By Mike Antonczyk and Matt Hirschland Ph.D., H2A Partners

Since January 1 of this year, H2A Partners has conducted 55 one-to-one interviews with Fortune 1000 executives, including CIOs, CTOs, CHROs, Heads of Strategy and M&A, Chief Digital Officers, and other C-suite leaders. The goal has been to understand a simple but increasingly important question: in a market flooded with AI programming, what actually merits executive time, and what gets dismissed as just “more of the same.” 

The feedback has been remarkably consistent. Senior executives want the following: 

1. A forum that feels candid  
2. An environment much less commercial than a typical vendor event 
3. Access to more substantive networking with the right people  

These findings help explain why so many professional services firms who are investing heavily in AI related programming are struggling to fill the room and create durable client development momentum from these investments. In crowded AI markets, buyers are not short on content. They are short on trust. 

The Solution 

In a market riddled with overwhelming AI noise right now, inflated claims and interchangeable vendor frameworks, executives are not just filtering for interesting content. They are filtering for interaction with credible peers and for firms that provide an environment and advice they can trust.  

To change the nature and impact of how you engage executives, we suggest the following: 

1. Conversations over presentation. Above all else, CxOs value the opportunity to hear how peers are navigating difficult decisions, where progress is real, and where transformation is proving harder than expected. 
2. Real operating problems, not generic themes. AI matters, but only when connected to practical tensions, organizational tradeoffs, and decisions leaders are actively trying to make. 
3. Vendor neutrality. CxOs were clear that they are willing to join a forum hosted by any firm, but they do not want the room to feel captured by the host. The most valued sessions are described as open, candid, and peer led. 
4. Small, curated cohorts. Roughly 10 to 18 participants for virtual sessions and 6 to 12 for in-person gatherings is the sweet spot for meaningful, trust-building conversations.   
5. True peer-groups. Titles matter less than true peer relevance. Executives want to be with others carrying comparable scope, accountability, and decision pressure.  

These preferences matter because they are not just about better attendance. They are the conditions under which trust forms, and trust is what ultimately drives serious client development. 

Taken together, these point to something more than simply better event design. They describe the conditions in which real relationships are built and trust is accumulated, creating the foundation for the kind of business development that leads to meaningful commercial opportunities.