Facilitation
Designing Strategic Events at Scale
Lessons from Global Impact Work
Live Online
With Alise Green
Alise Green leads strategic events and planning at the Ford Foundation, where the stakes and scale are a world apart from most facilitators' day to day. In this session, she'll walk through how she approaches event design for high-impact, mission-driven work, from early planning through execution, and share practical takeaways facilitators can apply regardless of the size of their own events.
Live Online
This event has ended.
Interested in hearing when this workshop will occur next?
Interested in a private cohort for your team?
Let us know
Agenda
Welcome & Strategic Foundations
After arriving to the space with an opener, we'll explore what makes gatherings strategic and what we mean by at scale—moving past basic logistics to define the human and institutional change our events must drive.
Core Frameworks: Planning, Experience Design & Execution
Through short bursts of insights and real-world examples, we’ll unpack the critical levers of event design: navigating planning trade-offs, orchestrating attendee energy and hospitality, and managing seamless day-of execution.
Applied Design Lab
A hands-on paired exercise diagnosing a complex convening scenario to spot power dynamics, dismantle access barriers, and build actionable design solutions in real time.
Synthesis, Universal Principles & Commitments
A collective debrief to extract foundational convening rules that scale from 20 to 2,000 attendees, wrapping with a closing reflection on how we will design our next gathering differently.
Who Should Attend
Facilitators & Experience Designers
Practitioners looking to scale their facilitation toolkit across the entire event lifecycle to build participatory, high-belonging spaces.
Event Producers & Conveners
Professionals responsible for programming, resourcing, and executing complex, high-stakes gatherings.
Organizational Leaders & Chiefs of Staff
Leaders who mobilize cross-functional stakeholders, align priorities, and leverage convenings to advance institutional strategy.
Project Leads, Educators & Trainers
Managers, teachers, and facilitators designing collaborative processes and learning environments that demand active engagement and collective problem-solving.
Key Takeaways
Learn a strategic approach to designing gatherings that advance institutional goals.
Explore inclusive experience design principles that help people meaningfully participate, connect, and contribute to shared outcomes.
Gain practical insights into planning, intentional programming, stakeholder alignment, and seamless event execution.
Discover how to navigate complexity, design for diverse needs, and turn gatherings into opportunities for lasting connection and impact.
Featured Facilitators
Alise Green
Alise Green is an Event Strategist and Producer at the Ford Foundation with more than a decade of experience in event strategy and production, including six years focused on strategy and design for the social impact sector. In her current role, Alise leads large-scale, international, and cross-functional teams to design and produce experiences that bring together leaders, experts, and cultural voices to advance equity and justice. Bridging vision, alignment, and execution, Alise helps teams transform ambitious ideas into meaningful, memorable experiences that drive meaningful impact.
As a first-generation American Afro-Latina, Alise brings a deep commitment to equity and accessibility to her work. She holds a BA from Columbia University and an MSc in Sociology from the London School of Economics.
Outside of work, Alise enjoys culinary exploration, travel, dancing, live music, running, and exploring her home city of Brooklyn.
As a first-generation American Afro-Latina, Alise brings a deep commitment to equity and accessibility to her work. She holds a BA from Columbia University and an MSc in Sociology from the London School of Economics.
Outside of work, Alise enjoys culinary exploration, travel, dancing, live music, running, and exploring her home city of Brooklyn.
What People Are Saying
"The community’s warmth and generosity in tending to me and the issue made me feel cared for and supported. Beyond the suggestions, which were immediately useful, the culture of the community makes leaning into that growth edge easier, and more delightful."
Katrina Mitchell
Senior Technical Advisor, JHPiego
“I just wanted to say thanks for the great session last night. Your feedback and suggestions were fantastic. I left very energized!"
Dan Corbin
Instructor at Pragmatic Institute
Photo Disclaimer
Please note that photographs, video & audio recordings will be taken throughout this event. These will be used by Voltage Control for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and in social media, or in any third party publication. Please contact our events manager if you have any concerns or if you wish to be exempted from this activity.
