A summit meeting brings people together for a high-level, focused conversation about issues that affect all participants. The goal is to help attendees understand their role in the problem and offer solutions that can be put into action right away. These events are often held by powerful leaders or people with a lot of influence. The content is carefully selected and the agenda is well-planned to ensure that each participant will have an opportunity to share their point of view and present solutions.
Summits are a great way to energize membership and enact real change. They are a powerful tool for convening key stakeholders around important topics and can be extremely valuable when used in times of crisis.
It’s a good idea to define clear roles for directing, designing, planning and coordinating a summit. Summits tend to be complex events and if the lines between these activities are not clearly defined, it is difficult to keep things on track. Ideally, the top executive convening the summit (the “meeting owner”) should designate a summit director and grant this person the authority to shape the event and say no to people trying to add items that don’t fit the meeting objectives.
It’s also a good idea to plan ahead for what happens after the event. The summit’s value can be greatly diminished if people don’t have an understanding of how to channel their newfound wisdom into smart strategy and executable next steps.
About the Author
