A new weekly peer-to-peer roundtable series for event professionals launches this week. Hosted by mdg, a Freeman Company, the “Leading Through Disruption” program focuses on helping event professionals manage change and gain the insights and connections needed to navigate the pandemic. 

Each hour-long session, scheduled to run for six weeks starting Aug. 5, will have a theme introduced by thought leaders who then facilitate the discussion.

“We have leaders in strategy, design and data/research from Freeman and mdg who will be challenging participants to seize the opportunities associated with the changing nature of the events business,” said Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes, chief marketing strategist at mdg. “This initiative gives senior executives a forum to have in-depth conversations with their industry peers — to share advice, to ask questions, and to find out what’s working in other organizations.”  

The sessions will take place each Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. EDT from Aug. 5 through Sept. 9. Full session details are below: 

Aug. 5

“The Future of Live Event Design”

Facilitator: Mo Husseini, senior vice president of design, Freeman

Aug. 12

“Safety Dance: Considerations for the Return to Physical”

Facilitator: Dan Steiner, MBA, CPA, ARM, vice president of enterprise risk management, Freeman 

Aug. 19

“Translating Audience Research into Actionable Insights” 

Facilitators: Ken Hosinger, senior vice president of strategy and digital and data solutions, Freeman; and Kimberly Hardcastle, chief marketing strategist, mdg    

Aug. 26

“An Executive-Level Briefing on the Future of Digital Marketing” 

Facilitator: Marc Blumer, customer journey architect, mdg 

Sept. 2

“What’s Actually Working (and Not) with Online Events”  

Facilitators: Mark Fein, senior vice president of strategy, Freeman; and Jacquelyn Wells, vice president and marketing strategist, mdg

Sept. 9

“Okay, So Now What? An Exercise in Strategic Prioritization” 

Facilitators: Sara Baliti, senior account director, mdg; and David Saef, executive vice president of strategy, Freeman

To maintain a format conducive to networking, attendance at the roundtables will be limited. Qualified participants (executive-level event organizers) interested in attending should email Kate Calderazzo at kcalderazzo@mdg.agency to request an invitation to participate.