ECEF 2024 Program

Sam Lippman, President, Lippman Connects sets the tone for the day with this fast-paced session highlighting key data points that have big implications.

Ken Holsinger, Senior Vice President Strategy, Freeman Company takes you through fresh intelligence from Freeman data on attendees, exhibits and sponsorships. Ken will build on Sam's "5 Key Data Points" and will share deeper insights on the intent and behaviors of these critical partners.

Join us for an inspiring session with Melissa Medina, the co-founder of eMerge Americas, as she takes us on a captivating journey of dreaming big. Through Melissa's transformative storytelling, we'll uncover the key takeaways from the inaugural event that shaped the future trajectory of eMerge and Miami as a tech hub. Prepare to be both impressed and intrigued as she unveils the evolution of eMerge over a decade, proving that it is much more than just an event. Discover how eMerge's year-round efforts and engagement have elevated Miami's tech scene to new heights, culminating in Miami Tech Month. She’ll give a glimpse into what the future holds for eMerge Americas, and how her vision extends beyond eMerge with her latest venture. Melissa's story proves that as a show grows more successful it can also do more to improve the lives of countless others.

Hear what CFOs expect when they approve budgets for our events. Find out how your organization can anticipate and fulfill their expectations to solidify your share of the budget. Our CFO panel includes Daniel Isanuk, CFO, Newman & Company; Matt Jacobson, COO and CFO, Gravy Analytics; and Aparna Ramesh, Executive Vice President -  CFO and Treasurer, Farmer Mac.

You have 86,400 seconds today to put transformative change into motion. How are you doing so far?

That attitude is what encourages Teena Piccione, Senior Director, Google, to embrace change every day of her spectacular career. When your job is to run Transformational Programs within Google to reinvent the way the entire global organization works, you need a success mindset and an adaptable framework. So adaptable, in fact, Teena has applied her methods to areas as varied as conferencing technology, finance engineering, buildings/real estate, and AI integration. So adaptable, in fact, she’s going to prove you can use her methods to take your organization to unprecedented levels of achievement.

• We must transform how we work while we sit in a world that is constantly changing.
• How to transform when everyone wants the status quo, yet growth and innovation requires change and adaptation.
• People know they have to change but are more comfortable doing things the way they have always done them.
• We have to elevate the way we work and lead others to follow. Illuminate the path, then be diligent in the way we bring others with us. 
• General Eric Shinseki said it best, "if you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less.

Ten years ago, brash up-and-coming Greg Topalian captivated the ECEF audience with bold predictions for 2024. Recently named Chairman of Clarion Events North America, Greg is back. This time, he’ll candidly evaluate his 2014 performance, and he’ll take another no-holds-barred look 10 years ahead. Watch out, sacred cows, when Greg predicts the future of the attendee experience, rising costs, the value of trust, shifting revenue sources, and whatever else is in the cards.

If events are all about people, why do organizers so often neglect the human factor in event planning? Christine Kiesling, Vice President, Customer Experience, Hargrove from Encore and Erin Uritus, CEO, Out & Equal will bring the results of proprietary research that points to a better way to create meaningful event experiences for attendees. Encore partnered with global independent consultant Kantar, to conduct rich multi-layered research among key cohorts.

Here is what they learned:

• Changes at macro and micro levels in the events industry are affecting how people view the value of their time spent.
• Subsequent behavior shifts need to be understood and considered, taking the “human factor” into the center of the event design process.
• As we think about People, Technology and the Environment, we must consider how we create experiences that put people first to create meaningful (not just memorable) experiences.
• When we think about the human factor, the areas of key focus within the exhibitions and conventions include Designing for Belonging, Accessibility, and the use of “in between space”, and the Attendee Journey within a space.