Sarah McVanel has a way of saying the thing a whole room is quietly thinking. This month Corporate Meetings Network ran her latest article, and it is one I want every planner to read before they lock in next year’s agenda.
You will recognize the setup. Every year there is a new thing to be ready for. AI. Hybrid. Whatever showed up in last week’s headlines. Sarah says chasing each one is exhausting, and it is not making our events any better. Her answer is simple. Stop chasing, and look up.
Look up to what lasts
Sarah is a recognition expert, so she knows what overwhelm does to people. Most professionals already feel they are not keeping up in their own roles, and an event should take some of that pressure off, not add to it. When planners are flooded with competing voices, we grab whatever feels current because it is right in front of us. That is not laziness. It is self-preservation.
Looking up means going higher. Up to purpose. Up to principles. Up to the truths that outlast any one theme or session title.
Trends stand on foundations
This is the part I keep coming back to. AI, belonging and hybrid work are not in competition with the timeless stuff. They sit on top of it. Sarah traces each one back to something older and steadier: ethical leadership, recognition, trust.
So a foundational keynote does not compete with a trend-focused one. It gives the trend somewhere to land. The best conferences do not make you choose between relevant and lasting. They connect the two.
What it looks like in your agenda
Her approach is refreshingly practical. Start with a theme that endures, like recognition, trust, belonging or clarity. Then add the timely sessions that speak to what your people need right now. Tie every topic to something bigger than itself. And when somebody on the committee asks what the theme actually is, she has the answer.
“It’s the thing they’ll remember when they forget the session titles.”
Sarah McVanel, Corporate Meetings Network
Why I am sharing it
Because this is how we think at TA too. Booking a speaker is the easy part. Booking the right one, for the reason your people will still care about in five years, is the real work. Sarah talks about designing events that feel like legacy, not just logistics, and I could not say it better.
If you are building an agenda and want to start from the foundation, let’s talk.
Tami
