The rate of change is changing. Nothing will ever be the same. For this reason, CEO’s and senior leadership in every industry are well served to attend a leadership summit where they can learn to act amid chaos rather than get stuck because of it.
Attending a summit increases your capacity to learn and improves your ability to be an agent of global change.
The data supports this.
According to Accenture’s Global Disruption Index, “levels of disruption increased by 200% from 2017 to 2022. As such companies now face a permanent state of change at a pace never seen before.”
The leaders who are changing the world put themselves in spaces like this with great routine. They return to work armed with optimism about the future having improved their ability to look at old problems with a new perspective.
Not taking the initiative to attend an event like this will ensure you lose your next job or promotion to someone who did.
The most interesting business summits to watch in 2025 focus on three main themes: immersive networking, reinvention strategy and thought-provoking conversation.
Leadership Summit 2025 – Digital Advertising
March 13th and 14th London, England
Jon Mew, The CEO of IAB shared in an interview that, “It’s no secret that digital advertising is a fast-moving and dynamic industry, so a key focus for us at Leadership Summit is facilitating frank conversations about how to both drive and prepare for technological, political and social shifts.
“Rather than just looking at near-time trends, we structure keynotes and workshop sessions where leaders from across our industry can get a long-term, insight-fueled and holistic view of what’s to come – as well as creating space to debate what’s needed today to embrace that.
“Leadership Summit is unique in that it is the only event we run at IAB UK that is an invite-only gathering of senior leaders from across the UK’s digital ad industry, Mew further noted. “We host it outside of London in St Albans, taking people away from the day-to-day distractions of their jobs for a two-day deep dive into how we create a better digital ad industry, for the benefit of everyone. By doing this, we bring our members together for open and honest conversations that will help us to collectively address shared challenges.”
The World Happiness Summit – Global Wellbeing
March 15 – 16th Miami, Florida
The World Happiness Summit Founder and CEO, Karen Guggenheim wrote in an email interview that, “Leaders today need to engage in conversations about embedding happiness and wellbeing into the core of organizational and societal frameworks. These conversations should address how to bridge the gap between profit and purpose and integrate human-centric leadership to prioritize mental health and happiness as key performance indicators.”
When asked how we improve progress with these conversations she further noted, “By embracing these discussions, leaders can pave the way for more inclusive, productive, and fulfilled communities.”
According to Guggenheim, “By framing wellbeing as a critical lever for success in the future of work, education, and governance, WOHASU ensures that attendees are not only part of the conversation but leading it.”
The Reinvention Summit – Thought Leaders and Chief Executives
Dublin, Ireland April 29th and 30th
In an interview, Nadya Zhexembayeva, Co-Founder of the Reinvention Summit said, “We believe the conversation leaders must focus on includes deeper, systemic questions like, ‘How can we reimagine strategy, innovation, and change to thrive in a world of perpetual disruption and how can we build cultures that embrace continuous reinvention rather than treat it like a one-off initiative?’”
A surprising outcome so far are the large numbers of registrants enrolled from the same company. Firms are investing in the summit rather than running their own annual retreat and cite the 2025 goal to ignite an “Action-Oriented Culture.” The most powerful results may come from learning outside of their own industry.
When asked how the Reinvention Summit will provoke conversation in the future, Zhemembayeva shared, “this event is intentionally designed to move beyond theoretical discussions and inspire real, actionable progress. Everything we do is hands-on and implementation-focused, ensuring attendees leave equipped to put ideas and tools into practice immediately. But it’s more than just a two-day event—it’s the hub of a growing global community.”
Future Proof Festival – Wealth Management
September 7 to 10 Huntington Beach, CA
The Future Proof Festival calls itself the world’s largest gathering of top tier wealth management professionals, CEO’s and fast-growing financial advisors. This unique event is held outdoors and produced as an immersive experience.
In his blog, the founder of the Future Proof Festival, Matt Middleton said, “The Future Proof Festival became a reality in 2022, driven by feedback about what was broken with financial services events. Initially, when I shared my concept—even with industry friends—many were skeptical. Some laughed at the idea of a wealth management festival.
“Today, those same people attend or sponsor Future Proof events. They reacted then based on their previous event experiences.
Part of the event is designed to ignite conversation in the future with, “Breakthru Talks.” According to the Future Proof website, “Breakthru Talks are peer group roundtable discussions on key industry topics. Unlike general sessions, these are smaller, focused groups of 5-8 peers, making for in-depth conversations.”
World Business Forum – Senior Executives + Leading Teams and Organizations
November 5th and 6th New York, New York
According to Chris Stanley, Managing Director of WOBI USA & Global Content Director “Critical conversations for leaders today are centered around managing rapid technological transformations, navigating economic uncertainty, while simultaneously effectively leading diverse teams in a context of changing workforce expectations.
“On a personal level,” he continued, “this requires leaders to develop adaptability, resilience and strategic foresight. While the ability to engage talent and build high performing teams continues to be a key challenge when it comes to building an ongoing competitive advantage.
“In the 22-year history of the Forum this year’s program is its strongest,” Stanley shared, “Featuring globally renowned and influential figures such as Adam Grant, Brene Brown, Scott Galloway, James Clear and Simone Biles, attendees will be exposed to cutting edge thinking on these critical issues mentioned above, providing delegates with tools and ideas to help them meet these unique challenges.”
Summary
The rate of change is relentless. For leaders who fail to act, the consequences are clear: falling behind, losing relevance, and watching opportunities slip away.
Have no fear.
The opportunity to evolve is here, and the choice to seize it makes all the difference.
Leaders in 2025 who attend summits enhance their ability to thrive and stand to gain the most. By choosing to engage in spaces that foster reinvention and sharpen strategic thinking, leaders not only stay ahead, they shape the future.