The three rules of conference panels
One unfiltered moderator, three panellists and a universal experience

It’s precisely midday, and it’s my great pleasure to be chairing the last panel discussion of the morning. We’re going to spend the next 30 minutes talking about the impact of something important on something else important. I’m your moderator and I should have done more preparation.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “The conference panel ”
Business
June 28th 2025- It’s not just Labubu dolls. Chinese brands are booming
- How to tell the West’s car industry really is in trouble
- AI valuations are verging on the unhinged
- How OnlyFans transformed porn
- Behind the world’s fragrances sits a shadowy oligopoly
- Wendell Weeks, the small-town boss at the big-tech table
- The three rules of conference panels
- Who needs Accenture in the age of AI?

From the June 28th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Pity France’s cognac-makers
They have won a respite from China, but face growing pressures in America

Linda Yaccarino goes from X CEO to ex-CEO
The top position at Elon Musk’s social-media platform is open once again

Does working from home kill company culture?
Our analysis suggests it depends on what sort of culture bosses want
On Lego, love and friendship
Human relations are a useful way to think about brands
Jeff Bezos 2.0: new wife, newish job, old vision
The Amazon founder’s semi-retirement plan
Would you pay $19 for a strawberry?
The rise of luxury fruit