Truth be told, for me, the answer is yes.
- Do I know how to lead a pretty good teleclass and webinar? YES
- Have I attracted between 100 and 800 guests to some of my events? YES.
And, the two times I created “live” events at a venue in Seattle, I was really disappointed with my results.
- Did I attract over 100 people to each? YES.
- Did I get rave reviews for quality content? YES.
- Do I have a sassy video to show the excitement, the learning, the sponsors, the charitable partner, and all the rest? YES.
- Did I monetize my efforts with enough of a result to make the effort worth my while? Truth be told? NO. I think I checked into “Pity Party Hotel” after my last event in December of 2010 because I worked so hard — to the point of exhaustion — and it didn’t pay off for me in the ways I had hoped.
What I know for sure is that I can’t put my head in the sand and never host a live event ever again. I must learn from prior mistakes and come out on the other side victorious. That’s just the way I roll, even when it takes me longer to get the lessons in my bones than perhaps I care to confess.
That is why I’ve been studying best practices around creating successful live events that get YES answers on all three questions in bold type. I realize now that being able to promote, fill, and deliver quality content isn’t enough. The truth is that when I did my two prior live events, I just didn’t have the right offerings to extend to my guests to compel them to take another step forward with me as their guide. Fuzzy offerings for a non-specific outcome for my ideal client absolutely led to fuzzy and disappointing results. I made plenty of other rookie mistakes, as well.
Here’s the good news. I am done giving myself a hard time about it. I am ready to examine what I did well and where I have opportunity to improve. 
So, now I find myself even more eager to learn at the feet of the best in the industry so I can decide what role live events might play in my 2014 plans. If you have been pondering that same question, be sure to pay attention to this blog and my social media over the next few days. I’ll be sharing “aha” insights learned at the feet of the incomparable Callan Rush and also offering gifts from Callan over the next few days to guide you toward making your best event moves in the New Year. You won’t want to miss a single post.
Callan is offering a report to answer the question: Are live events dead? I’ve read it, and it is very eye opening. Workshops, retreats, and seminars are getting hard and harder to fill. And it is tougher and tougher to sell from the stage, which is rendering these live event much less effective than they used to be. I am not sure if this is true or not. And Callan’s report is will worth your time. Feel free to pick up a copy here. Callan maintains that live events can be a powerful vehicle to deliver a message and effect meaningful transformation.
So what does this all mean to me? Well, for starters, in my humble opinion, the world doesn’t need another “let me guide you to six-figures fast” mastermind program. That is so NOT for me.
So I am going to dig deep and consider exactly what kind of event I can lead that will serve a specific audience and offer a specific result that will make a big impact in my own best way based on my own business bio and Get Known to Get Paid expertise. And I am going to be mindful about putting on my “artist” and “scholar” hats to find the perfect delivery method and approach that feels best for my audience and for me. Stay tuned. And as your own plans and “aha” insights come to life, please share your comments here so we all can talk about it and get ready to make our best moves in the New Year.
