Don’t underestimate the role of the most senior person in your meetings! I have learnt the hard way that it is critical to the success of any meeting to engage the most senior participants in the design.
Ideally I like to talk with the most senior person before the event. I focus my questions on their hopes / expectations / outcomes and concerns for the meeting.
If I only have a few minutes with a leader, then I will take them through the outcomes and agenda, sense checking with them as I go.
Fortunately, I have only come across a very small minority of leaders who manage their people through fear and dictatorship! These people really do not lend themselves to a facilitated style meeting but the vast majority of senior people will add the content leadership to our process leadership that creates a great meeting.