Announcing the EPN Leadership Summit
The Event Professionals Network is excited to introduce a brand-new experience in our EPNOW event series:
✨ The 2026 Leadership Summit
January 29, 2026 | 10:00 AM–1:00 PM PT
Live, virtual, half-day
This Leadership Summit is designed specifically for event and marketing leaders who guide people, shape strategy, influence stakeholders, and drive cross-functional alignment across their organizations.
Whether you're:
Leading a team
Managing complex, cross-functional work
Supporting executive alignment
Or simply trying to bring clarity to constant chaos
This summit was built for you.
You can attend the full experience or select the sessions that matter most. Each session is short, strategic, and built for real-world impact – so you can learn, apply, and move forward.
The Leadership Summit Agenda (Sneak Peek)
Here’s your first look at what’s happening on Wednesday, January 29:
🎶 Welcome & 2026 Leadership Outlook
10:05–10:30 AM PT
Welcome & Opening Keynote: The 2026 Event Landscape / The Evolving Role of the Event Leader
Brent Turner (Opus Agency)
Brent joined EPN for an Event Strategy Meetup in August – and it was 🔥🔥🔥. We’re excited to welcome him back to kick off the Summit with a clear-eyed look at the 2026 event landscape.
This keynote explores what’s changing, what’s accelerating, and what it now means to lead teams with confidence, clarity, and strategic intent.
💡 VISIBLE Events: Reclaiming Your Identity as a Leader
10:30–10:55 AM PT
Sheena Yap Chan (The Tao of Self-Confidence)
Burnout is real.
Over-functioning is real.
The invisible labor of emotional, strategic, and operational responsibility is real.
In this session, Sheena introduces the VISIBLE Framework™, helping event leaders reclaim identity, impact, and space—without sacrificing performance.
💬 EPN Zone: Debrief & Report Out
10:55–11:10 AM PT
Our first EPN Zone – a lively, unscripted, community-led recap of the morning’s insights.
Think ESPN Zone… but for event pros sharing real takeaways, reactions, and immediate next steps.
🧠 Peer Leadership Breakouts
11:10–11:35 AM PT
Join focused, facilitated conversations on today’s most important leadership challenges, including:
Managing people & growth mindset
High performance & culture
Experiential & content strategy
Event strategy & alignment
Measurement & proving impact
Stakeholder communication & influence
✨ All insights will feed into an Event Leadership AI booklet, built from peer conversations and shared with attendees.
💬 EPN Zone: Community Report-Out
11:35–11:55 AM PT
We return to the main room for a high-energy share-out on themes, insights, and key leadership patterns emerging across the community.
🧍♀️ Stretch & Reset Break
11:55–12:00 PM PT
With Brooke Polner (Fitness Professional & Endurance Athlete | Gregory Event Services Marketing Lead & Event Strategist)
A short movement moment to reset before closing the Summit with powerful strategic leadership sessions.
🤝 Network Like a CEO: A Strategic System for Building Connection & Capital
12:00–12:10 PM PT
Michelle Kennedy (Plato Media Co.)
Networking often feels awkward, transactional, or exhausting.
This session flips the script and reframes connection as a strategic system, sharing a practical, repeatable playbook for building meaningful professional relationships rooted in curiosity, abundance, and reciprocity.
🎙 Boss Talk for Event Pros: Speak Strategy. Lead with Confidence.
12:15–12:25 PM PT
Antwone Stigall (Planner Approved)
Event professionals are often praised for flawless execution – but rarely positioned as strategic leaders.
This session helps you bridge that gap through language shifts, mindset tools, and credibility-building tactics drawn directly from real boardroom experience.
🧩 Panel: Leading Through Change With Heads of Events
12:25–12:50 PM PT
Moderator:
Lisa Gregory, Founder @ Gregory Event Services
Panelists include:
Jeremy Youett, Head of Proprietary Events @ Atlassian
Additional leaders to be announced soon!
A candid, powerful conversation on navigating uncertainty, shifting expectations, and leading teams through constant change.
🎉 Closing & Leadership Takeaways
12:50–12:55 PM PT
Lisa Gregory and Marisa Nebosky close the Summit with clear, actionable next steps for leading intentionally and strategically in 2026.
🎁 Why Attend the Leadership Summit?
You’ll walk away with:
⭐ A clear picture of what leadership requires in 2026
⭐ Practical tools to lead people and programs with confidence
⭐ Systems for connection, influence, alignment, and visibility
⭐ Strategies you can use immediately – the same day
⭐ Community support from peers facing the same challenges
All in a short, live, virtual format that respects your time and workload.
🤝 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
Pinnacle Branding – 100 thoughtfully curated swag kits
Goldcast – Virtual event platform partner
🎟 Register for the Leadership Summit
You’re already doing the work.
You already care deeply about your team, your programs, and this industry.
Give yourself one morning to grow as a leader.
👉 Register now for the 2026 Leadership Summit – January 29, 2026.
🌟 BONUS: The BIG Annual Event — February 26, 2026
In addition to the Leadership Summit, we’ll gather again on February 26 for our flagship community event, The BIG Event.
This half-day virtual experience is designed for all event professionals – planners, producers, strategists, field marketers, and experience creators.
It features:
⭐ A future-focused keynote on experience architecture
⭐ Sessions on shifting from busy to effective
⭐ Insights on the future of event strategy, operations, and field marketing
⭐ Design-forward sessions with Pinnacle Branding
⭐ And of course… more EPN Zones 🎉
Make 2026 the year you invest in YOUR growth, your leadership, and your craft.
Join us for one – or register for both for the full EPNOW experience.
👉 Register for the BIG Event – February 26, 2026
(same registration link, shared here again for convenience)
