Presented Aug. 3–5 at Caesars New Orleans, Prevue’s Next-Gen Experience Visionary Summit brought together planners, suppliers and sponsors for three days of ideas, conversation and connection focused on the future of meetings and events.
New Orleans was an appropriate setting. Long before the French Quarter and beignets, the area was known as Bulbancha, a gathering place where Indigenous nations came together to trade, build relationships and exchange ideas. The Summit continued that tradition, bringing attendees together to consider what a new generation of colleagues, clients and leaders will expect from meetings—and how planners can create experiences where people feel they belong and can contribute.
Those questions shaped the Summit’s keynotes, 1:1 appointments and hands-on experiences, with conversations spanning leadership, sustainability, attendee experience and event design.
The Summit also launched Prevue’s Meeting Planner Appreciation Month, recognizing meeting planners as experience designers, community builders and strategic partners. Kicked off at the Summit, MPAM will be recognized every September going forward.
A New Orleans Welcome
A Mardi Gras Celebration Lunch opened the Summit Monday, with Jason Gaudet, Associate Director of Sales, Portfolio for Caesars Entertainment National Meetings & Events, and Patrick Espinoza, Vice President of Business Development for New Orleans & Company, welcoming the group.
NOLA-style buffet breakfasts and lunches, refueling breaks and seasonal bites were served throughout the Summit at the adjacent Harrah’s Tower.
Keynotes for What’s Next
Speaker and Consultant Courtney Lohmann opened the keynote sessions with Impact Rebel: Next Generation’s Changemakers for a Sustainable Future, challenging attendees to turn vision into measurable action.
“Leadership is rooted in rebellion,” Lohmann said. “You have to be the one to innovate. Don’t wait for permission.”
Tuesday’s keynotes focused on the attendee experience and how events are evolving beyond the meeting room.
Rielle Schwartz presented Beyond the Room: Designing Future-Ready Event Experiences for Engagement, Shareability, and Lasting Impact, exploring “modularity” in event design—the idea of creating a base design that can be adapted rather than starting from scratch for every event. She also urged planners to look beyond ROI to Return on Objective, or ROO, including the engagement and community an experience creates. Schwartz noted that in 2026, Millennials and Gen Z represented 56% of the workforce and 70% of the events industry.
Vimari Roman, a Professional Certified Coach, followed with From Attendees to Humans: Designing Events for the Next Generation Experience. Rather than relying on generational labels, Roman encouraged planners to design around the people and behaviors in front of them.
“The future isn’t generational; it’s behavioral,” she said, emphasizing that human needs—including contribution and meaningful moments—should guide event design. “These aren’t just Gen Z expectations; they’re human expectations.”
Following Roman’s keynote, Prevue’s Content and Media Manager Savannah Sharma shared strategies for collaborating on content and expanding digital reach.
Connection Beyond the Sessions
The Summit extended its focus on connection and sustainability beyond the meeting room. During Shuck. Build. Restore. A Sustainable Coastal Experience, presented with New Orleans & Company, attendees learned about coastal restoration before decorating reclaimed oyster shells as a teambuilding activity.
The final-night dinner, hosted by New Orleans & Company at Sazerac House, combined the museum’s period furnishings with jazz, cocktails, food stations, a DJ, photo activation and caricature artist. Attendees danced, posed for photos and celebrated the close of the Summit. And one lucky meeting planner also won TUMI luggage at the Summit’s end.
