mdg, A Freeman Company has announced the next slate of sessions for Leading Through Disruption: An Executive Roundtable Series. Sponsored by Freeman, this monthly peer-to-peer exchange for senior-level executives focuses on future-scaping and change management. Originally created to provide insights and connections needed to thrive in the wake of the pandemic, the emphasis is now on the return of in-person events and the future role of digital events. Each month, mdg invites a thought leader to give a 20-minute presentation in his or her specialty area. Topics include case studies of successful events (physical, hybrid and digital), innovative methods for keeping audiences engaged, aligning organizational objectives with technology/vendor solutions, using data effectively to inform decision-making, etc. The information-rich presentations are followed by 40 minutes of breakout discussions that happen in small (15 or fewer people) peer groups.
The slate of sessions for Q3 2021 includes:
Case Study: International Sign Expo 2021, July 7 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
President and CEO of the International Sign Association Lori Anderson, along with Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Membership Alicia Auerswald, will share how they operationalized lessons learned from this roundtable series to create a successful virtual event. Together, they will cover platform selection, participation engagement tactics, best practices in exhibitor training and satisfaction, and content curation. Lori will also share how she motivated, managed and trained her existing team to produce a digital event of this magnitude.
Adapting International Event Marketing On the Road to Recovery, Aug. 4 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
mdg’s director of international marketing will provide practical advice on how and when to re-engage international audiences with the return of physical events in the United States. Furthermore, she’ll provide insights on how various markets have been impacted, those that will be among the first/last to resume travel and how international messaging and marketing tactics have evolved in the wake of the pandemic. Participants will leave with a roadmap to help inform their international re-engagement strategy.
Goodbye Hybrid Events, Long Live Integrated Experiences, Sept. 1 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Now that positive sentiment is increasing at the speed of vaccination rates and live events are returning, the industry is starting to place bets on if hybrid events have staying power. As a collective, we’ve talked ad nauseum about hybrid – and yet, so much of the focus has been on ‘how they should be done’ to work within these challenging times rather than how integrated design can create a foundation for deeper engagement moving forward. Nico van Praag, SVP of Integrated Experience Strategy, Freeman will present a new perspective that helps us see the bigger opportunity. He’ll explore how integrated experiences can create not just a single point in time, but a shared journey for attendees and exhibitors and a year-round monetization channel for organizers.
Current participants will automatically be re-registered for the series continuation. Senior-level executives from organizations that own and/or produce events who are interested in joining should email Sveta Pyntikova at sveta.pyntikova@mdg.agency before July 6 to request an invitation. Breakout discussion groups are determined in advance and limited in size to maintain an online environment conducive for idea sharing and networking.
mdg, A Freeman Company is a strategy-driven agency with a 44-year track record of delivering results. Made up of marketing researchers and strategists, digital and interactive media experts, event and association management specialists, data analysts and a robust creative team, the 85-person agency offers complete marketing solutions to association, event and corporate clients.
Freeman is the world’s leading live event and brand experience company. We help our clients create and deliver immersive digital and live experiences for their most important audiences. Through comprehensive offerings including strategy, experience design, and digital as well as AV and event tech, Freeman helps increase audience engagement and drive business results. What makes us different is our collaborative culture, intuitive knowledge, global perspective, and personalized approach, which we’ve gained from more than 90 years as an industry leader. For more info, visit freeman.com.
