A summit meeting is an event where thought leaders gather together to discuss a specific topic or issue in their industry. These leaders are typically higher-level company executives, surgeons or other medical professionals, government officials, etc. Summit meetings are a great way to connect with other people who have similar interests and professional goals and can lead to long-term relationships and collaborations.
The first step in planning a summit is to determine your goals. Whether you want to convene a small group of thought leaders to create a focused strategy or policy recommendation (a summit) or want to host a broad forum where numerous fields and stakeholders converge to discuss an overarching theme or topic (a conference), your objectives should drive the selection of the speakers, audience composition, and venue location.
When choosing guest speakers, focus on bringing in people with a variety of perspectives and experiences to spark discussion and provide attendees with new ideas. In addition, ensure the content aligns with your audience’s needs and interests.
Once the details of your summit are finalized, promote the event by reaching out to industry influencers or partners to help spread the word. Using an email sequence to deliver invitations, updates, and reminders can also help build awareness and increase attendance numbers.
While the responsibilities of a summit director can blur between directing, designing, and planning, it is important that the person in charge of shaping your summit has full authority to make decisions and say no when requests are made that don’t fit with its focus and agenda.