Session Descriptions


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Friday Sessions

Leadership People Want to Follow | Authentic Leadership |

 Navigating Leadership When the Show Must Go On

Saturday Sessions

Leading Economic Development and Creating Social Value: My Leadership Journey | BGS Gives Back Activity



Keynote Presentation
Leadership People Want to Follow 
 
You need to be savvy to lead teams in today’s workplace. You’ve got different generations with varying levels of experience, cultural assumptions and the never-ending change happening in your industry, organization and team. Your best bet for success is to be the kind of leader your people WANT to follow. 
 
In this engaging (and fun!) presentation, Change Management Authority Anne Bonney will ignite your leadership with skills that will heat up your team’s motivation and performance. Teaching connection, communication and delegation to get even better output from your team; Anne will bring rapid-fire content to reduce turnover, increase engagement and productivity directly impacting your culture so positivity that collaboration will catch fire, and create an inferno of goal achievement and bottom-line results. Who doesn’t want that? 
 
Key Takeaways:
• Connection skills that immediately impact your culture with greater engagement, collaboration and motivation, resulting in increased productivity 
• Reduce “water cooler” talk that negatively influences attitudes within the workplace 
• Improve individual performance and reduce unwanted behaviors 


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Collegiate Session 1
Authentic Leadership: Leading as a Whole Person
 
Authentic leadership calls on leaders to navigate challenges and create opportunities that are true to self and the principles that guide them. Authentic leaders consider their values, exhibit high degrees of emotional intelligence, and bring integrity to the people and organizations they lead. This exercise provides an opportunity for small teams to coalesce around the values, qualities, characteristics, and behaviors of leading as a “whole person.”
 
This exercise provides an opportunity for small teams to coalesce around the values, qualities, characteristics, and behaviors of leading as a “whole person.” Beyond intellect and training in a discipline, what knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) should leaders use to navigate a changing and often challenging work environment? Teams will brainstorm values, characteristics and KSA’s that speak to authentic leadership and provide a perspective on what constitutes impactful and meaningful leadership. As teams share their vision for what the authentic leader should be and do, and engage in a creative process to bring their “whole person leader” to life, we’ll work as a BGS community to develop a grounded theory on authentic leadership.
 

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Collegiate Session 2
Navigating Leadership When the Show Must Go On: The Business of Entertainment
 
The entertainment sector, encompassing music, sports, e-sports, film and television, and other streaming services is transforming the business landscape of Los Angeles and globally. Representing approximately $47 billion, LA is renowned as the entertainment capital of the world. Including LA regional sports which feature 11 professional teams, the sector contributes over $50 billion in economic impact and nearly 600,000 jobs (direct, indirect, and induced). Expanding further with e-sports, theater, and various other forms of entertainment, the sector’s economic influence reaches trillions of dollars. Major players in the industry include: NBC Universal, Disney, Sony, Warner Brothers, Rams, Chargers, Lakers, LAFC, Angel City, Dodgers, Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Electronic Arts, and many more.
 
This panel, moderated by Jim Wagner, President of Razor, and former CEO of Day6 Sports Group and CMO of MGA Entertainment, will discuss the challenges of leadership and navigating a constantly evolving landscape influenced by AI, analytics, and technology. The panelists, representing key sub-sectors within entertainment business, bring diverse experiences from music, film, television, and sports, along with expertise in marketing, finance, and human resource management. All four have managed significant shifts affecting their organizations and will share insights as leaders who ensure that “the show must go on!”
 

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Collegiate Session 3
Leading Economic Development and Creating Social Value: My Leadership Journey
 
While the business of entertainment has created wealth and fame for many in our community, Los Angeles, as a major metropolitan city, has left some community members behind. As we prepare to welcome the world for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, the city faces both bragging rights and significant challenges, ranging from homelessness to attracting investment, and from start-up culture to business closures. Navigating this landscape requires leadership that fosters partnerships and alliances, creates access and opportunities, and develops close relationships among conflicting interests – in short, the kind of leadership we all aspire to. 
 
Stephen Cheung, President and CEO, will share his leadership journey. As an immigrant child of a single mother, he pursued the American dream without the privileges or advantages that often make the path easier. Stephen has made a significant impact on the greater business community through his work with the LAEDC and the World Trade Center, serving as an influential leader in LA. He engages with hundreds of C-Suite leaders in the region and supports the Global Consular Corps in Los Angeles. The pillars he and his team have developed aim to ensure that the greater LA region prospers with a diverse, inclusive, and equitable economy. If California were a country, it would have the 5th largest economy in the world; the LA region would rank 19th.
 
Stephen’s leadership journey and strategic approach provides an innovative roadmap for creating meaningful economic and social impact. His insights will help us envision the kind of legacy we want to leave through our own leadership journeys.

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BGS Gives Back Activity: Little Leaders with Big Dreams

The ABC Guide to Growing Leaders

Conference participants will embark on a creative journey to produce a digital children’s book, by exploring the qualities that define great leaders and translating them into an engaging illustrative narrative. Through this book, participants will have the opportunity to spark curiosity, develop language, and ignite the potential for leadership in every child. The book will be donated to the LMU Children’s Center, which supports the early development of children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years old.

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If you have questions about the BGS Regional Leadership Conference, please email programs@betagammasigma.org.