This Year, Let’s Make Panels the Best Part of the Event

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January 14, 2026

This Year, Let’s Make Panels the Best Part of the Event

January is a natural reset. New goals. New strategies. New commitments to doing things better. So here’s a bold commitment for meeting organizers and panel moderators as you plan this year’s events:

We will not plan another panel discussion on autopilot.
This year, we commit to designing panels worthy of our audiences’ time and attention.

The reality is that audiences have low expectations for a panel. This year, let’s raise the standard: No more “not bad” panels! Let’s elevate our expectations to have engaging, purposeful, and memorable panel discussions. A panel that is:

A frank, unplugged, behind-the-scenes conversation.
A collision of perspectives.
A learning experience they can’t get on Google, YouTube or ChatGPT.

The Real Problem Isn’t the Panel

Panels are often chosen because they seem fast and efficient. You select a topic, scrounge up some panelists (or sponsors), find a moderator, and BOOM! You have a panel!

Not so fast. A great panel is a high-skill format that deserves as much attention as your keynote slot.

Meeting Organizers: It’s time to elevate the traditional panel. Here’s your challenge for the year ahead:

Vet your moderators like you would a keynote speaker.
Envision a lively and informative format instead of a boring, default Q&A format.
Curate diversity of thought, experience, and backgrounds.
Clarify what the audience should walk away with.
Select a skilled moderator who can deliver on the above.

Panel Moderators: Moderating a panel is more than asking a list of questions. Here’s your challenge for the year ahead:

Design a format that invites spontaneous conversation and engages the audience
Curate questions that invite stories, tension, and specificity
Think in terms of conversation segments, not question lists
Know when to get out of the way and when to step in firmly

A Challenge for All: Ask yourself these questions as you plan your next panel:

What makes this conversation unavailable anywhere else?
Where might panelists disagree?
What will people do differently because they attended?
How will the audience be involved before, during, and after?

Because the goal is not to fill 30, 45, 60, or even 90 minutes. The goal is to create a moment where the audience leans in and thinks: “This is different. This matters.”

Panels don’t have to be the session people endure, but only if we stop treating them as an afterthought.

Design it. Curate it. Moderate it with intention.

Your audience deserves better. And when you get it right? They’ll remember your panel long after the conference ends.

The Secret to a Truly Lively Panel: Frame Questions for Conversation, Not Answers

How to Moderate a Panel Discussion

Panels Shouldn’t Be a Break; They Should Be a Breakthrough

For more information about how to moderate a lively & informative panel discussion, check out our free 7-part video series on how to moderate a panel and other resources to help you organize, moderate, or be a panel member.