I am not against online summits.

I am against poorly designed ones.

In 2026, a summit is not a content library or a visibility stunt. It is a designed experience. And most fall apart because the host tries to solve too many things at once instead of getting clear on what truly matters.

When I design a summit, I am always thinking through three lenses: the attendee, the host, and the speakers. If those three are aligned, the summit works. If they are not, it does not.

1. The Attendee: outcome before information

Everything starts here.

People do not attend summits for information anymore. There is more content than anyone can reasonably consume. They attend for relevance, curation, and a clear promise they trust.

Before you think about topics or speakers, you need to know:

• why someone would give you their time

• why they would attend live rather than skim a replay later

• what they should be clearer on, ready to decide, or able to act on by the end

If the promise of the summit sounds like “learn about…” it is not strong enough. The attendee needs to feel movement. Something shifts because they showed up.

This is also where scale decisions are made. Not every summit needs to be big. Often, a smaller, more focused experience with a clear outcome is far more powerful than a crowded, overwhelming schedule.

2. The Host: curator, not organiser

A summit is not “lots of speakers”. It is a guided experience with an arc.

The host’s role is not primarily logistical. It is curatorial. You decide what happens, when it happens, and why it matters in that order. Without that design, even excellent content becomes noise.

This is where most summits lose people. Too many sessions, too many choices, and too little structure create overwhelm. People register with good intentions and then attend nothing.

As host, you are responsible for:

• designing the flow of the experience

• reducing cognitive load, not adding to it

• making it obvious what matters and why

Respect for time is part of this. No long intros. No ten-minute bios. No rambling warm-up chat. People already know who the speakers are. Clarity is respectful. Waffle is not.

When I run summits, speakers often have 15 minutes. Their job is to ignite the idea. The real value is installed in the application and conversation that follows.

3. The Speakers: chosen with intent

I never run open calls for speakers.

Every speaker is chosen deliberately, based on the experience I am designing for the attendee. I look at who the audience already recognises or respects, what perspective they uniquely bring, and how they strengthen the authority of the room as a whole.

A summit’s credibility is built on who you put on the stage and how cohesive the room feels. A scattered speaker list creates a scattered experience.

Well-known speakers also understand access economics. They know you want their audience. That means you need to be equally clear about what they get in return. This might be exposure, connection, the calibre of the room, or the relationships formed through proximity.

Relationships matter here. Invitations land very differently when connection exists before the ask.

4. The Experience: movement, not motivation

The goal of a summit is not inspiration. It is motion.

That means designing formats that move people from theory into action. Structured conversations instead of monologues. Prompts that ask people to decide something, not just nod along. Space to apply ideas rather than passively consume them.

If your summit is purely passive, you are competing with YouTube. And YouTube will win.

This is also where delivery decisions matter. Simple tech works. Zoom is familiar, accessible, and reliable. Complexity creates friction, not authority.

Plan like a professional. Busy speakers need backup. Pre-recorded talks as a Plan B protect the experience when life happens.

5. The Architecture: authority, not visibility

Visibility is a by-product, not a strategy.

A well-designed summit is an authority move. It places you alongside people your audience already trusts. It shows how you think. It demonstrates the room you are capable of building.

I treat summits as authority architecture. That is why I am clear on the value exchange. Live attendance is free. Replays are paid. Live attendees pay with time and attention. Replays are an asset that costs labour and infrastructure to produce.

Marketing starts when the date is set, not when you feel ready. Three months is tight. Six months is a healthier runway, especially if you want strong speakers and a calm delivery.

A summit is an ecosystem. You, your speakers, and the audience need to meet in the same place, on platforms that already make sense for all three.

The bottom line

A summit is not a lead magnet.

It is an authority architecture project.

If you are not willing to design for:

• a clear attendee outcome

• a curated, credible speaker room

• a structured, intentional experience

• a realistic planning and promotion runway

then it will look impressive from the outside and build very little underneath.

If you run a summit, run it like it matters.