Key takeaways:
- POW Europe is hosting its second Brand Advocacy Day on 10 September in Brussels, Belgium.
- It's open to anyone working in the outdoor industry who wants to understand how industry voices can make a difference when it comes to EU policies.
- The day includes a visit to the European Parliament and an interactive session with policymakers.
Brand Advocacy Day is a one-day gathering that turns awareness into action. Our first edition convened over 50 representatives from leading outdoor brands, including The North Face, Decathlon, Patagonia and the European Outdoor Group, alongside professional athletes.
After last year's success, POW Europe is hosting its second Brand Advocacy Day on 10 September. This time in Brussels, at the heart of where all EU policy decisions are made. The 2026 edition will pair a morning of advocacy briefing and strategy with an afternoon inside the European Parliament. Businesses have an important role to play when it comes to advocating for our planet. Brand Advocacy Day is meant to equip you with the tools to help you do just that.
If you work in the outdoor industry and want to understand how industry voices can make a difference when it comes to EU policies, please reach out to partnerships director Ben Aidan (ben@protectourwinters.eu) to learn more about joining.
Why should you attend?
Here’s: (1) what issue we’ll be tackling, (2) why it matters now and (3) what you can do.
(1) Getting to the places where we bike, climb, hike, ski and go on other adventures is often the biggest climate cost. Unfortunately, transport is one of Europe’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2023, transport accounted for roughly a third of all EU emissions. It’s also the only major sector where emissions have increased since 1990. If we care about the outdoors, we can't ignore how we get there. That’s why Protect Our Winters is advocating for stronger climate policies on travel.
(2) By the end of 2026, the EU will decide on several policies that will shape travel in Europe for the next decade. One of them, the VAT Travel and Tourism Reform, will set VAT rules for passenger transport. Currently in the EU, an international flight is exempt from VAT but a cross-border train ticket pays VAT country by country. In other words: we fiscally subsidise aviation and penalise rail, the more sustainable travel option.
(3) This is our opportunity to act. When the VAT reform is published, the industries defending the status quo will make their opinions heard. However, the businesses whose future depends on a stable climate; the outdoor industry, tourism and many more; are rarely there speaking up. This has to change. To make it count we need to be prepared and coordinated, so that the EU hears us when it matters most.
You'll leave with:
- Concrete advocacy tools and a clear cause to champion.
- Direct connections between brands, athletes, NGOs and policymakers.
- A shared message: ambitious EU policy and progressive business must advance hand in hand.
Programme at a glance
Morning / Norrsken
09:30–10:00 – Coffee & Registration
10:00–10:20 – Intro & Icebreaker by Ben Aidan, Partnerships Director, POW EU and Sophie Dembinski, Managing Director, Norrsken Foundation
10:20–10:50 – Brand Advocacy work in practice by David Ekelund, Co-founder and Chief People Planet Profit Officer of Icebug and President of the European Outdoor Group, and Fabrice JC Remy, Vice Chair Capital International Management Company and Chair of the Executive Board at Protect Our Winters Europe.
10:50–11:10 – POW's three strategic pillars by Ben Aidan, Partnerships Director, POW EU
11:10–11:20 – Break
11:20–11:50 – Refresh on advocacy and EU functioning by Ohana, a public affairs consultancy.
11:50–12:20 – Who is POW? What are we doing? And what kind of advocacy are we doing? by Enzo Caldora, Advocacy, POW and Jonas Schneider, CEO, POW
12:20–12:35 – Outro presentation of advocacy opportunities and call to action by Natasha Kalauz and Jonas Schneider, POW
12:35–13:15 – Lunch break
Afternoon / European Parliament
13:45–15:00 – Accreditation & guided visit of the European Parliament
15:00–15:30 – Keynote by professional skier Nikolai Schirmer about his advocacy work.
15:30–17:00 – Roundtable discussion with Lena Schilling, Member of the European Parliament; Juho Hannukainen, Director NewTraffic, VR Finnish Rail; Natasha Kalauz, CEO, POW; Harald Schreiber, Head of Corporate Communication & Athlete Management, Mammut; and Denise Auclair, T&E.
Evening
17:30–onwards – Networking mingle with food and drinks.
* Please note that details in the schedule may be subject to change.
Do you want to join?
Does this sound interesting? If you work in the outdoor industry and would like to attend Brand Advocacy Day, please email Ben Aidan, ben@protectourwinters.eu.
