Years ago, I worked as an events manager for Focus Financial Partners, helping design leadership forums and industry gatherings for wealth management executives.

One thing became clear very quickly: the most valuable part of these events isn't the stage. It's the conversations that happen around it.

The best leadership forums create space for advisors and firm leaders to discuss the real challenges shaping their businesses — succession and next-generation leadership, scaling advisory firms while maintaining culture, navigating regulatory and market shifts, and building deeper client relationships in a changing wealth landscape.

What I learned then — and what still guides my work today — is that thoughtful event design can accelerate those conversations. The right agenda, the right speakers, and the right room can create insights that might otherwise take years to develop.

It's been rewarding to come back to this work recently through Bovard Consulting, designing forums that bring together leaders across the wealth and advisory industry.

The best events don't just inform. They connect people to ideas — and to each other.

Working on a leadership forum or industry convening? I'd love to connect.