Look Who's Speaking at Elevate New York 2016

The one-day conference for event and meeting professionals will be held on April 27, offering a full lineup of educational sessions.

In just four short weeks Elevate New York will return, bringing speakers, inspiring ideas, and smart tips for event and meeting professionals to the new building of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The one-day conference on April 27 will feature new workshops and topics for discussion—all designed to provide attendees with the tools and inspiration they need to rethink and explore the new attendee journey at events.

Don't Miss Elevate New York 2016

If you haven't registered yet, take a peek at what's on tap for the day.

Getting Scientific: Making Your Event More Captivating
Ben Parr, author and entrepreneur, Captivology
Capturing attention in a world filled with technological distractions and ever-increasing stimuli is a challenge for event organizers, marketers, and business owners alike. Whether it’s drawing sponsors or attendees to an event, prospects to a venue, or new leads to a sales endeavor, rethinking attention-grabbing triggers and framing a message in a different way is an art that can be learned. In this morning keynote, renowned author and entrepreneur Ben Parr will discuss important new principles and steps that can be implemented to capture and keep an audience’s attention, making the experience one to remember.

Re(Invent): Are You Ready to Shake Up Your Annual Event?
Jeff Kaplan, senior vice president of global events and brand activation, Discovery Communications
We’ve all been there—looking through Pinterest boards and ripping pages out of magazines, searching for something that will provide inspiration to shake up an event. But simply changing decor is not enough. If a live experience is going to be successful year after year, it’s necessary to rethink, revive, and implement fresh ideas and new tactics. In this workshop, Jeff Kaplan, senior vice president of global events and brand activation at Discovery Communications, will explore how his team continuously creates memorable events for iconic brands and pop-culture institutions, including Shark Week, the Puppy Bowl, Cake Boss, and Deadliest Catch.

Leveraging Technology to Improve Live Experiences
Peter Corbett, founder and C.E.O., iStrategyLabs
As new technologies transform the industry on a daily basis, event organizers must stay ahead of the curve and understand how to merge physical with digital to improve live experiences. In this workshop, Peter Corbett, founder and C.E.O. of iStrategyLabs, will take a look at new technologies that are impacting the industry and examine tools event professionals should implement. Corbett will discuss the creative use of live streaming and virtual reality, experimental technology, and connected devices. He will also examine the current event landscape and review the newest activations, products, and campaigns while sharing predictions of what is just around the corner.

Designing Holistic Experiences: Are You Thinking of Your Event as a Brand?
Lindsay Landman, president, Lindsay Landman Events
Galas, activations, trade shows, and weddings are all different experiences with the same goal: to leave an impact on every person that interacts with the event. Whether it’s food and beverage, entertainment, technology, or branding, organizers must ensure all facets of the event work together to bring the attendee, sponsor, and host on the same journey. In this workshop, Lindsay Landman, president of Lindsay Landman Events, will uncover the secrets behind designing holistic experiences while looking at the event as an individual brand. Landman will share strategies and tactics that will make you rethink the way events are designed, giving tips on how to make each detail an intrinsic part of the bigger experience.

Sponsorship: How to Stand Out Against the Competition
Jess Backofen, executive director, JDRF
Sponsor support is a key factor for fund-raising events, galas, trade shows, and conferences, and it often proves to be the difference between meeting expectations and crushing revenue goals. In this workshop, Jess Backofen, executive director at JDRF, will share insight into getting more out of partner relationships. She will discuss understanding sponsor needs, finding new ways to reevaluate packages, and improving the sponsor’s experience before, during, and after an event. Backofen will also uncover innovative strategies for creating value for sponsors, especially during fund-raisers.

Are You Curating Your Best Event?
Cathi Culbertson, vice president of event marketing and conferences, Forbes
Jill Taub Drury, founder and C.E.O., Drury Design Dynamics
Kyle Gibson, co-founder and executive producer, Women in the World

Competition in the meeting and event space is fiercer than ever, and conference organizers, marketers, and planners must consistently find new ways to make their experiences stand out. In this workshop, David Adler, C.E.O. and founder of BizBash, along with a panel of conference and meeting experts, including Cathi Culbertson, vice president of event marketing and conferences at Forbes; Kyle Gibson, co-founder and executive producer at Women in the World; and Jill Taub Drury, founder and C.E.O. at Drury Design, will decode what it takes to create the perfect event. Sharing case studies behind events that include Forbes’ 30 under 30, the Women in the World Summit, and IBM InterConnect, these industry experts will share insights into the important questions to ask before every event, creating content that will drive ticket sales, the right time balance between education sessions, networking moments, and sponsor scheduling.

Engaging Attendees Through Multisensory Experiences
Barry Ross Rinehart, executive creative director, Multi Image Group
From the moment an attendee first learns about an event, it has begun—and so do the opportunities to activate their brains through multisensory stimulation. For an event to be truly memorable, event organizers must design a 360-degree experience that appeals to all five senses. In this workshop, Multi Image Group’s executive creative director Barry Ross Rinehart will uncover the art and science behind crafting multisensory experiences. Rinehart will share actionable tips, research, and new ways to make an experience resonate with every sense, creating truly lasting impressions.

Tapping Into the Power of the Crowd
Evan Starkman, president, Bait Shoppe
An engaged audience is the most powerful tool a brand can possess, helping to create influencers to share your message, touch points to source new ideas, and outlets to discover what your audience is really looking for. With the rise of social platforms and evolving technologies, harnessing the power of the crowd has never been easier, but where do you start? Join Evan Starkman, president of the Bait Shoppe, as he dives into the world of social media, exploring innovative new tools, when to use them, and how to take advantage of all they have to offer. Starkman will divulge fresh insights and proven strategies from his work with brands such as Old Navy, HP, and Sheraton.

The New Rules of Event Marketing: Is Your Message Making an Impact?
Jackie Williams, director of marketing, ReedPOP
Amanda Gochee, director of marketing, Reed Exhibitions
Cristian Robalino, director of marketing, Reed Exhibitions

Event marketing is an ever-changing field with emerging tools and platforms continuously on the rise. Keeping up to date with new ideas and ways to broadcast your event while cutting through the clutter is a challenge all marketers face. In this workshop, Reed Exhibitions event marketing experts Jackie Williams, Amanda Gochee, and Cristian Robalino will share secrets on how they attracted hundreds of thousands of people to renowned events, including New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, the National Hardware Show, PGA Merchandise Show, Agenda, and more. These marketing gurus will discuss the evolution and addition of video content and content marketing, highlighting new platforms on the horizon that marketers should integrate into their campaigns. Discover the latest B-to-B and B-to-C marketing concepts to apply to your next event, including brainstorming new ideas and key social initiatives to consider.

Career and Business Mentoring, presented by the Event Leadership Institute
Howard Givner, founder and executive director, Event Leadership Institute
Need some guidance in taking your career or business to the next level? Want advice on how to grow in your current job, raise your industry profile, or shift gears altogether? Join Howard Givner, founder and executive director of the Event Leadership Institute, along with a group of seasoned industry pros, for career and business mentoring. Sign up for a private 15-minute one-on-one session with an industry mentor and get valuable input on how best to move your career and business forward. There are a limited number of appointments available and are offered on a first come, first served basis.

Don't Miss Elevate New York 2016