Announcing the EPN BIG Event — February 26, 2026
The Event Professionals Network’s Annual Virtual Experience
The Event Professionals Network is excited to reveal the full agenda for our biggest gathering of the year:
✨ The 2026 BIG Event
February 26, 2026 | 8:00 AM–12:15 PM PT
Live, virtual, half-day experience
The BIG Event is designed for every kind of event professional – planners, producers, event and field marketers, strategists, experience creators, and operations pros.
If you’re building events, shaping strategy, partnering cross-functionally, or navigating a rapidly evolving industry… this event was built for you.
Attend one session or all of them. Every talk is short, high-impact, and focused on giving you immediately useful tools for 2026.
The BIG Event Agenda (Sneak Peek)
Here’s your first look at what’s happening on Wednesday, February 26:
🎶 Morning Kickoff: Set the Tone
7:55–8:20 AM PT
The day begins with DJ Graffiti pumping up the energy with killer jams and setting the tone for everything ahead. Grab your coffee, settle in, and get ready to elevate your event game!
🎤 Opening Keynote: Evolving Identity of the Event Manager: The Experience Architect
8:20–8:40 AM PT
Rich Bracken (Founder, Unstoppable Solutions)
Today’s attendees expect more than well-run logistics—they expect intentional, memorable experiences. As expectations rise, the role of the event manager is evolving from executor to Experience Architect: a strategic partner who shapes how people feel, engage, and remember an event.
This session challenges event professionals to rethink their role in the planning process and step confidently into the strategy, design, and experience of their events. Attendees will explore how early involvement in goal-setting, audience psychology, and experience design leads to stronger engagement, clearer outcomes, and greater perceived value—both for attendees and stakeholders.
Designed specifically for event planners and producers, this session offers practical frameworks for influencing decision-makers, collaborating across teams, and designing experiences that capture attention and drive impact. Participants leave with language, tools, and confidence to elevate their role and create events that truly stand out.
💡 From “Reliable” to “Effective” — Stop Being Busy, Start Driving Real Impact
8:40–9:00 AM PT
Nick Bennett (Founder @ NB Marketing)
Too many marketers measure success by how much they do, not what actually moves the needle. I learned that the hard way by being every CMO’s favorite “go-to” person who delivered everything except results.
In this session, we’ll talk about how to shift from reactive execution to intentional, strategic impact. You’ll learn how to protect your time, prioritize what actually drives pipeline, and earn influence across the business, not just praise for being helpful. This is for anyone who’s tired of being the person who gets things done but wants to become the person who drives growth.
🎯 When Event Ops Meets Field Marketing: Why Event Strategists Are the Future
9:00–9:15 AM PT
Mia Masson (Marketing Specialist @ Independent) + Julien Bouvier (Creative Director @ SIGHTLINE)
The line between marketing and events has officially blurred. Event operations and field marketing have long worked in parallel, but the future belongs to those who can bridge the gap.
When these two disciplines collaborate deeply, the result is not just better events, but smarter, more strategic experiences that drive measurable business outcomes. In this thought-provoking session, two marketing and events specialists share how merging operational precision with marketing strategy transforms event teams into superhuman forces for growth.
By learning each other’s language - logistics meets lead generation, experience meets ROI - event professionals can move beyond execution to become true strategic partners in business success.
💬 EPN Zone: Highlights & Hot Takes: Stop Being Busy, Start Leading
9:15-9:25 AM PT
Carter Parrish (Leader of Growth / Sr. Experience Producer @ Robotproof) + Gurlene Kaur (Field Marketing Leader @ memoryBlue, Freelance)
Join us for EPN Zone: Highlights & Hot Takes — a fast, community-driven conversation where we unpack the biggest insights from today’s three initial strategy sessions and turn them into real action.
We’ll pull out the top takeaways on experiential impact, shifting from “busy” to truly effective work, and why the future belongs to event strategists who partner deeply with ops and field marketing.
This is your space to compare notes, share what resonated, and explore how to apply these ideas immediately in your own role — so you can stop reacting and start leading.
💻 The Latest in Event Tech
9:25-9:40 AM PT
Jonathan Kazarian (CEO & Founder @ Accelevents)
A rapid-fire update on what’s new, what’s changing, and what actually matters in event technology for 2026. From registration and platforms to AI enhancements and on-site tools, learn what’s worth adopting – and what’s fading out.
🤖 AI That Works: Turning Everyday Tasks into Strategic Wins
9:40–10:00 AM PT
Anca Platon Trifan (CEO & Host, Events @ Demystified Podcast)
AI shouldn’t make event work harder, it should make it smarter. This session breaks down real examples of how event teams are using AI today to plan, communicate, and report with greater clarity and less chaos.
Through stories from actual event operations and production workflows, Anca Platon Trifan shows where AI truly saves time, how to measure impact, and what to avoid when introducing it into your team’s rhythm.
This is a practical, honest conversation about strategy over novelty, how to use AI as a support system, not a shiny distraction.
💬 EPN Zone: Tech Recap – Tools, Trends & Real Impact
10:00-10:10 AM PT
Starr Stephenson (Sr. Marketing Manager @ Deltek) + Traci Myers (Director of Event Marketing @ Pulumi)
Join us for the EPN Zone Tech Recap — a fast, community-driven conversation where we break down the top takeaways from the day’s tech sessions and turn them into practical next steps.
We’ll highlight the most impactful ideas from the talks, share additional insights from the community, and explore how to apply what we learned about event tech and AI immediately in your own workflows.
This is your chance to compare notes, ask questions, and turn inspiration into action — together.
🧘 Wellness Reboot: Reset, Regulate, and Re-energize
10:10–10:15 AM PT
Anca Platon Trifan (CEO | Host, Events @ Demystified Podcast)
A guided moment to regulate your nervous system, reset your energy, and re-center before the final block of sessions.
📃 Expectations of Event Leadership
10:15-10:40 AM PT
Evan Babins (Manager, Event Production @ Scotiabank)
The Expectations of Event Leadership are twofold: the why and the how.
The why represents the strategic, procedural approach to the tactical and organizational aspects of event leadership.
The how is grounded in Principles and Culture, guiding the way you work, fostering trust with stakeholders, and prioritizing the attendee experience.
By combining operational expertise with essential soft skills event leads will deliver world-class experiences, strengthening relationships across their company, and drive meaningful outcomes that extend beyond any single program.
🎤 The Power of the Ask: How One Bold Question Can Change Everything
10:40–10:50 AM PT
Starr Stephenson (Senior Marketing Manager @ Deltek)
Ever stop yourself from asking because you assumed the answer would be no? Let’s talk about what can happen when you ask anyway.
Starr will share a true story from behind the scenes of an event that began with one simple question — and ended in an unexpected partnership. You’ll walk away with a fresh perspective on the power of curiosity, confidence, and one small ask that can change everything.
💬 EPN Zone: Leadership & The Power of Boldness
10:50-11:00 AM PT
Erica Parker (Sr. Global Events Manager @ Isovalent, Cisco) + Karlyanna Kopra Burton (Director, Events & Field Marketing @ Zafran Security)
Fast, candid, and community-led, this EPN Zone turns big leadership ideas into real-world action.
Building on Expectations of Event Leadership and The Power of the Ask, we’ll unpack what today’s event leaders are truly being asked to deliver, and how bold questions, clear principles, and confident leadership can open new doors.
This isn’t a recap. It’s an open, facilitated conversation where we’ll share sharp takeaways, honest reactions, and practical moves you can use immediately, with your team, your stakeholders, and your strategy.
If you’re ready to lead with intention and ask a little braver, this is your moment.
🎨 Designing the Theaters & Playgrounds of the Show Floor
11:00-11:15 AM PT
Amy Gattoni (Senior Account Director @ Pinnacle Branding) & Rich Rodrigues (Director of Strategy & Growth @ Pinnacle Branding)
Exhibits are no longer static spaces. They are stages and they are playgrounds. Attendees want two things. A place to feel something and a place to do something. This session explores how to design both.
Theaters are immersive worlds that shape emotion and pull people into a brand story. Playgrounds are interactive zones that spark action and invite attendees to co create. The impact comes from blending these modes with intention.
The audience will learn how to map an experience journey, choose the right balance of immersion and interaction, and make small design shifts that increase engagement and transform traffic flow. The goal is simple. Build exhibits that feel alive, perform like destinations, and play like invitations.
🧠 Audience Design: Events Aren’t One-Size-Fits-All
11:15–11:30 AM PT
Juliette Paige (Co-founder, Director of Experience @ The Slowdown Summit) + Zach Reizes (Founder @ The Slowdown Summit)
In a hustle-culture forward world where only the loudest voices in the room are heard, the majority of people slip into observation mode and self-select out of events and leadership.
At the Slowdown Summit, we are designing a leadership development conference for introverted and neurodivergent professionals. Not only are we redefining leadership to empower introspective qualities, but we're challenging how we gather. Our event meets every mind where they are, not just the extroverted, auditory learner.
💬 EPN Zone: Trade Show Trends, Human-Centered Design & Spaces That Work
11:30-11:40 AM PT
Lakesha Moore (Founder & Lead Event Strategist @ Rolling with Keke) + Melissa Cheng (Event & Field Marketing Lead & Sentry)
Join us for EPN Zone: Trade Show Trends, Human-Centered Design & Spaces That Work — a quick, community-driven recap of the two sessions exploring how we design better experiences for every attendee.
We’ll break down the freshest ideas in trade show and expo design from Pinnacle Expo, then dive into what it really means to create learning and gathering spaces that support all minds — introverted, neurodivergent, and beyond.
This is your chance to pull out the top insights, share new ideas, and turn what you learned into practical actions you can bring to your next event.
🎙 Closing Keynote: The Planner’s Edge — Mastering the Hidden Synergy Between Emotional Intelligence and Financial Planning for Unforgettable Events
11:40–12:00 PM PT
Lorrena Black (Founder & CEO @ She Served LLC) + Darla Bishop (Founder @ FinanSis LLC)
Today’s event professionals face increasing pressure to design meaningful experiences, manage complex stakeholders, and steward budgets with precision. As Forbes recently noted, “the best leaders aren’t just visionary; they have financial literacy skills.” But exceptional planners know that numbers alone don’t drive unforgettable events—people do.
The Planner’s Edge delivers a powerful and unexpected advantage: the combined force of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and financial literacy. In this dynamic co-presentation, leadership expert and veteran speaker Lorrena Black joins forces with financial wellness professor and author Dr. Darla Bishop, whose work demonstrates how financial stress affects confidence, performance, and decision-making.
Together, they reveal how mastering both EI and financial strategy elevates not only the planning process but also the attendee experience itself.
By blending Lorrena’s expertise in emotional intelligence with Dr. Bishop’s practical, research-driven financial guidance, this session gives event professionals a true edge—a dual competency that strengthens leadership, enhances financial outcomes, and transforms events from memorable to extraordinary.
🦄 That’s a Wrap
12:00–12:05 PM PT
Lisa Gregory and Marisa Nebosky close the morning with final insights, gratitude, and a quick look at what’s next for EPN.
🎁 Why Attend the BIG Event?
You’ll walk away with:
⭐ A clear, actionable playbook for 2026 event and experience strategy
⭐ Confidence in where to focus time, energy, and resources
⭐ Stronger collaboration across ops, marketing, and leadership
⭐ Fresh inspiration for exhibit and environment design
⭐ Practical ways to use AI – at any skill level
⭐ Community insights from a diverse group of peers who understand your challenges
⭐ Renewed clarity, momentum, and connection
All inside a short, live, virtual experience designed to support you and the many ways you show up for your team and attendees.
🤝 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Goldcast – Virtual event platform
🎟 Register for the BIG Event
This is your chance to learn, connect, recharge, and step into 2026 with clarity and momentum.
Join us for one session or all — just don’t miss it!
👉 Register now for The BIG Event on February 26, 2026
🌟 BONUS: Don’t Miss the Leadership Summit — January 29, 2026
If you’re guiding teams, strategy, or cross-functional work, the Leadership Summit is the perfect companion event.
It features:
⭐ A 2026 leadership keynote
⭐ VISIBLE Events (burnout + identity reset)
⭐ Relationship architecture for strategic influence
⭐ Boss Talk for Event Pros
⭐ A Heads of Events leadership panel
⭐ Community-led EPN Zones & peer breakouts
Start 2026 with clarity in your leadership – and your event strategy.
👉 Register for the Leadership Summit (January 29)
(Same registration link – shared again here for convenience)
