More than Hallway Convo: How Conferences are Constructing Meaningful Interactions

Heading into the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026, conference attendees want more interactivity with speakers and each other. Nearly every event organizer starting to develop their conference agenda for events in that time has reported a new or increased emphasis on this type of interactive session, with several shedding insight into this emerging trend.

While attendees have always found value in meeting with potential partners and customers at events, they are now eager for more than hallway conversations. There is so much happening within industries, the economy, and the broader world – and at such a rapid pace – that more in-depth and off the record conversations help attendees make sense of it all and understand how to better apply the ideas that are shared on stage within their own organizations.

Today’s attendees still want to hear documented best practices and case studies they can use in their jobs – this is where onstage speaking presentations, fireside chats, and panels play – but they also want to learn from those experts in a candid or Chatham House setting what customers, partners, and other stakeholders are really experiencing.

Conference organizers we speak with are conscious of this and are working to build these moments into their conference agenda. Some examples include:

In April, Fortune commented on this shift at their 2025 Brainstorm Tech confab (9 – 10 September in Park City, UT), noting “At this year’s gathering, you’ll find a greater emphasis on roundtable discussions—the beating heart of a Brainstorm—with new formats to encourage intimacy, creativity, and candor.”

In addition to the plenary sessions at the Semafor World Economy Summit, that team hosts roundtable discussions which include an intimate reception followed by lunchtime discussions held under Chatham House Rule. These conversations are by invitation only for 15 – 18 senior leaders.

Not only does HLTH offer three 1:1 Curated Matchmaking sessions for buyers, investors and attendees, but they also shared this promise about the next event in their 2025 theme announcement blog: “Expect less panels, more candid conversations, more spontaneity, more variety, bigger speakers, and less time that audience members are looking down at their phones.”

“Ask me Anything/AMA” stages – where speakers go after their presentations to take Q&A from the audience – have become increasingly popular. INDUSTRY Conference, Web Summit, HumanX, Elevate Festival, and several others have added them to the agenda in recent years.

Speaker Strategies’ advice for navigating this trend

Take advantage of these opportunities to network but in a way that makes the most of the time you already plan to be on the ground at the conference. Practically speaking, you could:

• Schedule a mentor session or Q&A component to your existing speaking role. You may walk away with a new customer or employee.
• Build extra time into your event schedule for these opportunities in a way that makes travel easier. If you have to stay the night to take a direct flight home, use the evening to attend a speaker dinner.
• Amplify the opportunity! Draft a blog or post on some of the questions you are asked or comments you heard during an interactive session. 

Whether you are a communications professional preparing speakers for an upcoming event or a speaker ready to take the stage yourself, understanding the shift in format preference and what you should expect at conferences over the next 12 months will help you prepare and manage expectations.