The most valuable conversations aren't predetermined — they're shaped by the leaders in the room.

At the 2026 FICP Strategic Leaders Event, discussion topics are influenced by fellow strategic leaders, creating an executive-level learning experience focused on today's most pressing priorities. From business management to event measurement and optimization, every program is designed to encourage candid dialogue, shared perspectives and practical takeaways that extend far beyond the event.

We anticipate participants will have the opportunity to earn 8 CMP-eligible hours.

Strategic Leaders Event Program

Explore the Strategic Leaders Event program and discover the conversations shaping the future of meetings and events.

Redefining Event Success: Aligning Stakeholder Priorities and Using Technology To Measure, Communicate and Demonstrate Impact

As events are increasingly expected to influence culture, relationships, brand perception and business outcomes, event leaders must redefine how success is measured and communicated. Through case studies and peer discussion, participants will explore how to align stakeholder expectations, identify priority outcomes and build measurement frameworks that demonstrate event value. The conversation will also examine how AI and emerging technologies can enhance data collection, analysis and storytelling to better communicate impact to executives and key stakeholders.

Designing Immersive Events That Deliver Real Value and Justify Travel

In an environment where time, attention and travel budgets are under greater scrutiny, meetings professionals must create experiences that justify participation. This peer discussion will examine changing attendee behaviors, the growing importance of personalization and community-building, and innovative approaches to designing immersive events that drive engagement, differentiation and lasting impact.

Navigating Risk, Contracting and Supplier Accountability

Strong partnerships are built on a foundation of thoughtful contracting, clear expectations and mutual accountability. This interactive discussion will explore how organizations are negotiating agreements, defining responsibilities and working collaboratively with hospitality partners to navigate risk, respond to disruption and deliver successful events. Through a combination of small-group dialogue and larger peer discussion, participants will share lessons learned, compare approaches and identify practical strategies they can apply immediately.

Structure, Capacity and Talent – Do We Have the Right Team Operating Model for the Future?

Leaders must evolve how meetings functions are structured, staffed and supported to meet changing workforce and business demands. This program will explore operating models, talent strategies, AI’s impact on team design and approaches for scaling capacity with the right people, skills and resources in place. Participants will begin in small groups based on team size to discuss shared challenges and compare approaches, then come together for a broader peer reflection on the future of meetings team leadership.

Blueprint to the Future: Leading in a New World of Work

Eric Termuende, Workplace Culture Researcher, Future of Work Expert and Best-Selling Author

Brought to you by Gotham Artists

Whether it is the next market disruption or the yet-to-be-created technology that is sure to evolve how we work, the future is truly impossible to predict. While trends, charts, and forecasting are interesting, we must shift from trying to anticipate what the future looks like to building resilient systems and teams that can help us navigate whatever the future brings.

In this engaging, insight-filled and actionable conversation, workplace culture and leadership expert Eric Termuende delivers a hands-on, customized and research-backed blueprint that has helped thousands of category-leading teams build trust, remove friction and prepare for a future that is changing constantly, unpredictably and faster than ever before.

About Eric

Eric Termuende is a keynote speaker, bestselling author and researcher focused on one of the defining leadership challenges of our time: how to navigate uncertainty and change when the world refuses to stand still.

For over a decade, Eric has studied leadership, trust, culture, team performance, technology and the changing nature of work. His work explores why traditional approaches to planning and leadership can break down when conditions change quickly, and what allows people, leaders and teams to continue moving when the path ahead is unclear.

Eric challenges the idea that the best leaders are the best predictors. Instead, his research shows the importance of creating direction without pretending to have certainty, building the trust required for honest information to travel, reducing the friction that slows teams down and making small, deliberate One-Degree Shifts that turn action into information and progress.

Eric has brought his research and ideas to hundreds of stages around the world, working with leaders and teams at organizations including Amazon, Toyota, IBM, Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, Nationwide, Zoom and Nokia. His ideas have been featured in Forbes, Fast Company and Inc., and his first book, Rethink Work, became a bestselling resource for leaders navigating the changing world of work.

On stage, Eric combines a researcher's curiosity with a storyteller's instinct and a speaker's sense of the room. Known for his energy, humour and highly customized approach, he makes serious ideas feel immediately relevant and practical. Audiences leave with more than inspiration. They leave with a clearer way to lead, adapt and move forward when the future is uncertain.

Get a Sneak Peek Into Eric's Session