As work becomes more dominated by AI and digital interactions, professionals are experiencing an "existential crisis" and actively seeking genuine human connection. This creates a significant opportunity for in-person events that prioritize community over just content, fulfilling a need for real-world interaction.
The most valuable networking often happens spontaneously, outside the official schedule. By moving their next event to an all-in-one resort where everyone stays on-site, the team is intentionally engineering more opportunities for valuable, unplanned interactions at the pool, coffee shop, or lobby.
Instead of diving into logistics like catering, the team built the event's landing page first. This counterintuitive approach acts as a forcing function, compelling them to define the event's story, value proposition, and target audience before committing resources to execution and getting lost in the weeds.
To minimize attendee confusion and anxiety, plan your communication flow by starting with the last email needed and working backwards. This ensures you cover all critical information from an attendee's perspective—like travel, dress code, and schedules—anticipating their needs at each stage of their journey.
The most valued parts of the event were not the keynotes, but breakout groups and off-site excursions like pickleball. These activities create a "third space"—separate from work and home—where attendees can form genuine human connections, which is often the ultimate, unstated goal of attending.
A new hire's first project was planning a major event happening in three months. This trial-by-fire approach is an effective onboarding method, forcing rapid learning of company systems, team dynamics, and external vendor management, which quickly and effectively integrates the new person into the team.
An event isn't over when attendees leave. A critical, often-neglected phase is the post-event plan. This includes distributing recordings, sending sponsor recaps, and following up with leads. This "long tail" of the event requires its own dedicated strategy to maximize content reuse and ROI.
Choosing Vermont for the "Drive" event, initially a decision of convenience, unintentionally became a core part of its brand. The unique location became part of the product itself, attracting attendees looking for an experience beyond a typical conference in a major city, making the setting a key selling point.