If there is one word that defines Future Proof, whether it’s a Retreat, Festival, or Citywide event, it’s the word experience. Before the first Future Proof Festival kicked off in September of 2022, it was hard to find that word mixed in with the various events in the wealth and investment management industry. In fact, if you looked at almost every 500+ person event around, you would have seen that stage content and breakout sessions were the most promoted features across their websites. “Get entertained during the main stage keynotes and grab some CE during breakout sessions” was the thought process of almost every event producer. That format continues to work for many events, however, with CE credits becoming an increasingly digital solution and online presentations, podcasts, webinars, and more flooding the timeline, people have a lot of options when it comes to tuning in to their favorite thought leaders and entertainers that do not require a live event setting.
With this in mind, we concluded that having the best content possible is definitely a requirement for a great event, but the framework in which it was created had to be broken and restructured. First, the presentation itself had to be the most important piece. For example, instead of prioritizing CE-type learning, where sessions require certain lengths, we need to first consider, “if this audience is interested in learning about x-topic in the most immersive way possible, what does that look like? Is that a keynote, a 20-min workshop, a two-person debate, rapid-fire 6min fintech demos, etc.?” That simple reframe makes a massive impact. Next, we removed pay-to-play speaking slots, which is the industry standard but a backward way to build a great program. The final and most important piece we arrived at is “how do we make this an unforgettable experience?” Beyond the content itself, is there anything more that we can do? How do we engage the five senses beyond just visual and auditory? What if we held the content outside with the beach as the backdrop in a fully immersive environment designed from scratch for the audience? What if we could make the experience so dynamic and unique that the stages themselves would be a compelling and memorable way of learning new ideas and sharing them with your peers. The experience became the number one word to describe Future Proof. We put it in the top navigation on the website with supporting information about what makes the Future Proof experience so unique and we haven’t looked back.
In 2024, we doubled down on the Future Proof experience and brought 500 industry leaders to the Broadmoor in Colorado for the first-ever Future Proof Retreat. They joined roundtable discussions on the industry’s biggest challenges, met new people in 15-minute 1:1 meetings, strengthened relationships at networking dinners, and stepped outside their comfort zones with group activities like fly-fishing, ziplining, and falconry. These group activities were our first time piloting Breakthru Experiences, where attendees could use the pre-event app to complete their profile, state their interests and availability, and get placed into the group activities they were interested in. It was a great success with a world-class attendee satisfaction score and we can’t wait to do it again at the 2025 Future Proof Leaders Retreat (apply to attend here).
What started as a simple shift from presentations to experiences has now redefined what an event can be. Now the question is “how can we continue to make even bigger bets on the event experience?” Enter Future Proof Citywide. Not only will you get amazing speakers, Beachwalk brand activations, Breakthru Meetings, and Breakthru Experiences, but you’ll once again get something radically new. A first-ever reveal that builds on our journey from Festival to Retreat to this next evolution of event formats.
We’ve heard the Festival called the “Coachella of Wealth Management” and if that’s true, Future Proof Citywide is the SXSW of both wealth and investment management. Stay tuned for all the details in tomorrow’s blog! Some easter eggs are in the sitemap below.
