PRovoke Media 04 Feb 2025 // 3:05PM GMT

CHICAGO—Michael Gonda, McDonald’s Corporation’s senior vice president and chief impact officer for North America, will be among the featured speakers at PRovoke Media’s North American Summit, which takes place in Chicago on February 19 in conjunction with the presentation of our In2 SABRE Awards.
In a session entitled “Unpacking the year of McDonald’s,” Gonda will sit down with PRovoke founder and CEO Paul Holmes to discuss an eventful 12 months in the life of one of America’s most iconic brands. Chris Arnade called 2024: “The year of McDonald’s.” CNN said that “McDonald’s was Everywhere.”
Managing everything that contributed to McDonald’s presence in the headlines—from a food safety issue that was one of the best managed crises of the year to constant invocations on the campaign trails and a now infamous campaign stop to reports of menu prices rising too high—takes far more than a reactive approach.
Gonda will talk about all the work he and his team led to ensuring the brand would emerge stronger after a tumultuous year.
The North American Summit will take place at RPM Events in downtown Chicago and in addition to discussions about corporate affairs, trust, healthcare communications, and artificial intelligence will feature the presentation of several of the In2 SABRE Awards (listed in this article).
The remaining In2 SABRE winners will be announced during a dinner the same evening—the first time the Innovation SABREs have had their own awards event since the Covid pandemic.
Tickets for both events can be reserved here.