Shira Lazar’s Post

Best Ice-breakers to open your in-person community events with. The beginning of any in-person event is a pivotal moment. It's when attendees are just starting to get comfortable and open up to connecting with new people. Using the right ice-breakers can be the secret sauce for creating an engaging, community-driven event experience. Here's why the right kind of ice-breakers in the beginning are essential: - They help people feel comfortable opening up. A well-chosen prompt gives attendees an easy way to share a bit about themselves. - They encourage deeper, more meaningful interactions. When people have an opportunity to share authentically, it lays the groundwork for creating deeper connections. - They set the tone for the entire event. Memorable icebreakers leave a lasting positive impression and keep people energized. Here are some of my favorite ice-breaker prompts to add to the beginning of an event: - What’s your intention for attending this experience? - What’s a rose, bud and thorn in your life right now? - What’s something you’re grateful for? - If you really knew me, you would know (share 3x if you want to go deeper) The right icebreakers can truly transform your event from OK to unforgettable. Start your event off on the right foot by giving attendees a fun, engaging way to get to know each other. #community #communityevents #communitybuilder #inpersonevents #icebreakers #teambuilding

Are you missing important opportunities to build community at your events? 🗝️ It used to be that people came for the content 🗝️ It used to be that the big-name speaker was the photo you showed people But those things are not what event attendees solely live for anymore. As event-goers, we want to feel like: ****Our time and investment is valued**** ****There is something meaningful to experience**** ****We belong and are part of a community of people we can relate to**** Now…put on your event organizer hat What do you think of your event? Like a moment in time or an opportunity to convene and strengthen your community? When it comes to harnessing the community-building aspect of an event - here are some mistakes I’ve seen along with some interesting wins: Mistakes: 🔕 Lack of intentional networking - leaving people to just bump into the halls 🔕Inadequate pre-event hyping and connecting people through online means 🔕Segmenting audiences and keeping them separate in tracks and socials Wins: 🔔 Community concierge pre-event - asking what would make your experience exceptional? Who would you like to meet? 🔔 Co-created shared experiences - leaving place in the conference agenda for attendees to build/create/solve together 🔔 Meaningful serendipity - using the registration process to identify meaningful things in your life - hobbies, locations, lifestyle-based ways to connect through spaces, and even badge identification It doesn't take a huge lift. It takes intention and thoughtfulness to use your event as a community builder/strengthener. Check out this post from friend and collaborator Nelia Nunes to see her take on missed opportunities on exhibit floors. https://lnkd.in/gi3di6sC #eventstrategy #events #experiencedesign #community

What makes a successful event? I suppose the answer often depends on your perspective - whether you're a sponsor, delegate, speaker, or organizer. At CXO Portals, we believe success can be summed up in a simple phrase we live by: "events to be enjoyed, not endured." (TM Glenn Hapgood) No matter your role, our goal is for you to leave with a smile on your face, and we work tirelessly to make that happen. From thoughtfully chosen venues and exquisite taster menus to lively conversations and carefully curated attendees, we pour effort into every detail. Yet, the hallmark of a great event goes beyond the surface - it’s when people are reluctant to leave, when ideas spark fresh perspectives, and when meaningful connections inspire continued conversations. At CXO Portals, we take pride in growing professional networks through our events and our CXO Community. Last year alone, our events led to over 170 follow-up discussions with sponsors, not to mention countless conversations among attendees. We’re proud of the ongoing engagement and opportunities these connections create - for attendees, sponsors, and speakers alike. After all, it’s not just about the event, it’s about what happens next.

📢 New Blog Post Alert! 📢 I'm excited to share my latest article: "Building Community Through Events: How Small Hospitality Businesses Can Make a Big Impact" As an independent hospitality business owner, are you looking for ways to strengthen your community connections? In this post, I explore how hosting events can be a game-changer for your business and your neighborhood. Key takeaways: The power of events in fostering community bonds Practical tips for small businesses to host impactful events How community engagement can drive business growth Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/ecMyWzCG #SmallBusiness #Hospitality #CommunityBuilding #Events What strategies have you used to build community around your business? Share your experiences in the comments!

🌟 Introducing Eventora: Your Gateway to Unique Experiences! 🌟 https://eventora.in Are you ready to redefine how you host and attend events? Meet Eventora, the ultimate platform for discovering and hosting personalized, in-person gatherings. Whether it’s a cozy dinner party, a high-energy fitness class, or a creative workshop, Eventora connects you to events that matter. 💡 What makes Eventora special? ✔️ Discover Local Events: Explore social gatherings, fitness classes, private parties, and more—all tailored to your interests and location. ✔️ Host Like a Pro: Create your own events, set the vibe, and share your passions. Whether free or ticketed, you’re in control. ✔️ Safety First: With KYC-verified attendees and hosts, we ensure a secure and trustworthy community. ✔️ Built for You: Personalization, seamless bookings, and real-time updates make it easy to find and join events. At Eventora, we believe in creating memories, building connections, and celebrating individuality. Let’s transform ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences.

When you see an event you want to attend, do you: A. Book it straight away B. Think, ‘I will book it nearer the time’ C. Leave it until the 11th hour when you realise it’s less than a week away As an event organiser, I love the A people. But as an event-goer, I’m more of a B person. I understand the thought process, but sometimes by waiting too long, I almost convince myself out of it: ‘Can I really justify taking a whole day out?’ I will have so much to catch up on the next day’ ‘I’m not going to meet any new community members’ This was me with the Community-led World Summit. And I think it’s the same for many agency owners considering the AGENCYNOMICS Big Event 2024: ‘If I’m in a room full of agency owners, where is the potential for new business?’ ‘I should be spending the day working on things in my agency’ ‘How can I justify a full day away from the team?’ The thing is, when we get stuck in this mindset, we miss out! We miss out on networking with people who 💯 get where we are at, what we are doing, and can listen, support, advise, and inspire. We miss out on taking a step back from everything, giving ourselves that essential space to think, learn, talk, and build relationships—relationships that often turn out to be key to both our growth and well-being. So tomorrow, I will be taking that time out. Turning up fully present, ready to engage, listen, make new connections (Give me a shout if you’re also attending!) and enhance current ones (looking at you especially, Nicola Earle 😊) And if you’re an agency owner, why don’t you commit to doing the same at the Agencynomics Big Event in September? Early bird tickets here: https://lnkd.in/guQ6serD Never underestimate the power of your peers! #ProfessionalDevelopment #AgencyLife #PersonalGrowth #IndustryEvents #BuildingCommunity

Building your professional community... For 6 and a bit years I've run an event at my office we call the 'Cervello Inner Circle'. It's where we get a number of professionals come together to discuss, from their particular professional perspective, how they'd help clients similar to the ones we work with. I was thinking the other day about the reasons that we run this event and I reckon there's 3 main reasons... Clients - Ultimately our clients are the beneficiaries of us having a strong and positive professional community. Whilst we're great at building financial plans for people to live the lives they want and recommend our clients take specific action (using our technical expertise) to achieve these goals, we also know where our experience, knowledge and expertise stops! That's why having a team of coaches, lawyers, accountants and specialists in a wide range of areas allows us to know that whatever our client needs, we've built a relationship with someone we trust so we can help them. Commerciality - Our initial aim when we started to run 'inner circle' is to encourage people to get to know us at Cervello and decide whether our firm might be able to help them or their clients. We recognised that having a relationship with a financial planner is one of trust and building an environment where we could help people showcase their own expertise and get to know us at the same time made sense then and continues to make sense to us now. Community - For me, business ownership can be a lonely place. A place where often challenges you face benefit from having a conversation with either an expert in their field or someone who has gone through similar challenges. Whilst we hopefully all get support from our teams, our clients and our families having communities where we can help each other has been increasingly important both now and in the past. During the COVID lockdowns, where to be frank everything felt a bit, erm, strange, that was massively important...and the reasons that we ran every single inner circle event virtually in that time. So, that's why we run the inner circle events...however I'd love to know (if you're a previous inner circle attendee) what you've got from attending? Paul Rogers, Janet Smyth, Pradip Mistry, Alex Pearce, Hilary Rowland, Raymond Holt, Martyn Lewis, Martin Overare, Kevin Hull, Harry Whipp CeMAP, Ian Braysher - Extraordinary Business Support, Leigh Tanner DHP Acc. Hyp MCMA, Marc Eccles, Sebastian Poncet, Sanjay Shah, Paul Connew, Michael Newman, Paul Vousden FCIPR Our next one is on the 24th of April at 1pm. It's held at our offices in Rainham and, if you're a professional who would like the 'inner circle' experience, send me a DM on Linkedin and we'll arrange a call to see if it's right for you to attend. If it's right for you we'd love to have you along.

Do you do the same normal event grind as most people? I'm talking... 🚶 Show up. 🗣️ Schmooze. 🚶➡️ Leave. 👍 Pat yourself on the back for getting out there. 🔁 Repeat. I've got this client Dan. And Dan's one of the most connected people I know. And let me tell you, Dan doesn't do the normal event grind. I asked him how he became so connected, and this is what he said... 1️⃣ Find the right events to attend. Where the people you need to know are in the room. 2️⃣ Get to know the person running OR speaking at the event. (And ideally, both.) 3️⃣ Look for ways to add value to the speakers and people running the events. Find out what they need. How you can contribute. ...You can check out the video for the back story and deep dive... But in short, "drive-by" connecting isn't the way to forge strong connections. It's not the way to make an impression. Showing up repeatedly and making yourself valuable? That's the way. So if you've just been attending events passively? (Or not at all?) Maybe it's time to change it up. PS - I've got a follow up to this happening on Friday, talking about the 3 people I think you should always seek out at events, and why. (The last one may surprise you.) Get with me here: https://lnkd.in/d4KXTFVz to make sure you get it in your inbox

From the moment you step through the doors of our conference, you’re welcomed into an atmosphere that feels personal and inviting. We will greet you with a warm smile, ensuring a seamless and smooth check-in process that sets a positive tone for the entire event. You won’t feel like just another attendee in a crowd; instead, you’ll feel immediately valued and part of an exclusive, close-knit gathering. This welcoming atmosphere extends beyond the registration desk. Right from the start, whether you’re grabbing your first coffee or attending the opening session, the environment encourages relaxed, natural interaction. Conversations begin effortlessly, and connections are made before the day even fully begins. Unlike larger, impersonal events, the intimacy of our conference ensures that every attendee is approachable, and meaningful conversations are encouraged. As the day unfolds, you’ll feel part of a community, where the welcoming first impression carries through every panel, discussion, and networking session. This is more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to engage deeply with like-minded professionals in an environment that fosters genuine connection. Isn't all this exactly what we all want?

⚡Whatsapp just added an 'Events' feature. It allows you to create catchy announcements of future events and scheduling group calls in any group chats or communities.💡 Pain Points it addresses: - ⚡ Difficulty in attracting attention to a text in a chat related to future events like weddings or meetings. - 💡 Difficulty in tracking RSVPs in a group chat or community when announcing an event. - 💥 Difficulty in scheduling a group call User Personas for the feature - 👨💼 Business managers - 👰 People who want to announce an event like wedding in a group chat - 🔥 Event organizers 💡 I think this feature is more suited towards planning an event which requires sending invitations and tracking who will attend the event.💯 ⚡ The feature could be improved by creating an event and allowing you to select and add individual contacts who are not in a group for seamless announcements. 💥💡 💡 What are your thoughts on the new Events feature? ⚡ Comment below!! 💬