Roundtable Lunches
Thank you for hosting!
Roundtable lunches are small-group conversations led by experts and thought leaders with 8 to 10 participants. They are freeform, with the style and topic set by the moderator (“table host”). In some cases, these lunches look like a Q&A with participants digging into the host’s expertise. In others, the table host has a question or challenge for the participants that sparks conversation and networking. These lunches are not well suited for presentations or panel discussions, though we recommend preparing a brief one-minute overview of your topic and being prepared with a few questions to get the conversation going. The best topics are open ended and encourage participants to share their experiences. Avoid topics that are too narrow or specific.
📆 Sponsored Roundtable Lunch Deadlines
Sept 13 - Submit session items
Oct 11 - Register table host & book hotel room
Action Items
Submit session items: Please send your customer success manager the following session items via email by 📆 Sept 13:
Session date: Sponsored roundtables can be hosted on Oct 24 (12:30-1:30pm) or Oct 25 (12:30-1:30pm). Please confirm which date you prefer and note they are reserved on a first come first serve basis and dependent on our content schedule (if your topic conflicts with a concurring session, we may need to revise your session date). Your title (or at least topic idea) must therefore be submitted before we can approve your preferred date. In addition, please note that time slots are reserved on a first come first served basis.
Session title: 100 characters with spaces max, title case. We recommend using forward-looking phrases and avoiding words that are too niche or generic. Your title will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.
Session description: A brief paragraph explaining your roundtable topic in more detail. Only to be used to review and finalize your title. The description will NOT be published on the online program.
Table host info: Please provide the following info for your table host: name, job title, company name, headshot, short bio (1-5 sentence paragraph) and email. Must be an industry or topic-specific expert (no sales or marketing personnel). We recommend prioritizing a BIPOC team member for this role.
Book hotel room & register table host: Please make sure your table host books their hotel room and registers for the event by Oct 11 following the directions on this page. Roundtable hosts must register with a paid All-Access pass or a Sponsor All-Access pass and will NOT be given a complimentary Speaker All-Access pass.
Read prep-materials: Please have your table host read through the roundtable lunch tips and logistics listed below to ensure your session runs smoothly.
Logistics
Timing: Sponsored roundtable lunches will be hosted alongside regular roundtable lunches, from 12:30-1:30pm on Oct 24 and Oct 25. Each sponsored roundtable will only occur once.
Format: Roundtable lunches will be held at tables of 8-10 people, and there will be up to 13 concurrent sessions at tables around the designated roundtable lunch area each day.
Signups: There is no advance sign-up — participation is first-come, first-served. Participants will NOT have their badges scanned, so we will not be able to send attendee information to sponsors.
Session info: There will be a placard on each table with the table host’s name, organization and roundtable lunch title. Roundtable lunch information will also be available on the event website and conference app for attendees to see before and during the event.
Feedback: Our conference app contains a survey feature — please encourage your participants to provide feedback following your session. Just have them click into your session on the app and click on the survey button. You can request your session feedback from your customer success manager after the event.
What Makes a Great Roundtable?
🤝 Engage your participants. This is a chance for participants to interact with you and each other. Don't present — facilitate. Make your session a dialogue.
📚 Share examples. Nothing communicates better than a real-life story. Stories make facts real and relatable. Weave examples and anecdotes from your own experiences to bring the concepts being discussed to life.
🚫 Don't sell. The best table hosts illuminate without being preachy or salesy. If you’re trying to promote something — yourself, your company, a product or service — you’ll lose the audience. Instead, share your knowledge. If you do it well, it will give you far more credibility, and will invite conversations that will allow you to make your pitch later on.
📇 Collect business cards. Trellis is not able to track roundtable attendance so please plan on having your table host collect attendee business cards to continue the conversation after the event.