Do Your Attendees Leave Feeling Excited About Their Jobs?

A reflection on lessons from nearly 20 years of designing events.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online The Internal Memo We Decided to Share A reflection on lessons from nearly 20 years of designing events.   David McMillin, Skift Meetings Head of Content September 29th, 2026 Most people wouldn’t share an internal memo from their boss with the rest of the world, but that’s exactly what’s happening in this edition of The Stand-Up. Why? Because what the CEO of Skift told our team after last week’s blur of five programs in New York applies directly to what meeting professionals do. There are a lot of ways to describe what happens at an event — learning, networking, celebrating — but Rafat Ali’s note focuses on the more important piece of what occurs after an event. It’s not about following up with a new business partner or sharing a takeaway from a session with a colleague. Both matter, but some of those follow-ups won’t lead to anything, and plenty of those takeaways will fade by Friday. Instead, his memo highlights that a truly valuable event accomplishes something different: it gives attendees a reason to be excited about the role they play in their industry. And no, that’s not created by what he calls “bullshit inspirational speakers.” Head below to read the full memo and think about whether your program is designed to, as Ali writes, “change how someone feels about the work they are going back to, in ways big and small.” If you’re looking for more reasons to be excited about the work that you do, join us tomorrow (Wednesday) for a free webinar to unpack all the conversations at Skift Meetings Forum. — David McMillin       WEBINAR Join the Skift Meetings editorial team for a full debrief of all the action at Skift Meetings Forum. We’ll unpack what we learned on stage and what we heard in the conversations throughout the day. Sponsored by Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Experience Kissimmee. REGISTER NOW             FEATURED STORIES What 20 Years of Building Events Taught Me About Their Real Value By Rafat Ali People attend business events looking for ideas, relationships, customers and opportunities. After nearly 20 years of building events, I have come to believe that their highest value is more personal: changing how people feel about the work they are returning to. GET THE STORY Cyberattack at Moscone Center Puts Event Data Security in the Spotlight By Andrea Doyle Legends Global confirms Moscone Center experienced a cybersecurity incident but hasn’t said whether data was stolen. For planners, it raises a bigger question: How much sensitive event data are venues holding and for how long? GET THE STORY Why One Supplier Decided to Create a Free Resource Hub for Planners By Barbara Scofidio Planners still rely on word of mouth to find vendors they can trust. The founder of Silicon Valley Speakers is working to build an online network to offer more options.  GET THE STORY How Meeting Planners Can Avoid Falling for Sophisticated Scams By Andrea Doyle The traits that make planners good at their jobs – responsiveness and an ability to meet tight deadlines – are exactly what scammers are exploiting.  GET THE STORY Steal This Idea: An Empty Chair on Your Next Stage By David McMillin Planners keep trying to figure out how to make meetings more engaging. Handing five minutes to an attendee for an unscripted chat is a simple way show the room its views belong in the program, not just in the Q&A. GET THE STORY             FREE REPORT Our new research offers a look at how at corporate meeting planners are navigating the current landscape. Download it today to learn how 111 in-house corporate planners are dealing with geopolitical pressures, ROI expectations, AI, contracts, and more. This report was produced in partnership with MPI and is sponsored by Caesars Entertainment and Convene. GET THE REPORT             WORTH YOUR TIME Five things worth your time today. How to reset the energy of the room with just 15 minutes. Why Gen Z is going to change the way we think about meetings and work. What U.S. meetings leaders are doing to try to calm the tensions with Canada. Why half of corporate planners are modifying their contract language. Where the 50 best new hotels for meetings are opening their doors.             SKIFT PICK: TRANSLATING TRAVEL TRENDS FOR MEETINGS The Demise of the 90-Minute Dinner Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy put it bluntly at last week's Skift Global Forum: “People absolutely do not want to spend an hour and a half in a main dining room.” Carnival has paid attention and now offers Express Dining, which gets a multi-course meal done in under 60 minutes. There’s also an option called Your Time Dining, a flexible alternative to fixed seatings. These passengers are all on vacation, with nowhere to be and nothing on the calendar, and they still don't want to be stuck at a long dinner. Think about your attendees after a full day of programming. That two-hour plated gala with speeches between courses might sound nice to your CEO, but it probably feels like the wall standing between them and a call home or an actual conversation with the one person they came to meet. Try a shorter seated option, a walk-around format or if you’re looking to trim costs, a free evening. And when your boss asks why you’re cutting the banquet, you can point out that even a cruise line figured it out.             Skift Meetings Toolkit Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events. EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT             Thanks for being a regular reader. We are switching to a new email platform. Why? This change will allow for better delivery, and more engaging newsletters. Please take a moment to add this new email address to your contacts to ensure you continue receiving your newsletters without interruption. During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       1    DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States