Sponsored Breakouts
* The following applies only for sponsors that have a sponsored breakout in their contract *
A sponsored breakout is a one-hour session created and hosted by sponsors in collaboration with Trellis analysts. Done well, they can be powerful opportunities for participants to interact with each other and the speakers, while taking away valuable new insights to inform and energize their work. Our best-rated sessions are those that are solutions-focused, integrate some degree of interactivity, while also featuring new ideas, frameworks and actionable takeaways.
📆 Sponsored Breakout Deadlines
Sept 6 - Submit session items
Oct 11 - Submit speaker info & Book speaker hotel rooms
Oct 18 - Register speakers
IMPORTANT
📌 Sponsor Responsibilities: Please note that although a Trellis analyst will be assigned to your session to help advise on content, the sponsor is fully responsible for the content development, recruitment of speakers, and creation of any materials (e.g. slides) needed for your session.
ℹ️ Sponsored Breakouts vs Regular Breakouts: Please note that sponsored breakouts are separate from regular breakouts. Both might be included in your program. A sponsored breakout is one that is developed by the sponsor, whereas a regular breakout is built by Trellis (and the sponsor just gets one of the speaking spots). Attendee contact info is only allowed to be shared for sponsored breakouts. Please work with your customer success manager on coordinating your sponsored breakout and your assigned content lead on coordinating your regular breakout.
Action Items
Submit Session Items: Please submit your session items (listed below) via the VERGE 24 Sponsored Breakout Form by 📆 Sept 6 at the latest.
Session date/time - Sponsored breakouts can be hosted on Oct 29 (3:15-4:15pm), Oct 30 (9-10am, 10:45-11:45am, 3:15-4:15pm, 4:30-5:30pm) or Oct 31 (9:30-10:30am, 11am-12pm). Please confirm your top 3 dates/times and our team will choose a date/time for you to avoid content overlap with other sessions. Your title and description (or at least topic idea) must therefore be submitted before we can confirm your session date/time. In addition, please note that time slots are reserved on a first come first served basis.
Session title - 90 characters with spaces max, title case. The word "(Sponsored)" will be added to the end of the title to mark it as a sponsored session (this is required for all sponsored breakouts). We recommend using forward-looking phrases and avoiding words that are too niche or generic. Your title will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.
Session description - 750 characters with spaces max. Please make sure to check our online program to ensure your description/topic does not conflict with other concurring sessions. We recommend including clear takeaways in the description so attendees know what they will learn. Your description will be reviewed by our content team once submitted.
A/V needs - We will have a monitor or screen and projector as well as a clicker and 4 hand-held mics for your session. We ask that you bring your own laptop to run your presentation if you choose to have slides. If you have a Mac, please bring your own Mac HDMI adapter. Please inform your customer success manager if you have additional A/V needs or need any special accommodations.
Submit Speaker Info: Please submit your speaker info by 📆 Oct 11 at the latest. This includes their name, job title, company name, headshot, short bio (1-5 sentence paragraph) and email. Once you have submitted the above session items, your customer success manager will provide a form for speakers to submit their information. Please note your session must have at least one speaker from outside your company and panels of three or more people cannot be all-male. We also recommend including at least one BIPOC speaker.
Confirm Prep-Call: Once you have submitted the above session items, your customer success manager will schedule a prep-call with one of our content analysts to discuss your topic idea and provide support to develop the content of your session. Speakers do NOT need to be on this call.
Book Hotel Rooms & Register Speakers: Please make sure your speakers book their hotel rooms by 📆 Oct 11 and register for the event by 📆 Oct 18 following the directions on this page. All sponsored breakout speakers get complimentary Speaker All-Access passes.
Read Prep-Materials: Please have your speakers read through the sponsored breakout tips and logistics listed below to ensure your session runs smoothly.
Create Slides, Polls, Q&A: A title slide is required and you are welcome to use the poll and Q&A features as well. Please see more details on each item below.
Slides - We require that all sessions use at least a title slide that lists the title of the session along with all speakers, their titles and affiliations. You can use the VERGE 24 template (please download before editing). Please note it is the sponsor’s responsibility to create the slides and set them up with your own laptop onsite (Mac users will need to bring their own HDMI adapter). Any slides/video assets should be created in the standard 16:9 aspect ratio.
(Optional) Polls - Live poll questions can be added to your session through our conference app, Whova. This allows the audience to take polls through the app and the moderator is able to read out the results live or display them on the screen. Note one of your speakers will need to add the poll questions to the app themselves (directions here).
(Optional) Q&A - Live Q&A can be administered through our conference app, Whova. This allows the audience to submit questions through the app and the speakers are able to view all questions and respond to them verbally or in the app (directions here).
Logistics
Timing: Sponsored breakouts will be hosted alongside regular breakouts - on Oct 29 (3:15-4:15pm), Oct 30 (9-10am, 10:45-11:45am, 3:15-4:15pm, 4:30-5:30pm) and Oct 31 (9:30-10:30am, 11am-12pm). Each sponsored breakout will only occur once.
Format: Sponsored breakout rooms will be set in rounds and theater seating for 130-140 people and we will have stools available at the front for speakers. We will not provide head tables or stage risers, as this creates a barrier between the speakers and the audience and discourages interaction.
Signups: There is no advance sign-up — participation is first-come, first-served. All participants will have their badges scanned so we can track attendance, and the attendee list will be sent to sponsors after the event.
Session info: Sponsored breakout information will be available on the event website and conference app for attendees to see before and during the event and will be labeled as sponsored. We will also have onsite printed program signage showing all breakouts.
Feedback: Our conference app contains a survey feature — please encourage your participants to provide feedback following your session. Just have them click into your session on the app and click on the survey button. You can request your session feedback from your customer success manager after the event.
What Makes a Great Breakout?
🤝 Engage your audience. The best sessions are those that are interactive and participatory. Including a hands-on exercise in your session enables your participants to meet one another, work collaboratively and helps them get to know you. At the very least, include plenty of time for Q&A and feedback during the session (at least 20 minutes is required).
📚 Focus on tangible knowledge and real world data. The most effective sessions are those that present data, metrics and case studies to help us ground an aspirational circular economy in the reality of what’s actually happening today, uplifting actionable insights and success stories (and failures we can learn from.)
🎯 Set a specific outcome. Participants appreciate knowing they’ve used their time well, especially when they have other options on how to spend it. Give them a specific goal or outcome — “Today, you will learn how to make smart choices in choosing energy-efficiency projects.” That will give everyone a clear vision of what success looks like for the hour.
🪟 Be transparent about controversies/challenges. If your session topic is controversial or it has caused your company challenges, it’s best to address this upfront with the audience. This will help your company gain credibility and attendees will appreciate the opportunity to learn how your company is managing the issue.
👔 Be clear when selling. If you’d like to focus your session on a product or service, it’s best to be clear about this in your title and description. Communicate who should come to the demonstration and how they would benefit from your offering.
📈 Use slides wisely. Slides can be very helpful in presenting your ideas to your audience, but it's important to keep them visual rather than text-based. Make sure you're not distracting attendees by using text-heavy slides that they'll try to read as you speak. Visual slides are a great way to support your presentation and guide the audience.