A summit meeting brings different perspectives within a system together to have a strategic conversation that has the potential to change that system in profound ways. Summits are often used by professional associations or political organizations to convene leaders and stakeholders who can offer a broad range of insights and provocative ideas on the topics being addressed. They can be a powerful way to inspire a vision for the future and to empower attendees to generate systemic change or chart new paths.
Organizing a summit isn’t easy, and the results are often not immediately apparent. Summits require a deep commitment to learning and open dialogue that can disrupt old patterns of thinking. And once people come down from the mountain, it can take time to work through all the implications of what was learned and turn that new wisdom into smart strategy and executable next steps.
Summits can be held in person or online and can take a variety of forms including keynotes, workshops, panel discussions, networking events, or breakout sessions. It’s important to choose a format that aligns with the goals of your event and audience. Providing interactive content and opportunities for interaction can help create a memorable summit experience that participants will want to share with their colleagues and networks.
The Second Summit of the Americas in Miami established an institutionalized process for high-level decisions at the highest level of government decision-making in the Western Hemisphere. The Santiago Plan of Action committed the Heads of State and Government to meet periodically for the purpose of deepening cooperation and understanding in the region. To facilitate the work between Summit meetings, an inter-governmental group known as the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) was created to oversee Summit implementation and coordination with other international bodies.