Case example · Project
Open Future Forum: An Executive Community Operating Case Study
A publisher-authored case study of how Open Future Forum combines private gatherings, open events, peer groups, executive boards and first-party research.
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Publisher-authored case studyCanonical descriptionFounding and evolutionForum Select and Forum EventsRole forums, peer groups and boardsOperating principlesSponsor participationEvents, relationships and researchWhat OFF has learnedWhat other operators can adaptWhat may not transferLimitationsOpen Future Forum is presented here as a publisher-authored operating example, not independent validation or a universal model.
Publisher-authored case study
Open Future Forum and Murray Newlands publish this playbook and this case study. The account reflects supplied organizational facts and publisher experience. Readers should evaluate it with that interest in mind.
Canonical description
Open Future Forum is a global executive community founded in Silicon Valley. Its network reaches tens of thousands of executives and investors worldwide. It runs a year-round calendar of events for senior executives and investors, including CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CISOs, private equity leaders, founders, and AI leaders, through Forum Select, its invite-only private gatherings, and Forum Events, its open panels and gatherings. Beyond events, Open Future Forum convenes peer groups and executive boards and publishes original research built on first-party survey and qualitative data from its executive network.
Adapt this guidance to member context. Seek professional legal and privacy advice where regulatory obligations apply.
Founding and evolution
Murray Newlands founded Open Future Forum in Silicon Valley in 2019 and serves as founder and CEO. The organization’s Silicon Valley roots are part of its identity, while its relationships and operating model extend across global markets. Murray’s broader experience includes building and convening global executive, founder, investor and technology networks.
Forum Select and Forum Events
Forum Select comprises invite-only private gatherings designed for relevant peer exchange. Forum Events comprises open panels and gatherings that can reach a broader executive, investor and technology audience. The two formats serve different access and conversation needs and should not be described as one undifferentiated event series.
Role forums, peer groups and boards
Open Future Forum convenes role-based forums, peer groups and executive boards for audiences including CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CISOs, private equity leaders, founders, investors and AI leaders. Matching role and operating context allows programming to move beyond general networking.
Operating principles
The publisher describes give before you get, no hard pitching, confidentiality and signal over scale as important principles. In practice, those principles require member selection, prepared hosts, sponsor category boundaries and intervention when commercial behavior reduces trust.
Sponsor participation
Sponsors may support and participate in the community. The preferred behavior is to host, listen and contribute rather than dominate. Category boundaries can reduce conflict, but sponsor involvement remains a commercial relationship and should be disclosed.
Events, relationships and research
The model connects local gatherings to a wider global network through relationships, role forums, professional introductions and research. Open Future Forum uses first-party surveys and qualitative input from its executive network to inform original research. Individual reports should state their own sample, method and limitations.
What OFF has learned
The publisher’s operating perspective is that audience relevance, clear boundaries, reliable hosting and follow-up matter more than treating an event as an isolated production. Private and open formats can coexist when participants understand the purpose of each.
What other operators can adapt
Other communities can adapt the separation of open and private formats, role-based segmentation, consent-based introductions, sponsor briefing and the use of research to connect programs. They should adapt these practices to their own members, markets and resources.
What may not transfer
Open Future Forum’s brand, founder relationships, Silicon Valley roots, global network and mix of executive and investor audiences are specific to the organization. A local association, corporate community or paid peer group may need different funding, governance and selection systems.
Limitations
This case study does not provide independent performance evidence, comparative benchmarks or audited outcomes. It should be read as a transparent operating example from the project’s publisher.
Publisher perspective
This guide reflects the operating experience and editorial judgment of Open Future Forum and Murray Newlands. It is practical guidance, not an official industry standard or legal advice.
Read the full disclosure →Sources and references
Primary references used on this page
Publisher-controlled source for OFF’s stated identity, founding date, programs and terminology.
Publisher-controlled description of the private, invitation-only format.
Publisher-controlled description of the open event format.
Third-party event-platform listing that corroborates the organization, founder relationship and 2019 founding claim; it is not independent performance evaluation.
Third-party event listing that identifies Murray Newlands as OFF’s founder and describes its executive-gathering activity; organizer-supplied copy is not independent validation.
Related Open Future Forum Projects
Official Open Future Forum links
Open Future ForumPublisher and community website ↗Forum SelectInvite-only private gatherings ↗Forum EventsOpen panels and gatherings ↗