Liz Lathan, CMP’s Post

What if... You used chocolate tasting as an engagement mechanism to draw attendees in? #attendeeengagement #randomthoughtsbyLiz 📷: Ephi Maglaris, DES --------- 🎉 Get more ideas like this in our weekly newsletter, The Engaged Attendee. Subscribe at: https://lnkd.in/gK3hxdUH

Austin friends, come hang with us tonight!! I get to pinch hit for the incredible Marissa Mendez as the moderator of this super fun panel. We've all got our fair share of event horror stories, so tonight we get to hear some real spine-tinglers from Erica Hilgeman Moon, Ernest Corder, and Kimberly Chung, and what they've learned that brought them back from the grave! https://lnkd.in/gVYKKHGq #ama #weareichi

Budget cuts. Fewer resources. Layoffs. And yet your event portfolio has not been reduced... Sounds like you need some help. But with less money, can you even afford to bring on help? YES - that's where freelancers come in! Join Rich Parker and Sasha Smith as they share how freelancers bring fresh ideas, specialized skills, and creative solutions that help event teams not only reduce costs but thrive in an evolving industry. Here’s what you’ll learn: • 𝗖𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: scale your team with top-tier freelance professionals, reducing long-term overhead without compromising on expertise. • 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁: Freelancers aren’t just about saving money — they bring unique perspectives and specialized skills that can elevate your event’s creativity and execution. • 𝗧𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Hiring regional freelancers cuts travel expenses and introduces fresh, local insights that can make your event stand out. • 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Free up your in-house team to focus on strategy by delegating logistics, admin, and more to highly skilled freelancers. Join this free webinar on October 17th If you're looking for curated freelance connections, purchase access to our 3 days of freelancer matchmaking, November 5-7 at https://lnkd.in/euX5KR99 Access to this is FREE for Club Ichi Insiders! Look for the code inside the Insider Slack Channel! #weareichi #FreelanceRevolution Anca Paduraru

Sometimes the things we do are ridiculous. Sometimes the things we do are indescribable to other people. All the time, they create memories, bond people, and inspire stories to tell. Inside Club Ichi, we go beyond traditional networking to create what the Japanese call "Kizuna": deep, lasting bonds that grow through shared experiences and trust. Every connection is shaped by the spirit of "ichi-go ichi-e", reminding us that each moment together is unique and transformative. Yes, we elevate our careers but we also build relationships that matter personally and professionally, in an environment where adventure and experimentation is always front and center. From floating Spontaneous Think Tank sessions in inflatable unicorns to 2:30am exploding pajama parties to watch the iconic Tropicana be demolished, these are the core memories that form relationships that transcend business. This is what it feels like to be inside Club Ichi. It's a little dreamy, not gonna lie. #weareichi #barefootbusiness Nicole Osibodu, XOXO

Attendees and event organizers have different opinions of what should happen at events. And according to Freeman Company, the perceptions are pretty far off. Why are event organizers so reluctant to shift their event experience to meet the needs of their attendees? We're digging into the research on Monday, October 28th at 1pm Central with Molly Witges, CMP, DES. This is a Club Ichi Insiders-only event. Join us: https://lnkd.in/ewpaQQsc (Not a Club Ichi Insider yet? Join for just $25/month!) #weareichi #eventprofs

What if... You engaged your attendees at your booth AND got insights into their thinking? #attendeeengagement #randomthoughtsbyLiz 📷: isla + IMEX --------- 🎉 Get more ideas like this in our weekly newsletter, The Engaged Attendee. Subscribe at: https://lnkd.in/gK3hxdUH

Does your company/agency hire freelancers? We've heard that most companies find freelance talent through word-of-mouth referrals or via a gig economy agency. If you have upcoming projects and are looking to fill your pipeline with available freelance talent, join us next month on November 5, 6, and 7th for our Power Pitch Event Freelancer Forum! Three days dedicated to matchmaking your hiring needs with freelancers who match your project. The experience kicks off this month with a series of no-cost webinars for freelancers and hirers, culminating in three days of dedicated 1:1 networking. Matchmaking days are $165 to join or COMPLIMENTARY for Club Ichi insiders. (Find your comp code inside the Slack channel.) Check out tomorrow's webinar featuring Rich Parker and Sasha Smith as they share how freelancers bring fresh ideas, specialized skills, and creative solutions that help event teams not only reduce costs but thrive in an evolving industry. October 17, 10am Central. Find great talent for your next project & register for the webinars at https://lnkd.in/euX5KR99 #eventmarketers #FreelancerRevolution #powerpitchevent Anca Paduraru

What if... Your booth had a "wellness shelf" where attendees could snag bandaids, Advil, liquid hydration powder, and other needs? #attendeeengagement #randomthoughtsbyLiz 📷: Hyatt + IMEX --------- 🎉 Get more ideas like this in our weekly newsletter, The Engaged Attendee. Subscribe at: https://lnkd.in/gK3hxdUH

If you're a freelancer or solopreneur, how do YOU become the voice clients can’t ignore? We're crafting an event for the gig economy. This webinar isn't about surface-level content, hard-sell tactics, or mega changes that will takes months for you to make. We’re diving into real strategies to make your brand unmissable and your business unstoppable. We've curated guests with road-tested insights that apply to your website, your LinkedIn profile, and everywhere else you're showing up. In this session, we'll cover: • 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 and start standing out as a top-tier expert who commands attention; • 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 so it speaks to clients’ needs without sounding salesy; • How to communicate value so you 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 who are looking for someone just like you. We’ll show you how to 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝘂𝗽 your brand and messaging so you're top-of-mind when people seek event freelancing talent. All taught by Lisa Mullis - an expert in branding and copywriting. 𝙋𝙇𝙐𝙎 — She's doing LIVE AUDITS on YOUR LinkedIn profile and webpage! She’ll be breaking down real LinkedIn profiles, showing what works, what doesn’t, and how YOU can 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁. This is an excellent chance to get professional feedback and know exactly what to do next for optimizing your brand and messaging. Want to get reviewed live? Register for the event, then drop your LinkedIn profile link or website homepage URL in a message to me. Only a handful will be selected. ________________________________________ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄. 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀!

When Jimmy Ervin of Velocity XD offered to host a unicorn for our Floating Spontaneous Think Tank, he had one topic in mind: What *actually* makes content engaging for attendees? So that's what we discussed. On Sail 1 and Sail 2, we posed the question to our merry band of unicorn jockeys and here's what they said: → Think like an entertainer → Tell good, relevant stories → Engage with mixed media → Give the audience time 👉 Think Like An Entertainer Your audience isn't just a bunch of people in a room that you can trap and spew words at for 90 minutes. They are real people with REALLY short attention spans and a million and one other things they need to be doing right now. So step up your main stage game and treat it like a Broadway show or a TV show. Break it into entertaining and educational segments to keep your audience captivated and curious. 👉 Tell Good, Relevant Stories People will sit around the campfire and listen to long ghost stories. People will listen to hours on end of podcast episodes. Heck, people are STILL binge-watching Grey's Anatomy 20 years after it first aired. It's all about the stories. Engage your audience by employing the time-tested method of great storytelling. 👉 Engage With Mixed Media Intersperse your content with video, interaction, even live polling if you have to to help attendees switch modalities. The "sit and get" content will only fly for about 20 minutes. In fact, 25% of participants in a study couldn't get through a 1-minute video without losing interest. On average, people only read about 28% of the words on a web page. The average mobile user checks their phone 150 times a day. The average student's attention span during a lecture is 10-15 minutes before a decline in focus. So if your content is more than 20 minutes long, you HAVE to change it up to keep people engaged. 👉 Give the Audience Time Your morning sessions will have more engagement because attendees aren't yet feeling frazzled by emails, Slack, and Teams messaged piling up. But your afternoon sessions lose people due to the tyranny of the urgent. Consider giving your attendees a 45 minute co-working break with no content so they can catch up and feel like they can actually pay attention when they go back into the session rooms. GREAT topic, Jimmy, and THANK YOU for helping make our dreams come true!!! 🦄 #weareichi #barefootbusiness