In this episode, we talk with Orson Francescone of The Financial Times about building community through strategic events and investing in a digital-first event approach.

Francescone has worked in the B2B media and events industry for more than 15 years. He has led global conference and exhibitions businesses for Euromoney Institutional Investor, and Haymarket Media Group. Since November 2019, he has been managing director of FT Live, the global event business of the Financial Times. 

Throughout his career, Francescone has specialized in enabling publishers to monetize their content and drive high-margin revenues via all event formats, from conferences to awards ceremonies to large-scale exhibitions and trade shows and, more recently, digital events. He has launched some of the world's most successful and award-winning events, including Gastech, the Festival of Work, and, more recently, The Global Boardroom.

Here’s what you’ll hear about in this conversation: 

• Building community through strategic events
• Pivoting event strategy throughout the pandemic
• Executing a webinar with 6,000 registrations in just five days
• Supporting a team while shifting from in-person to virtual events
• Investing in a digital-first approach to events