First Time at CEO Global? Here Is What to Expect.

Do These Three Things Before You Pack

Register first. Conference registration closes October 13, and sessions, receptions and the opening reception are all included in your registration. Lock in your spot at joinceo.org/global before the deadline.

If you are entering the pitch competition, apply separately. The CEO Global Pitch Competition has two tracks: the Idea Track for concept-stage businesses and the Venture Track for companies already generating revenue or traction. Pitch competition entry is a separate application from conference registration, and both require action on your part. Applications are open now.

Review the schedule when it is released and mark your priorities. Between keynotes, professional development sessions, breakouts and panels, there is more on the schedule than any one person can attend. Going in with a short list of non-negotiable sessions makes the weekend easier to navigate.

What Happens in the Rooms

CEO Global has three types of programming, and each one works differently.

Keynotes are full-conference anchors. High energy, large room, speakers who have built or led something significant. This year, Kolin Jones opens as the Friday keynote: founder and CEO of Amalfi Jets, CEO alumnus and the person who launched a private aviation company from a college dorm room at 18 with no outside investment. He built it to a $100M+ valuation with 30+ employees and 4 million followers. That is the kind of room you walk into on Friday.

Breakouts and professional development sessions are smaller and more specific. These are the working sessions. Bring something to take notes on. The speakers in these rooms are there to share what actually worked for them, not to deliver a polished talk.

Panels are where you hear multiple founders on one topic at once. The "Free Money Is Real" panel this year brings together Dillon Rosenthal (BounceBack Pickle), Isabella Grinter (Izzies Bikinies) and Maximus Mattuchio (Dirty Bastard Laundry Company): three founders who have collectively won more than 10 pitch competitions and are ready to talk about what happens after you win the money.

You Do Not Have to Compete to Benefit

The CEO Global Pitch Competition puts $20,000 on the table across two tracks. The Idea Track is for founders with a concept they are ready to test in front of real judges. The Venture Track is for companies past the concept stage: revenue, customers, proof that the business is moving.

If you are competing, start building your deck now. The judges are founders, investors and executives who evaluate businesses for a living. They want to see a clear problem, a real solution, evidence that you understand your market and a founder who can hold the room under pressure. Features are not the story. The transformation is.

If you are not competing, attend the rounds anyway. Watching how strong founders pitch and how judges respond is one of the most concentrated learning experiences the weekend offers. You will leave with a clearer sense of what a winning pitch looks and sounds like.

The Conversations That Do Not Happen in Class

CEO Global is not a networking event with a conference attached. It is a conference where the networking happens between everything else: at the opening reception, in the hallways between sessions, over meals. The 500+ people in the building are student entrepreneurs from 250+ chapters across the country. They are building things. Some of them will be co-founders, collaborators or investors years from now.

A few things that actually work: Introduce yourself to at least five people before the first keynote. Ask what someone is building, not what their major is. Save contact information in a way you will actually follow up on. A text to yourself or a LinkedIn connection request on the spot works better than a stack of business cards you will sort through a week later and never act on.

Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, November 5–7

The conference takes place at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach in Clearwater Beach, FL. The hotel and the conference are in the same building, which matters more than it sounds. You are not shuttling between venues or losing time between sessions. The energy stays concentrated, and the hallway conversations are easier to have when everyone is in the same space.

November weather on the Gulf Coast runs mild, low 70s during the day and cooler in the evenings. Pack layers for the conference rooms regardless of the weather outside: hotel ballrooms run cold, and you will be sitting in them for hours at a stretch. Comfortable shoes are worth thinking about too. Three days of walking between sessions in a hotel adds up.

	Register at joinceo.org/global. Deadline is October 13. Early bird pricing closes August 31. $165 gets you all three days: sessions, meals, opening reception and pitch competition access.
	Submit your pitch application if you are competing. Idea Track and Venture Track applications are separate from conference registration. Both require action before you can compete.

	Pick three sessions you will not skip. When the full schedule drops, identify your non-negotiables before you arrive. The weekend moves fast and having priorities already set keeps you from spending it deciding.
	Pack layers. Florida in November is mild outside. Hotel conference rooms are not. A light jacket or hoodie for the sessions is not optional.