FAQs

General

What is Walk the World?

add remove

Walk The World is our flagship annual colleague event, which encourages everyone around the world to spend some time away from the desk, having fun and raising money for good causes and local communities.

Whether you’re walking with office colleagues as part of an organised route, or walking solo, it’s all part of walking the world, together.

add remove

When is Walk the World?

WTW 2024 is running from April - September 2024, with some walks taking place outside of this period. 

How do I register to take part in Walk the World?

add remove

There is an online registration form on each walk page – see Walks.

add remove

What are our goals for 2024?

We want as many colleagues as possible to take part in WTW, and collectively we're aiming to walk the distance around the equator - that's 40,000km! 

How far should I walk?

add remove

No matter how far you choose to walk, any distance helps us reach our collective target to Walk the World.

Classic walks that are organised by office champions are likely to offer a choice of several distances – for example, 3km, 10km and even 20km or marathon routes – to allow colleagues to select what suits them best, whether it’s taking a shorter, gentle stroll or undertaking a more challenging route and distance.

If you are going on a solo walk, you can choose any distance, but please remember the most important thing is to be safe!

How do I cancel or amend my registration for the walk?

add remove

By logging into this website, you should be able to amend your registration.

Please email walktheworld@informa.com if you have any problems.

How do homeworkers take part in Walk the World?

add remove

Everyone can take part in Walk the World, including colleagues who work from home some or all of the time. You can walk Solo, or join a Classic office walk if you are close to one of the locations.

This year there will be two homeworker events set up for different parts of the world so that you can be part of a collective fundraiser with your Colleagues. See the Walks page for these events.

See the how to take part page for more details.

Who should I notify when organizing a walk?

add remove

Please email walktheworld@informa.com as soon as possible if you intend to set up a walk for colleagues at your office or as a group of homeworkers. We will send you training materials on how to organise the walk and help you get started.  There are some simple steps that need completing for safety and insurance requirements too.

Can I get a WTW t-shirt to walk in?

add remove

If you have a Walk the World t-shirt from taking part in previous years, please try to re-use this so we can keep Walk the World as sustainable as possible. As an added incentive, when you reuse a t-shirt we'll give £10/$15 to your chosen charity for the walk.

If you are taking part in a classic office walk, most locations will be able to provide t-shirts for colleagues who do not have them, as long as you order the correct size when you register and register at least two weeks in advance to allow for delivery.

Unfortunately, we cannot mail out t-shirts to individuals at this time.

After using cotton t-shirts for a few years, we have recently chosen polyester technical t-shirts as feedback suggests they are more likely to be re-used. They are of a high quality, sourced responsibly and made from recycled polyester. If you no longer need your t-shirt please donate it or make sure it reaches a local recycling facility

Can I do more than one walk?

add remove

Everyone is encouraged to talk part in a walk. If you are also visiting another office or team who are going on a walk at that time, joining them can be a great way to connect and network, but please check with your line manager first before spending time out on multiple walks.

add remove

Do I have to take time off to complete the walk?

No, this will be considered as normal work time (but you get fresh air for free!) You do not need to log this in your local holiday booking system.

If you raise £100 / USD$150 you get an extra day’s holiday to take as you please.

How can we get fit leading up to Walk the World?

add remove
  • Consider starting an office weekly walking club! Get out into the fresh air with colleagues at lunch time.
  • Explore an app such as Google Fit which allow you to count your steps and set an individual or team goal.

Can I share what happened on my walk with everyone?

add remove

Yes! We’d love you to post any pictures, videos or news from your walk on Portal. It might be a selfie, a group picture, a picture of some great sights you saw, a short video or a blog letting everyone know where you went and who you have raised money for. There’ll be prizes for the best ones too.

You can also post to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #informawtw, which will update the WTW galleries shown on this website. 

Can friends, family and pets join me on Walk the World?

add remove

Please check with your local walk organiser as the answer varies depending on each walk.

Can clients and other business partners join me on Walk the World?

add remove

Yes, we are actively encouraging building our networks through Walk the World!

They are insured on the walk with us but please make sure they know that they have to have their own insurance for their travel to/from the walk if applicable.

All participants will need to register to take part in a walk, including external partners. Please follow the normal process for registering and select 'External Partner' when prompted.

How does Walk the World fit in with our Sustainability Program more widely?

add remove

See www.informa.com/sustainability for more information and to read our sustainability reports.

Walk the World is intended to first and foremost serve our colleagues by offering an opportunity to network, spending time with each other in a new setting, get energised doing something good for our wellbeing and to feel good raising money for great causes.

We differentiate between our client communities, or our customers, and our neighbours, or the communities where we operate. So, in addition to supporting local charities, you can build your client networks by inviting business partners on the walk!

We hope spending time outdoors in nature helps us consider the environment, and perhaps all this sustainable activity will influence the products and services we create at work too, thereby serving our content!

Fundraising

Which charity is my office supporting?

add remove

Most offices are supporting a local charity of their choice. For anyone registering for WTW Solo, our suggested global charity is the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the donation / fundraising page will reflect this.

How do I donate to charity?

add remove

For lots of offices, donations are encouraged through the Walk the World platform where everyone gets their own fundraising page automatically set up when they register.

This functionality isn't available in some locations at this time, so other offices are choosing methods that work for them including online donations, cash or donations directly to the charity. Get in touch with your local walk organiser for more details. 

Can I fundraise for my own charity?

add remove

We are sorry, but for Walk the World, Informa asks that you donate to and fundraise for your affiliated office charity. We are forming a special relationship with these charities, and let’s see how much we can raise for them together!

If you are taking part in WTW Solo, we're suggesting you support the WWF in line with some of our other offices and locations but feel free to contact us on walktheworld@informa.com if you have other ideas. 

WWF is a global charity linked to many of our markets.  Whilst it is most famous for its work with conservation and charistmatic animals, it is increasingly working with farming, communities, governments and business to help address the systemic challenges that our world is facing.  This charity was chosen in consultation with colleagues and because of its global presence.

How do I start fundraising?

add remove

Colleagues are encouraged to fundraise by giving a donation themselves and encouraging friends, family and other contacts to donate.  Those doing the longer distances may find it easier to ask friends and family for sponsorship, or colleagues may set up fundraising activities.

Anyone who raises £100 (USD$150) for their office charity will be awarded an extra day of annual leave!

For many offices, our WTW platform automatically sets up a fundraising page for you when you register.  This is similar to JustGiving (UK) or CrowdRise (USA) in previous years.  You and others can donate directly to you on our platform.  It's also possible to donate direct to the office/charity fund.

For offices where online donations through the website aren't possible, we encourage you to find a solution that works best for your office.  This can be other online donations, direct donations to the charity or donations in cash.  The walk champions will then update the totals on the WTW platform so they still contribute to our overall totals. 

add remove

How do I claim a day off if I raise £100(USD$150)?

Please confirm the amount you have raised with your line manager. You can then claim this as a “Walk the World Day” on Edays or other systems for booking annual leave.

Search for articles on Portal that explain more.

What do I do with cash from fundraising activities?

add remove

If you have cash left over after fundraising events, it’s best to give the cash to a charity representative directly (and get a receipt).  If that's not possible, you can pay it into an Informa bank account (speak to local finance) and then arrange to pay the charity by cheque/bank transfer. Try to make sure there's always two people checking money to ensure nothing goes wrong.

We can then log this as an 'offline donation' on the WTW platform if you tell us on walktheworld@informa.com.

What about tax return benefits?

add remove

US employees can claim tax benefits when donating to US charities (read more here)

Other countries should follow local guidelines.

The Walk the World platform will provide tax receipts for all donations made on the platform.

How can I win my charity more money?

add remove

There will be various cash prizes awarded throughout Walk the World for your office charity.

How can I volunteer with my Walk the World charity?

add remove

Everyone at Informa is encouraged to use their volunteer time. Speak to your walk organiser about opportunities available. If you’d like to use your skills and use one of your four annual volunteer days, the staff at the charity can let you know what they are in need of! Charities often welcome comms or marketing support for example.

Organizing an office walk

Do we need permission from local authorities?

add remove

Contact the relevant councils and authorities to notify them that the walk is taking place. Also notify the police in the area so they can be prepared.

What about Health, Safety and Security?

add remove

We have a central risk assessment that all WTW office walk organisers have been briefed on.

There are local Health, Safety and Security people who can help you in each region if you need extra support:

- Americas - Gary.Schuman@informa.com

- Rest of World - simon.harris.gb@informa.com

We always suggest that there is a first aid qualified person on the walks, particularly the larger ones. It's also really important that walk organisers walk the route a few days in advance, if not before, to check for any hazards.

What about insurance?

add remove

It is crucial to undergo a risk assessment once you have decided the route of your charity walk to ensure we manage risks.

Informa colleagues and our invited guests, providing they register, are covered by our insurance.

However, any external guests are asked to sign a disclaimer when they register to confirm that their company or other insurances cover them for travel to/from the event.

What should I wear for Walk the World?

add remove

Many colleagues will already have a WTW t-shirt from previous years, and we encourage you to reuse your t-shirt each year. Participants in WTW Classic events do have the option of ordering a WTW t-shirt when registering for their walk if needed. You can customise your t-shirt or wear fancy dress!

Please wear comfortable clothes such as shorts, fitness attire and trainers. Don’t forget to consider the weather and pack a rain coat, an umbrella or sun protection cream!

How to I raise my event profile?

add remove

How about having walk news-hounds? Give each person a go-pro camera (or use smart phones) and ask them to interview people along the walk and take footage.

Take pictures! Get WTW balloons in or do a desk drop.

In the lead up to the event, how about asking volunteers to wear a costume and walk around the office giving out fruit and flyers, calling people to register?

How do I create a map for my walk?

add remove

We have the ability to embed Google Maps routes directly within the walk pages and this allows people to follow the route on their phones when they are walking.

Contact walktheworld@informa.com for more details if you're a walk organiser.

Need help?

add remove

To set up a walk, or if you have any questions regarding Walk the World, please get in touch at walktheworld@informa.com.