We had the honor earlier this month in our Fall Linder Labs to have an engaging, open dialogue on strategic convening and what that means in a post-pandemic world. With an ideal setting at the newly-renovated Virginia Mae Center at the Washington National Cathedral, our participants became the first external group to experience this first-in-class event facility to discuss their viewpoints around these shifting trends.

With our goal to create strategic engagements for curious, seasoned professionals to converse about trends and solutions to issues that impact our professional and personal worlds, we tackled the pressing changes occurring in how we convene.


Our panelists, Lauralyn Lee, Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer at the Washington National Cathedral, and Marla Bilonick, President and Chief Executive Officer at the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, joined our moderator, Rebecca Linder, to open the floor to a dialogue around these trends and highlight some of the strategic transitions with our professional lives. The panel brought this topic to life with their expertise in establishing strong reference points for the topics below.

  • Live vs. Virtual vs. Hybrid; Event ‘Stages’ in a Post-Pandemic World are not Mutually Exclusive – The nature of events has changed drastically since COVID, and while attention to details remains essential, the expectation of a truly memorable experience regardless of the stage, virtually or in-person, always needs to be the top priority. Whether establishing the impact of a unique moment in a hybrid setting or finding intentional, authentic moments for in-person participants, these purposeful details of creating memorable experiences are essential in a post-pandemic world.
  • Facilitate Authentic Interaction with Intention – A memorable event or experience is more robust with those ‘in-between’ moments to allow all participants with more authentic experiences. From riding the elevator together to sharing a meal between breakout sessions or bonding during a unique activation or cultural moment, facilitating those opportunities with intention can provide that extra special moment for guests.
  • Meeting People Where They Are, Externally and Internally – As executives who understand the significance of conveying in times like these, we are the ones who come equipped with industry knowledge and creative suggestions to provide receptive and adaptive solutions to create successful experiences. As organizations’ needs evolve, we must provide content, experiences, and channels for their attendees. We are evolving to meet the varying expectations across different generations and audiences.
  • Make the Experience Worth Attending – As we were fortunate to have a first-class audience of professionals attend, all professionals are busy and have options on where to spend their time. Through content, experience, and personalized outreach, participants need to feel like they are an active part of the community from start to finish.
  • Bring Out Your Inner Creativity – With many options to reach your attendees and audiences, push your teams to learn from your previous successes and create even more! You are at your organization for a reason and help them bring their mission to new levels!

With our goal for ‘Linder Labs’ to ignite creativity in unique formats and an engaging dialogue that allows for a safe and productive conversation and networking opportunity, we feel privileged to continue this conversation and look forward to providing more research from our next Linder Labs.

Written by Brian DeMoss, Senior Vice President of Marketing

A strategic marketing leader in the experiential events space, Brian has over two decades of experience guiding organizations with an energetic and entrepreneurial spirit to bring innovative solutions to life, supporting a wide range of customer and client bases. With a passion for live experiences and a track record of hitting and exceeding expectations through new product development, elevated brand awareness, and improved customer experience capabilities, he drives organizational growth through collaboration, creativity, and analytics to create lasting results. Whether it is creating new experiences or challenging existing models, his ability to focus on expanding an organization’s customer bases through product development, channel expansion, and brand differentiation fuels his daily passion. Brian has spent most of his career in the Washington D.C. area in marketing leadership roles focused on non-profits, education, live events, and professional services. Brian earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism from the University of Mary Washington and his Master of Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and Finance from American University. Brian mentors undergraduate students at the University of Mary Washington, is a former Board Member of the American Marketing Association’s DC Chapter and is always maximizing his time with his family and trying to find time to train for another marathon.