Strategy, Experience, and Bold Ideas: Inside EPNow’s BIG Event

Mar 16

If the Leadership Summit focused on leading teams and navigating change,
The BIG Event focused on the evolving role of the event professional itself.

Hosted by Lisa Gregory with co-host Ricky Salguero, the event brought together the full EPN community for a high-energy morning of conversation around strategy, experience design, and the growing influence of event leaders inside organizations.

The goal wasn’t just inspiration.

It was clarity around what the role of the event professional is becoming.

Starting With Energy

The day opened with a burst of energy from DJ Graffiti, immediately setting the tone for a morning that blended serious strategic thinking with a sense of shared community.

From the moment the music started, the atmosphere felt different.

The chat lit up.

GIFs started flying.

Attendees greeted each other from across the industry.

The vibe stayed alive throughout the event — making the experience feel less like a traditional conference and more like a collective conversation.

The Experience Architect

One of the earliest sessions reframed the role of the event professional entirely.

Rich Bracken (Unstoppable Solutions) challenged attendees to move beyond thinking about events as schedules and agendas.

Instead, he introduced the concept of the Experience Architect.

Event leaders, he argued, are responsible for:

Pacing emotional energy
Designing engagement moments
Creating meaningful beginnings and endings

The role isn’t just logistics.

It’s storytelling through experience.

From “Reliable” to Strategic

Next, Nick Bennett (NB Marketing) tackled a challenge many event professionals recognize immediately.

Being the dependable “yes” person often leads to becoming extremely busy — but not necessarily impactful.

Nick encouraged attendees to shift from being the person who simply gets things done to being the person who drives measurable outcomes.

The distinction matters more than ever as event programs are increasingly tied to business results.

The Bridge Between Logistics and Strategy

Mia Masson (Independent) and Julien Bouvier (The Arc) explored one of the most important emerging roles in the industry.

The professional who can translate:

Logistics into strategy
Experience into measurable impact
Event work into language executives understand

This bridge role is becoming essential as events take on greater strategic importance inside organizations.

Making AI Actually Useful

AI was another major conversation across the event.

But Anca Platon Trifan (Demystified Podcast) grounded the discussion in practicality.

Instead of focusing on novelty, she highlighted how AI can be used to support real operational needs:

Audience segmentation
Program structure
Reporting models leadership teams can actually use

The takeaway was clear:

AI matters most when it removes friction and strengthens clarity.

The Reality of Event Technology

Jonathan Kazarian (Accelevents) addressed one of the industry's biggest operational challenges: tech fragmentation.

As event technology continues to expand, teams are increasingly managing complex stacks of tools.

Jonathan emphasized the importance of systems that prioritize:

Integration
Clarity
Consolidated reporting

The goal isn’t more tools.

It’s better-connected systems.

Leadership Is Strategy and Culture

Evan Babins (Event Production) explored leadership through both strategic and cultural lenses — focusing on how leaders shape not only the direction of programs but also the environment teams operate within.

Then Starr Stephenson (Deltek) delivered a powerful reminder about something surprisingly simple:

Many professionals hesitate to ask for what they need.

Budget.
Support.
Partnership.

Sometimes the biggest barrier to progress is assuming the answer will be no.

Designing Better Event Experiences

Experience design was another major theme.

Amy Gattoni and Rich Rodrigues (Pinnacle) offered a memorable framework for show floor design:

Theaters and playgrounds.

Spaces where attendees can either sit back and absorb ideas or actively engage and explore.

Then Juliette Paige and Zach Reizes (The Slowdown Summit) challenged traditional conference design entirely — advocating for experiences that support different learning styles, energy levels, and social comfort zones.

The Human and Financial Side of Leadership

The final session paired two perspectives that are often discussed separately.

Lorrena Black (She Served LLC) focused on emotional intelligence as a leadership skill.

Dr. Darla Bishop (FinanSis, LLC) explored financial literacy as a critical capability for modern professionals.

Together, they highlighted a powerful truth:

Understanding both people and numbers creates stronger leaders.

EPN Zones: Where Ideas Got Pressure-Tested

Just like the Leadership Summit, the conversation didn’t stop when the sessions ended.

Throughout the event, attendees joined EPN Zones — facilitated community discussions designed to turn insights into real-world takeaways.

Community leaders guiding the discussions included:

Carter Parrish (Robotproof) and Gurlene Kaur (memoryBlue)
Highlights & Hot Takes

Starr Stephenson (Deltek) and Traci Myers (Pulumi)
Event Tech Conversations

Amanda Pavan (Cvent) and Karlyanna Kopra Burton (Zafran Security)
Leadership and Boldness

Lakesha Moore (Rolling with Keke) and Melissa Cheng (Scentex)
Human-Centered Experience Design

These sessions surfaced practical insight from professionals actively doing the work — turning the event into a collaborative problem-solving space.

The Takeaway From The BIG Event

Across every session and conversation, one message was clear.

The event professional of 2026 isn’t just executing programs.

They are:

Shaping strategy
Influencing stakeholders
Designing meaningful experiences
Proving value in language the C-suite understands

The BIG Event didn’t end with applause.

It acted as a catalyst — with ideas and conversations continuing across the EPN community long after the closing session.

What’s Next

If the EPNow 2026 Event Series proved anything, it’s this: the momentum doesn’t stop at the closing slide.

It carries forward through the people shaping what’s next.

🚀 Apply to Speak – CFP Now Open

EPN is powered by practitioners.

The Call for Speakers is officially open, and we’re looking for event leaders ready to share real-world insights – the wins, the lessons, the frameworks, and the strategies that are working now.

If you’re actively navigating modern event complexity and have perspective to elevate fellow professionals, we invite you to step forward.

👉 Apply to Speak

🌱 Apply to Be a Mentor or Mentee

Growth doesn’t happen in isolation.

The EPNow Mentorship Program is now accepting applications through March 20. This complimentary program runs from April 15 – June 30 and is intentionally designed to be high-impact and manageable – approximately three hours total, with one meeting per month.

Whether you’re looking to fast-track your career or give back by guiding others, this is an opportunity to invest in the future of the industry – and in yourself.

👉 Apply to be a Mentor or Mentee

📊 Take the Survey

Your voice shapes what we build next.

We’re gathering insight from this year’s Series to continue refining, elevating, and strengthening the experience. If you attended, we’d value your perspective.

👉 Take the Survey

🌍 Join the EPN Community

If you’re not already part of EPN, this is your invitation.

The Event Professionals Network is more than a series – it’s a global community of practitioners committed to raising the standard of the industry together.

Inside EPN, members gain: