Community, Content, Context and Cause

We have been privileged to offer the Global Leadership Summit in our local Tristate area including Evansville Indiana and Henderson Kentucky for many years. And in fact, the 2022 Summit was attended in venues or online by over 500 leaders from 135 organizations from the Tristate.

And while we have always tried to connect the Summit to our local context and causes, this year added some fresh opportunities to leverage the national option of GLS-Local as a session before lunch on Friday of the Summit.

Here’s why it matters and what it looks like:

Community: a value add gathering of every sector

There are very few gatherings that bring together the diversity of organizations that are represented in the Summit. Demographics tell us that the Summit audience has 20% church leaders, 45% business leaders, and the other 35% are a mix of nonprofit, government, and community leaders. But even more important is that they come together for 2 days and reconnect with familiar faces and network with new leaders every year. We are convinced that learning happens best in community and that it all happens for us in our own backyard with local venues where we add value to people, organizations, and the community with world-class leadership content.

Content: World Class faculty with fresh actionable content

There is rarely an alumnus of 20+ years of the Global Leadership Summit that cannot tell you something that has impacted their leadership. For most, it is several key ideas applied in their workplace, church, or community that keeps them coming back for more every year. Over a dozen speakers make up a world-class faculty that included 5 CEOs this year along with thought leaders and pastors of some very large churches and ministries. One of the favorite things to do in our community is to debrief and hear how insightful leadership ideas are applied and executed in our city.

Context: Designed to deliver in local communities

Our largest venue in Evansville is the Ridgeway Center at the University of Evansville. National speakers streamed live in HD quality to large LED screens while we sit around tables at our local university with our community of leaders and friends. Because it is a local venue, churches are able to afford to bring staff and volunteers and nonprofits are able to bring their staff and boards to learn together and take the learnings deep into the organizations. Business leaders who would travel alone to major cities for such content are able to gather their entire team around the table and process what it looks like back at the office on Monday morning.

Cause: Integration with community needs and pathways

For many years in the Tristate, we have worked at leveraging the Summit as a platform to connect leaders to local causes and organizations. This year we had some unique opportunities to connect.

Local Nonprofit hosting-For the last few years we have worked with local nonprofit organizations to provide hospitality for the Summit. At the very first break, we introduce the Executive Director of a nonprofit and let them welcome and offer their staff to serve. From check-in to room set up, parking, and overall assistance with our guests, we have a local nonprofit with their organization’s T-shirts working hard. In return, we insert a short video on their mission and provide tickets and a table in the lobby with more information.
GLS Local-New this year, the national stream allowed every site to insert a 30-minute session on Friday before lunch to use for local content. So our local movement leaders from For Evansville prepared this session including:

A story: a locally, but professionally produced 9-minute film called “Fragile Strength” with a storyline about a young lady that struggled in school because of overwhelming conditions at home and how a community was willing to engage and support her to help her to succeed. We were able to promote all through the Summit that we would be premiering a local film on Friday. The focus was on how we can work together to provide wrap-around care for our kids through our local schools.

The State of E: The rest of the 30-minute session was a presentation by the For Evansville team around a brochure passed out that folded out to poster size with the data on the top 5 issues facing the Evansville community. The title was “Five Areas to Help Your Neighbors Flourish” and it did high-level stats on well-being, child welfare, mental wellness, racial unity, and job quality. The follow-up included a QR code with a full download of a 60-page report on the needs of our city.