Designing Meetings People Actually Want to Attend

AI. Five generations in the workforce. Shrinking attention spans. Higher expectations. Same old general session?

The people walking into our meetings have changed. Has the way we’re designing meetings changed with them?

Today’s meeting professionals need more than another list of trends. They need a bigger toolbox—both the WHAT (fresh ideas that create energy, connection and engagement) and the HOW (a practical way to develop, sell and execute those ideas inside real-world budgets and organizations).

 Chris Gasbarro, whose agency creates meetings and experiences for brands including The North Face, Saucony, FootJoy, Titleist and Hanover Insurance, will pull back the curtain on how his team approaches meeting design—and share 30+ real-world ideas you can steal, adapt and put to work immediately.

 But this isn’t a 60-minute show-and-tell. Attendees will work through their own meeting challenges, explore how attendee-centered thinking changes the design process, and learn how to turn a creative idea into something a C-suite executive, stakeholder or client will actually approve.

You’ll leave with new ideas—but more importantly, a new way to find the next one.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Design for the 2027 and beyond attendee. Apply attendee-centered thinking to rethink engagement, environment, content and experience.
• Turn creative thinking into actionable ideas. Use a practical framework for moving beyond “what we’ve always done” and developing ideas appropriate for your audience, objectives and budget.
• Sell the idea upstairs. Learn how to frame and present unconventional meeting ideas so executives, clients and stakeholders can understand—and approve—the value.
• Steal 30+ ideas. Walk away with more than 30 real-world examples and concepts that can be adapted for conferences, sales meetings, incentive programs and other live experiences.

DAY/DATE:
Wednesday, October 21, 2026

LOCATION:
The Renaissance Columbus Downtown
50 North Third Street, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 43215                                                                                                                                                                 

TIME:
11:00am- Registration Opens
11:30am-12:30pm- Lunch & Networking
12:30pm- 1:30pm Speaker Presentation

FEES:            
Planner Members (Preferred & Premier): $50
Planner Non Members & Planner Essential Level Members: $75
Students: $40