2020 Agenda

DAY ONE — 11/16/2020
Making Thought Leadership a Priority

An Overview of Our Latest Research Findings (10:00 – 10:30)

To open our 5th annual conference, Jason Mlicki of Rattleback and Bob Buday of Buday Thought Leadership Partners will share the findings of their 2020 thought leadership research study. We’ll share new insights into the strategies, processes, mindsets and behaviors of the most successful thought leadership marketers and the impact of COVID on the way those teams approach their work. Finally, we’ll set the stage for all 5 days with an overview of the seven capabilities of the most successful thought leadership marketers that we’ve derived from our multi-year research initiatives.

Patient Champions (10:30 – 11:00)

Patient Champions make the strategic investments in people, technologies and programs necessary to develop big ideas and shape the market. In this session, we’ll talk about how marketing leaders can make the business case for thought leadership with their senior leadership teams.

Disciplined Navigators (11:00 – 12:00)

One of the key capabilities that emerged from our research — Disciplined Navigators receive buy-in by aligning editorial strategies against business growth priorities, staying narrowly within their lanes, and being uncompromising on quality. To start this session, Jason Mlicki of Rattleback will present on how to align editorial plans against corporate growth agendas. To close the session, we’ll hear from a senior editorial leader on how to set and sustain quality standards.

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DAY TWO — 11/17/2020
Leveraging Research and Building an Audience

Truth Seeking (10:00 – 11:00)

Truth Seekers are after the truth, even if it doesn’t come from their firm. They see their work as a relentless pursuit to uncover new ways to solve clients’ most pressing business problems. To open this session, Binayak Choudhury of research firm Phronesis Partners will lead a panel discussion with a group of senior executives from Fortune 1000 companies on the experience of providing input into the research process and the frustrations they have in consuming thought leadership when it emerges on the other side.

In the second half of the session, Ajit Kambil, a Managing Director in Deloitte LLP and research director for Deloitte’s CFO Program will share his insights into the past, present and future of successful thought leadership research.

Audience Building (11:00 – 12:00)

Audience Builders know how to get their message out there and connect with their audience, no matter what medium they’re using to do so. In this session we’ll hear from multiple senior marketing leaders on how to build an audience around your thought leadership programs.

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DAY THREE — 11/18/2020
Shaping Compelling, Unassailable Arguments

Molding the Expert’s Expertise (10:00 – 10:30)

Argument Shapers care more about helping their subject matter experts shape a compelling point-of-view than simply turning their loose thoughts into prose. To start the session, Bob Buday will share his best practices recommendations on how to bring the expertise out of subject matter experts.

Authors and Editors (10:30 – 11:30)

Even Roger Federer needs a coach. In this session, we’ll hear from a successful leading editor and a successful leading author on how they work together to develop and publish high quality, industry-changing content.

Growing a Corporate Publication (11:30 – 12:00)

To close day three Serge Perignon, Global Head of the Thought Leadership Institute at Tata Consultancy Services, will share his learnings from 10+ years building, developing and growing the firm’s management journal, Perspectives.

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DAY FOUR — 11/19/2020
Driving Your Digital Publishing Agenda

Making a Career in Thought Leadership (10:00 – 10:30)

As an executive search professional specializing in thought leadership, editorial, and digital marketing positions for nearly 25 years, Sara Noble is in a unique position to share what it takes to build a successful career in thought leadership. To open day four, Sara will lead us in a discussion on the state of thought leadership careers and the skills most in demand in 2020 and beyond.

Digital Enlightening (10:30 – 12:00)

To open this session, Bill Shander of Beehive Media will lead us through an interactive session that helps us up our game when it comes to working with and visualizing data. Additionally, we’ll hear from other leading digital marketing experts on how to develop and deploy compelling digital content experiences.

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DAY FIVE — 11/20/2020
Partnering with Sales to Grow the Business

Sales Accelerators (10:00 – 11:00)

To open the final day of our 2020 virtual conference, we’ll hear from Mark Marone, Director of Research and Thought Leadership for Dale Carnegie & Associates. Most executives know of Dale Carnegie for the founder’s legendary book, How to Win Friends and Influence People first published in 1936. But what many don’t know is today the company is a franchise-driven, global company that delivers training programs around the world. Mark will share his experience leveraging thought leadership research to drive sales success through a network of global, independent sales-driven franchises.

Closing Keynote (11:00 – 12:00)

To close the program, we’ll hear from a successful senior executive on the impact thought leadership has had on their company and their career.