A summit meeting is a high-level event that brings together key leaders from a given industry or subject. The goal is to discuss topics or issues that will have a long-term impact on the attendees and the industry as a whole. Summits are often used by associations to generate momentum around new initiatives and strategies, and to inspire members to take the lead in driving change.
The first summit of the Americas took place in Miami in 1994. This historic event brought 19 Hemispheric governments together to address a variety of critical social, economic and political issues. The Miami Summit resulted in the creation of a number of institutions and a series of multilateral follow-up mechanisms that will guide future hemispheric meetings.
Tiiu Lutter, a mental health professional and writer for Effortless Insurance, notes that summits are generally more formal events with a narrow focus. Attendance is often limited to those with a certain level of authority or influence in the topic area and attendees are expected to listen to all sessions without speaking, unless specifically invited to do so.
Whether your association is hosting a virtual or in-person summit, make sure to invest time to consider how the content will be distributed and shared afterwards. Your attendees are likely to have a variety of interests, and it’s important to understand what they will be looking for after your event. For example, will they want to hear from speakers that they admire or are most familiar with? If your event includes a workshop, consider creating a video of the session so that attendees can learn from it even when the live event has ended.