Racing against time.

As the clock ticks, a new kind of meeting emerges for a financial service leader.

“It’s a five-day event, about six hours a day…”

The very first briefing call says it all.

A Canadian financial services company is four weeks out from its National Sales Conference, an annual event designed to showcase new products and the company vision. As the call continues, it’s apparent that there is one crucial opportunity here…

It’s time.

The event is just five weeks away, requiring a laser sharp focus on development.

One of the big shifts in events is in how long audiences can stay curious, interested and engaged. The common framework of a 60-minute CEO presentation, followed by multiple 30-minute VP presentations, exhausts an audience. They’re tuning out faster than ever before.

By the end of the call, both E.L. Productions (ELP) and its client are brainstorming ways to create shorter programming that continues to deliver everything audiences need to succeed.

Within hours, the ELP team renewed the agenda, creating a faster-paced two-day event. Instead of presenting every detail in linear, chronological fashion, the event shifts to become a highlight reel of key concepts. Day 1 becomes about the vision and expectations. Day 2 offers roll-up-the-sleeves programming showcasing new products. Shorter presentations are supported by a dashboard of deep dive details.

The key to a successful conference isn’t simply shortening presentations – it’s teaching presenters how to do that.

A dedicated content team featuring a content producer, writer, coach, and content strategist is assigned to the program. That team gets to work immediately, meeting with individual stakeholders and speakers to craft an overall content strategy and hone-in on how to make their specific presentations more effective.

It’s a landmark shift that pays off.

Instant feedback from the program shows that more than 97% of the audience loves the new format. It’s shorter, more relevant, useful and delivers what they need to succeed in the year ahead.