Explore More #1: pitch your project

Are you developing an idea for an overseas expedition or fieldwork project and in need of expert guidance on your next steps?

Throughout the first half of 2025, the RGS Explore team will be hosting fortnightly lunchtime webinars, each on a specific topic. You’ll learn how to refine and launch a successful exploratory venture, whether that’s a challenging journey with a purpose, field research in a remote location, or anything in between.

In the first event in this series, we'll invite you to test the 'elevator pitch' for your project, get constructive feedback on your goals and objectives from a small group of peers, and air your questions and concerns.

You will learn:

• How to articulate your expedition idea clearly and concisely to potential funders, partners, or team members.
• The key elements of a successful proposal, including aim and supporting objectives, feasibility, and potential impact.
• Tools and techniques for sharing your proposal.

About the hosts

Tom Allen is the Society's new Expeditions and Fieldwork Manager. He is an explorer, author, trail prospector and responsible travel advocate specialising in the Caucasus region, as well a past recipient of the Society Land Rover Bursary.

In addition to supporting our core audience of fieldwork and expeditions practitioners, Tom will be helping the Society to expand the Society’s support to many more people, from leading experts to the simply curious, who want to make the world a better place as they travel with purpose, develop geographical knowledge, and share what they learn.

Shane Winser is the Royal Geographical Society’s Expeditions and Fieldwork advisor, providing advice, information, and training to a wide range of scientific, educational, and adventurous expeditions. Together with colleagues, Shane curates the Society’s annual Explore weekend held each November.

Shane is a member of BSI’s technical panel for BS 8848: the British Standard that specifies operational requirements for organisers of a wide variety of overseas ventures including university and academic fieldwork, gap year experiences, adventure holidays, charity challenges and research expeditions. She is a co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, now in its third edition, and editor of the RGS Expedition Handbook, soon be to be updated as digital resources.

About our guest

Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer and author. He spent over four years cycling round the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and five continents.

More recently, Alastair has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run six marathons through the Sahara Desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, busked through Spain, and participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole. He has trekked 1,000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert and 120 miles round the M25 – one of his pioneering microadventures.

He was named as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year for 2012. In 2023, The RGS gave Alastair the Ness Award for ‘his long-standing contributions to promoting a greater understanding of our world and wider public engagement with the outdoors.’

Website

Booking information

• Advance booking for this event is required. In order to book you will need an account on our website. If you already have an account you will be prompted to log in when you click 'book now'. Please create an account if you do not have one yet (you do not need to be a member of the Society to create an account).

Attending online

• Joining instructions will be included in your confirmation email.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org