Another important element of the day was creating seamless transitions that kept the energy high. Our speakers all dovetailed off one another, so that the sequencing of the presentations made sense and built on one another.

For example, in the morning, our audience heard about technological disruption, followed by a conversation on leadership structures that capitalize on faster communication channels, as well as a look at using networks and “weak ties” to get answers more quickly. That evolution led to some great lunch conversations on the new possibilities stemming from advancing technologies. Then, in the afternoon, attendees heard from a CEO who assumed a leadership role at a time their business was being impacted by “viral” news stories and got an overview of the news of the day from a former Pentagon official, leading to conversations on the current headlines and what challenges and opportunities they present.

Our team used a low stage, which allowed presenters to walk on and off stage easily and interact with the audience, and “just the right amount of A/V”—meaning great videos and presentations, using apps to allow for polling and anonymous questions, and a white board and hand-held mics for real-time discussions and demonstrations of concepts as they arose.

In terms of video, the show opened with an aspirational video that outlined the objectives of the day while connecting the program to its news-driven host, the publication CEO Update. The video also set the expectation that the day was about education, ideas, and expertise. Each presenter was introduced with a short video, created by the LAI Video team, that carried this continuity and connected the speaker’s topic with the audience’s concerns and outlined why that speaker was the best choice on the subject matter.