What is an Executive Symposium?
An Executive Symposium is a gathering of senior leaders from an area to discuss a pressing topic impacting the business community. The main focus of an Executive Symposium is learning, networking, and critically thinking about ways that leaders can solve pressing challenges in a group forum. Past Executive Symposium topics include: How to Develop Leaders in your Organization, How to Lead Multi-Generational Teams, and How to Lead During Times of Recession Uncertainty.
Can I observe an Executive Symposium panel if I am not able to attend in person?
Yes. As of December 2022, all Executive Symposium panels will be recorded and be available on our youtube channel for viewing.
What types of venues are the Executive Symposiums held at?
Executive Symposiums are hosted at meeting venues like rented out rooftop bars or the offices of sponsors that would like attendees to experience their workspace.
What cities have you hosted Executive Symposiums and where do you plan to host future Symposiums?
We started hosting Executive Symposiums in Austin, Texas. Now that the Symposiums are drawing leaders in from across the country, we are now going to expand our Executive Symposiums to cities across the United States. Our initial expansion cities include: Dallas, Texas, Houston, Texas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Miami, Florida.
How often do you host Executive Symposiums?
We host Executive Symposiums every quarter. As the popularity of the Symposiums grow into different cities across the United States, we envision that we could be hosting an Executive Symposium every month in different cities across the United States.
Who typically attends an Executive Symposium?
Business owners, C-suite executives, Vice Presidents and Directors for companies in a local region. They range from fortune 500 companies to small businesses and everything in between.
How are Symposium Topics determined?
Executive Symposium topics are determined by challenges faced leading their teams in a specific area or time period. For example, the December 2022 topic of How to Lead During Times of Recession Uncertainty was determined via interviews with senior executives of over 100 companies in the Austin, Texas area when asked about what they felt their biggest challenge was leading their team.
How are panelists selected for the Executive Symposium?
Panelists for Executive Symposiums are determined based on their role within a local prominent organization and their unique perspective on the topic for the event. The goal for determining panelists is to gather a diverse array of speakers from different entities within a business and from different industries so then the attendees can get a full understanding as to how different leaders in different departments and industries handle that situation.
Who have been your panelists in the past?
Mindy Honcoop, Bernie Calcote, Herb Dyer, Todd Coerver, John Adcock, Nicole Tanzillo, David Rugaju, Pilar Schenk, and Alex Eagle.
What is the vision for the Executive Symposiums?
Our vision at Ambition In Motion is a world where the vast majority of people are excited to go to work, when they are there their expectations meet reality and when they come home they feel fulfilled. We believe that to accomplish this vision leaders must be at their best because people don't quit jobs, they quit bosses. We believe that there is no such thing as an intentionally bad boss but that when leaders become too isolated and don't get enough feedback and objectivity, they can be susceptible to making poor leadership decisions. By creating regular gatherings for leaders to work through their challenges, we can ideally help leaders consistently be at their best for their people and teams.
Will food and beverages be served at an Executive Symposium?
Yes. Executive Symposiums are typically catered by local food vendors and spirit makers. Attendees can expect to enjoy great alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and Hors d'oeuvres during the event.
Do you have icebreakers or ways for attendees to connect with each other?
Yes. At the beginning of every event, we start with breaking up into groups to solve a challenge relevant to the topic at hand and then a creative way for communicating the solution each team comes up with. This is a great way to get to know other attendees beyond the typical `Hi, may name is xyz and I do abc...`.
Can I invite colleagues to join me at the event?
Of course. We just would like to have them RSVP so then we can anticipate our catering and beverage needs.
Can my company sponsor an Executive Symposium?
Yes. Sponsorship is what allows us to host these incredible events. What makes sponsoring an Executive Symposium unique is that sponsors can ask the attendees a question in the RSVP form which allows for sponsors to better understand the needs of attendees so instead of blanketing everyone attending with the same message, sponsors can build relationships with the attendees that have a need for their services.
