What Members Value Most About Evanta Programs


Community Blog
Written by Clare Ryan

JUNE 11, 2024

We are in the middle of an incredibly busy event season across Evanta’s 107 communities around the world. Community members get together with each other several times each year, and this spring, they are gathering at a one-day Executive Summit, an Inner Circle networking dinner, or a one-hour Town Hall discussion (or possibly all three!). 
 

Executive Summits

Evanta Executive Summits are what members know best. C-level executives who have been a part of Evanta the longest know us for this one-day program with peers in their same role and region. The day is packed with exclusive peer-driven, practitioner-led content, inspiring and thought-provoking keynotes, closed-door discussions and presentations, facilitated and casual networking opportunities, and learning about the latest vendor solutions.

Members tell us they like connecting with others in their role to share ideas, best practices, and lessons learned. They often say that it’s helpful to meet peers outside of their industry. As CIO Frank De Sa of the Just Group said, “The events are always topical, and the discussions with peers in either the same or different industry sectors are very valuable – I always learn something.”

The CIO Summit, with its focused, peer-led discussion, gave me a density and volume of actionable learnings that puts most other events to shame.”

Nick Gilbert
Chief Information & Digital Officer, University of Surrey


Inner Circles

Inner Circles are networking dinners with a facilitated discussion. The discussion topic focuses on a key business challenge for the role and gives members the chance to meet and share in small groups. 

Members tell us they value the chance to make new connections and build relationships in a relaxed environment. In fact, in our recent Governing Body Member survey, executives agreed that Evanta programs very significantly or significantly helped them “to develop a new relationship with a peer.” 

Community members also find it necessary and valuable to get together at least some of the time in person. As VP of Technology Kari Anna Fiskvik of Strawberry explains, “It's inspiring to hear how other people view the world and their approach to problem solving. It broadens your perspective in ways you could never do on your own or through just reading articles or listening to podcasts. The value of conversation and human-to-human interaction is unique and cannot, in full, be replaced by any technology.”

Connecting with the CIO community in the NYC area has been great on many fronts – meeting new people, sharing best practices and getting new ideas.”

John Sullivan
CIO, Major League Soccer


Town Halls

The easiest program for members to fit into their busy calendars are Town Halls, one-hour virtual discussions featuring topics based on a critical priority for the role. The format is either a panel discussion or small group discussions, with both featuring practitioners from the community. 

These informal discussions allow members to touch base more frequently, learn from their peers and gain new perspectives in just an hour. In our Governing Body Member survey, almost three-fourths of members said they would like to meet virtually four or more times per year.

All Evanta programs are built based on our by, for model, in which Governing Body Members from each community help select the topics based on their top priorities. In addition, we use quantitative and qualitative data from surveys and conversations to ensure that each program is as timely and relevant to executives as possible. 

Evanta programs are exclusively offered to members of our communities; to join a community near you, apply here. Or, if you are already a member, sign into our member app, MyEvanta, to view upcoming opportunities to get together in person and virtually with your peers.
 

Clare Ryan headshot

Clare Ryan

MVP, Conferences at Evanta, a Gartner Company


by CFOs, for CFOs


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