Sponsored Roundtable Sessions

This page is for Sponsored Roundtable Sessions. Please view the Sponsored Roundtable Lunches page if your contract includes a roundtable lunch.  Your contract may include both.

A sponsored roundtable session is a one-hour session in a quiet, closed setting hosted by sponsors. These roundtables will provide powerful opportunities for sponsors to interact with participants, hear what’s on their mind, and for both the roundtable session speaker and attendees to walk away with new connections and valuable insights. The key to this new format at our conference is for the speaker to come prepared with relevant facts and information, but to not expect to present to the group. The roundtable session speaker should come prepared with a general topic and some high-level framing to get everyone thinking and they should be ready to ask engaging questions to advance the conversation.

IMPORTANT:

• Please note that although a GreenBiz analyst will review your session title and description to help advise on content, the sponsor is fully responsible for the content development and recruitment of the roundtable session speaker. No slides will be used in these sessions.

• Sponsored roundtable sessions are separate from roundtable lunches. Both types of sessions might be included in your program. A sponsored roundtable session is one that is developed by the sponsor and will occur during a breakout timeslot in a dedicated room for up to 20 attendees. A roundtable lunch that you might be familiar with from other GreenBiz events, on the other hand, occurs in a shared space and each host can have up to 10 guests join at a round table in the main meal area of the conference. Please work with your customer success manager on coordinating your sponsored roundtable session.

• Submit session items - Please send your customer success manager the following session items via email by March 29 at the latest.

  • • Session date/time - Sponsored roundtable sessions can be hosted on May 22 (4-5pm), May 23 (9-10am; 1:30-2:30pm; 3-4pm; 4:30-5:30pm) or May 24 (9-10am; 10:30-11:30am). Please confirm which date/time you prefer and note they are reserved on a first come first serve basis and dependent on our content schedule (if your topic conflicts with a concurring session, we may need to revise your session date/time). Your title and description (or at least topic idea) must therefore be submitted before we can approve your preferred date/time. In addition, please note that time slots are reserved on a first come first served basis. 

    • Session title - 90 characters with spaces max, title case. The word "(Sponsored)" will be added to the end of the title to mark it as a sponsored session (this is required for all sponsored roundtable sessions). We recommend using forward-looking phrases and avoiding words that are too niche or generic. Your title will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.

    • Session description - 750 characters with spaces max. Please make sure to check our online program to ensure your description/topic does not conflict with other concurring sessions. We recommend including clear takeaways in the description so attendees know what they will learn. Your description will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.

    • No A/V will be provided for roundtable sessions as they will take place in a room with no more than 20 attendees at a conference table set-up and no slides will be allowed.

• Submit speaker info - Please submit your speaker info by May 3 at the latest. Once you have submitted the above session items, your customer success manager will provide a form for your speaker to submit their information. Note only 1 speaker is allowed for sponsored roundtable sessions.

• Book hotel rooms & register speakers - Please make sure your speaker books their hotel room by April 29 and registers for the event by May 10 following the directions on this page. Your sponsored roundtable session speaker gets a complimentary Speaker All-Access pass.

• Read prep-materials - Please have your speaker read through the sponsored breakout tips and logistics listed below to ensure your session runs smoothly.

Here are six tips intended to help you develop a successful sponsored roundtable session:

1. Engage your audience. Think of these roundtable sessions as a focus group. Everyone at the table should be engaged in the discussion and most of the time during the session should be devoted to open conversation. Come prepared with prompt questions and relevant research for the discussion in case the conversation slows. 

2. Focus on tangible knowledge and real world data. The most effective sessions are those that present data, metrics and case studies to help us ground an aspirational circular economy in the reality of what’s actually happening today, uplifting actionable insights and success stories (and failures we can learn from.)

3. Set a specific outcome. Participants appreciate knowing they’ve used their time well, especially when they have other options on how to spend it. Give them a specific goal or outcome — “Today, you will learn how to make smart choices in choosing energy-efficiency projects.” That will give everyone a clear vision of what success looks like for the hour.

4. Be transparent about controversies/challenges. If your session topic is controversial or it has caused your company challenges, it’s best to address this upfront with the audience. This will help your company gain credibility and attendees will appreciate the opportunity to learn how your company is managing the issue.

5. Be clear when selling. If you’d like to focus your session on a product or service, it’s best to be clear about this in your title and description. Communicate who should come to the demonstration and how they would benefit from your offering.

• Timing: Sponsored roundtable sessions will be hosted alongside regular breakouts - on May 22 (4-5pm), May 23 (9-10am; 1:30-2:30pm; 3-4pm; 4:30-5:30pm) or May 24 (9-10am; 10:30-11:30am). Each sponsored roundtable session will only occur once.

• Format: Sponsored roundtable session rooms will be set in a conference room configuration with seating for up to 20 attendees.

• Signups: There is no advance sign-up — participation is first-come, first-served. All participants will have their badges scanned so we can track attendance and the attendee lists will be sent to sponsors after the event.

• Session info: Sponsored roundtable session information will be available on the event website and conference app for attendees to see before and during the event and will be labeled as sponsored.

• Feedback: Our conference app contains a survey feature — please encourage your participants to provide feedback following your session. Just have them click into your session on the app and click on the survey button. You can request your session feedback from your customer success manager after the event.