Freeman Creates Blueprint to Help Event Professionals Overcome Resistance to Change

Skift Take
According to Freeman's latest Event Organizer Trends Report, despite a workforce shift dominated by Millennials and Gen Z, 73% of event programs remain stuck in the past. The data signals a growing urgency for event organizers to adapt to change.
This new demographic favors events that prioritize interactivity, hands-on learning, and collaboration. Yet, according to Ken Holsinger, senior vice president of strategy at Freeman, “the majority of organizers haven’t made the shift. Two-thirds of event programs are in stasis. They are not changing.”
The challenge? Many event professionals don’t feel empowered to advocate for change.
Recognizing this, Freeman introduced a blueprint, complemented by a pitch deck, during PCMA Convening Leaders in Houston. The blueprint is designed to guide leaders in securing C-suite buy-in for modernizing their events.
Actionable Steps for Change
The blueprint provides actionable steps for leveraging data and insights to build credibility, gain leadership approval, and position events as indispensable business tools rather than mere hospitality functions.
Holsinger underscored the need to reposition events as strategic marketing channels that drive measurable business outcomes. “We are business event change makers — a channel that CMOs want to be a part of. If we can approach this from that narrative, the fact that events are business tools and not just hospitality, change will start to happen.”
Insights From Industry Leaders
Holsinger moderated a panel at PCMA Convening Leaders that explored the topic of change at the C-level. The panel featured Liz Irving, CEO of Clarion Events—North America; Kerwin Brown, CEO of Bakery Equipment Manufacturers & Allies (BEMA); and Steve Speares, CEO of the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). Their insights shed light on how to approach leadership with ideas for change.
Speares shared an idea from his organization. Younger members expressed disinterest in traditional awards ceremonies, which had long been a staple of their events. “Our older members are not happy about it, but the data is overwhelming. People don’t care about seeing other people get awards,” he said. As a result, ASCRS is no longer having awards ceremonies.
Irving illustrated the power of targeted ideas with Malcolm Gladwell’s “chunky sauce” analogy. Prego’s identification of an untapped demand for chunky spaghetti sauce led to a product line that generated hundreds of millions of dollars — a lesson in aligning innovation with audience needs.