The What’s Next Summit will take place on April 5 and 6 in Washington, D.C., and was born out of Axios’s What’s Next newsletter product, which was first published in summer 2021. The newsletter covers how the pandemic has changed in how people work, play and get around, and the conference is aimed at getting executives from a number of industries to talk about the challenges and changes they’ve experienced in these areas, said Sara Kehaulani Goo, editor-in-chief of Axios.

The summit, which is expected to become an annual event, will have virtual components, with the mainstage panels being broadcast via a live stream, but the in-person elements of the conference will be a core part of the programming. The event will be free to attend and watch. If omicron persists or another variant threatens the safety of the event, Axios will move it to a later date so the in-person elements, like small working groups and roundtable discussions, can still happen in person, said Kristin Burkhalter, the company’s svp of events and creative strategy.

About 220 people are expected to attend the summit in person, all of whom will be invited from a curated list of leaders that is composed by Goo’s editorial team and do not have to pay to attend, according to Burkhalter. An even smaller selection of those invitees — about 120 people — will be able to participate in the in-person working groups, to limit the number of interactions between guests, but also to focus on solving the specific issues each participant brings to the table more efficiently. All attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination, as the company is adhering to Washington, D.C.’s vaccine guidance, according to a company spokesperson.

Because the in-person element is so crucial to the success of the summit, in Burkhalter’s and Goo’s eyes, flexibility around the date will be necessary to orchestrate the event safely for attendees. Getting sponsors on board with any changes to that schedule will be just as important, however, as they are the sole sources of revenue for this event.

Right now, there are four sponsors signed on for the event, including Meta and Density, all of which are doing an in-person activation. Burkhalter said it was an “all or nothing” deal with the event advertisers, meaning none could opt for a virtual-only sponsorship. Keeping the sponsor list limited kept the focus on the editorial programming, she said, and the spots available were reserved to the brands willing to pay for the in-person activations. Axios …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron