Why People, Not Content, Create Event Value

Events have always been governed by a simple truth: value concentrates around a small number of attendees. What's changed is that we can no longer pretend otherwise.

Most event design still optimises for content; speakers, panels, stages. But attendees don't come for broadcasts. They come for access. They come for the people who matter in their industry, the meetings that move decisions, the collisions that generate momentum, the polishing of their network.

This presentation examines why VIP strategy, 1:1 meeting programmes, and ruthless guest list curation are on the rise. It explores what senior attendees actually want, why open networking collapses at scale, and how the most effective events are designed around the people, not content.