Monday, November 16
More sessions and speaker information coming soon!
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
FICP Master Class: The Power of AI Agents, Skills and Workflows — Helping Event Professionals Work Smarter, Not Harder
Speaker: James Spellos, President, Meeting U.
Area of Interest: Event Operations and Logistics; powered by Technology Solutions
You've gotten good at prompting, but the chat window is only the front door of AI, not the entire house. Behind it are agents that can execute multi-step tasks and skills that teach AI software your company's unique templates, preferences and standards, so you don't have to start from scratch every time. Beyond that are workflows and custom tools that connect the systems you already use and help you build solutions you don't yet have. Together, these capabilities unlock new ways to automate tasks, streamline processes and get more value from AI.
In this master class, we'll take a deeper dive into AI agents, skills and workflows and explore how event professionals can deploy them today to work smarter, not just harder. Learn how to set up and customize AI agents, enhance efficiency, conduct research more effectively, and transform event and business data into actionable insights.
This session is repeated every breakout timeslot!
Own the Room: Elevate Your Executive Presence, Persuasion and Impact
Speaker: Meridith Elliott Powell, MBA, CSP, CPAE, Business Growth and Sales Expert
Area of Interest: Professional Growth and Personal Development
You already have the skills to be in the deliberation room. Now it's time to hone your executive presence to shape what happens in it.
In this industry, the professionals who rise aren't the ones who execute flawlessly and stay quiet – they're the ones who walk into a room, read it instantly and position themselves as the one voice worth listening to.
Join Hall of Fame Speaker and Business Growth Strategist, Meridith Elliott Powell, for a powerful workshop designed to give strategic event professionals the tools to build a personal brand people trust, sharpen their persuasion and gain a seat at the table while decisions are still being made. Come ready to roll up your sleeves, engage and walk out with your personal plan of action to increase your presence, persuasion and partnership.
This session is repeated on Monday, November 16 at 1:15 p.m.
Practical Event Security Tactics: Readiness in an Unpredictable World
Speakers: Holli Draines, CEO, Elite Strategy Consulting & Risk Management Inc. Interviewed by Tom Edelen, Senior Event Planner, Thrivent
Area of Interest: Event Operations and Logistics
Safety and security are critical priorities for meetings and events, yet knowing where to focus time, resources and budget can be challenging. In this session, Holli Draines will deliver a TED-style talk sharing practical security strategies, emerging risks and lessons from advising on meetings and events of varying sizes and complexity. Following the presentation, Tom Edelen from Thrivent will join Holli for a conversation addressing the audience’s key questions and challenges. Together, they’ll explore how to assess and prioritize risks, where targeted improvements can have the greatest impact and how to make informed decisions that protect attendees and support the success of events and organizations.
The AI Ambition Level Is Raised – Now What?: A Peer Discussion on Turning Insights Into Action
Speakers: Facilitated by Taylor Laws, CMP, DMCP, Senior Director of Strategic Accounts, Cohera Jessica Nickell, AVP, Event Management, Holmes Murphy
Area of Interest: Measurement and Optimization; powered by Technology Solutions
Henry Coutinho-Mason challenged us to think beyond using AI for efficiency and instead reimagine events as engines of insight, innovation and strategic value. Now that the ambition level has been raised, what's next? In this peer discussion, participants will explore how to translate event, attendee and business data into compelling stories, actionable recommendations and informed decisions. Join fellow event professionals to share successes, challenges and practical approaches for turning insights into action and demonstrating the value of events to stakeholders.
1:15-2:15 p.m.
FICP Master Class: The Power of AI Agents, Skills and Workflows — Helping Event Professionals Work Smarter, Not Harder
Speaker: James Spellos, President, Meeting U.
Area of Interest: Event Operations and Logistics, powered by Technology Solutions
You've gotten good at prompting, but the chat window is only the front door of AI, not the entire house. Behind it are agents that can execute multi-step tasks and skills that teach AI software your company's unique templates, preferences and standards, so you don't have to start from scratch every time. Beyond that are workflows and custom tools that connect the systems you already use and help you build solutions you don't yet have. Together, these capabilities unlock new ways to automate tasks, streamline processes and get more value from AI.
In this master class, we'll take a deeper dive into AI agents, skills and workflows and explore how event professionals can deploy them today to work smarter, not just harder. Learn how to set up and customize AI agents, enhance efficiency, conduct research more effectively, and transform event and business data into actionable insights.
This session is repeated every breakout timeslot!
Fleurish, Don't Just Function: Preventing Burnout and Building Performance That Lasts
Speaker: Shayna Bergman, PCC, CPC, ELI-MP, SHRM-SCP, Executive and Leadership Coach
Area of Interest: Professional Growth and Personal Development
Weeks on the road. Back-to-back client meetings. A version of yourself that shows up polished for everyone but the people on your team or the ones waiting at home. This session names what most busy professionals struggle to say out loud: Burnout isn't about doing too much. It's actually about doing too much of the wrong things for too long.
We'll get honest about what is actually driving your decisions right now and walk away with real strategies for staying sharp with clients, present with your team and at home, and connected to yourself in between. This isn't another wellness talk. It's a working session for people who are ready to stop just functioning and start fleurishing.
From Brand Visibility to Business Impact: A Peer Discussion on Reimagining Gifting, Sponsorship and Strategic Partnerships
Speakers: Facilitated by Karen B. Arends, CMP, Vice President, Lead Events Management Consultant, Wells Fargo Patrick Corley, Managing Partner, Global Evento and Jaime Smith, CMP, Business Development Executive, eventEQ
Areas of Interest: Event Design and Innovations; Event Operations and Logistics
What do strategic partnerships mean today, and how do you measure their success? Join your peers for an interactive discussion on how partnerships and sponsorships are evolving beyond traditional brand exposure to create memorable experiences, thoughtful and intentional gifting opportunities, strengthen organizational visibility and build deeper connections. Explore changing stakeholder expectations, innovative partnership models, compliance considerations and practical approaches for measuring ROI and brand impact. Bring your challenges, ideas and examples as we discuss what success looks like today and where it's headed next.
Own the Room: Elevate Your Executive Presence, Persuasion and Impact
Speaker: Meridith Elliott Powell, MBA, CSP, CPAE, Business Growth and Sales Expert
Area of Interest: Professional Growth and Personal Development
You already have the skills to be in the deliberation room. Now it's time to hone your executive presence to shape what happens in it.
In this industry, the professionals who rise aren't the ones who execute flawlessly and stay quiet – they're the ones who walk into a room, read it instantly and position themselves as the one voice worth listening to.
Join Hall of Fame Speaker and Business Growth Strategist, Meridith Elliott Powell, for a powerful workshop designed to give strategic event professionals the tools to build a personal brand people trust, sharpen their persuasion and gain a seat at the table while decisions are still being made. Come ready to roll up your sleeves, engage and walk out with your personal plan of action to increase your presence, persuasion and partnership.
This session is a repeat of Monday, November 16 at 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, November 17
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
FICP Master Class: The Power of AI Agents, Skills and Workflows — Helping Event Professionals Work Smarter, Not Harder
Speaker: James Spellos, President, Meeting U.
Area of Interest: Event Operations and Logistics, powered by Technology Solutions
You've gotten good at prompting, but the chat window is only the front door of AI, not the entire house. Behind it are agents that can execute multi-step tasks and skills that teach AI software your company's unique templates, preferences and standards, so you don't have to start from scratch every time. Beyond that are workflows and custom tools that connect the systems you already use and help you build solutions you don't yet have. Together, these capabilities unlock new ways to automate tasks, streamline processes and get more value from AI.
In this master class, we'll take a deeper dive into AI agents, skills and workflows and explore how event professionals can deploy them today to work smarter, not just harder. Learn how to set up and customize AI agents, enhance efficiency, conduct research more effectively, and transform event and business data into actionable insights.
This session is repeated every breakout timeslot!
Fight Club With Priya Parker: An Interactive Practice Session for Building Conflict-Competent Teams
Speaker: Priya Parker, Conflict Facilitator, Strategic Advisor and Author
Brought to you by Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau
Area of Interest: Professional Growth and Personal Development
In her new book, The Art of Fighting, Priya Parker asserts the following thesis: people don’t fight about what they don’t care about. Many of us struggle with conflict: we want to believe that a fight will go away on its own, or that ongoing disagreements are insurmountable challenges with no path forward. In reality, conflict is an opportunity to reassert a group’s identity and vision. To grow as a group, we must shift our mental model from “conflict as dysfunction” to “conflict as a high-performance culture-building” skill.
In this highly interactive session, Parker teaches audiences how to practice low-stakes conflict to build strength and skills for higher-stakes fights. Parker helps attendees self-diagnose their own conflict style and teaches how it impacts leadership style. Crucially, she provides an environment where attendees can disagree in a way that feels fun, humorous and safe. Parker uses decades of research, real-world examples and dynamic exercises to demystify conflict and reframe it as a skill that all high-performing teams should build.
Participants will leave with tools, examples and real-world experience that will enable them to build a culture of healthy heat within their teams, approach conflict with openness and curiosity and re-frame discomfort with conflict as an opportunity for progress.
Personalization and Luxury Experiences: A Peer Discussion on Planning Events Worth Attendees’ Time
Speakers: Facilitated by Katy Gettinger, Vice President, Sales, Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Julie E. Sutter, Manager, Meetings and Events, Selective Insurance Company
Area of Interest: Event Design and Innovations
Building on the ideas explored in the keynote, The Art of Gathering, participate in this peer discussion on designing intentional, personalized experiences that drive engagement and deliver measurable value. Explore how organizations are applying luxury-inspired design principles, tailoring experiences at scale, and creating environments that encourage desired attendee behaviors. Share ideas, exchange best practices and learn how peers evaluate the success of these investments.
Travel Disruption Is Inevitable: Using Data to Navigate What's Next
Speakers: Kevin M. Hinton, CAE, Managing Director, Group Travel, U.S. Travel Association Monica Mobley, CMP, VP, Events Management, and Lincoln Financial Additional Panelist Coming Soon
Area of Interest: Business Management
The 2026 FICP Pulse Survey findings revealed growing concerns around travel disruptions, rising costs and the impact both can have on attendee participation and meeting success. As these challenges become our normal reality, meetings professionals are increasingly expected to provide data-driven recommendations that inform site selection, support budget requests and guide decisions around domestic and international meetings. This discussion will explore travel data and market insights and share strategies for translating those insights into compelling business cases, more informed destination decisions and more resilient meeting plans.