emphasised the platform’s role in producing pre‑ and post‑event analytics to help event managers make data‑driven reductions.

The decision to close membership will affect access to a suite of services many organisations currently rely on. isla’s membership offering has historically included tiered packages — Pathfinder, Progressor and Pacesetter — that bundle benefits such as access to the proseed best‑practice framework, training seats, workshops, office hours, action groups and TRACE licences. Proseed itself, launched in 2021, is presented as a practical resource of checklists, templates and working‑group insights designed to help event teams benchmark and operationalise sustainability across energy, catering, travel, waste and production.

For associations, confederations and trade bodies that either participate in isla as members or whose members depend on isla services, the announcement raises immediate operational questions. isla says an “action‑driven community” will remain central to its work and has invited sector input on design and timing; the organisation’s registration page for the next‑chapter webinar describes the session as an opportunity for both members and non‑members to understand forthcoming priorities and how to engage. At the same time, organisations should take a pragmatic view of short‑term continuity for training, certification and measurement services that have been part of membership benefits.

Executive leaders in the events sector would be well advised to engage in isla’s consultation, map their current reliance on membership benefits (including TRACE licences and training), and assess contingency or procurement options for carbon measurement, verification and capacity building. If isla follows through on concentrating resources into TRACE at scale, the platform could become a de‑facto standard for tender responses and portfolio reporting—but that outcome is a claim the organisation will need to substantiate through adoption, interoperability and verified reporting outputs.

The membership programme will remain active through 2025, after which isla says it will move into its next chapter; stakeholders are encouraged to join the update webinar and consultation to influence how the transition is implemented and what services will be available going forward.