WELCOME TO THE
Library
Pull something off the shelf. I write most weeks about the parts of an event nobody sees.
New on the shelf
everything on the shelf
Event planning at midnight: why the session never sticks
Late-night planning sessions feel productive and almost never survive the morning. You reopen the doc and none of it has moved. This post covers why that work doesn't stick and what does, at a more reasonable hour.
Timeline for event planning: what the last three weeks do
The last three weeks before an event aren't more of the same work at a faster pace. They're a different job with a different shape, and knowing that changes what you prepare. This post covers what those weeks are actually for.
Where your speaker information lives changes everything
Bios in one folder, travel details in an email thread, slides in a shared drive nobody can find. This post covers what changes when speaker information lives in one place, both for you and for the speakers themselves.
Why your inbox can't tell you where your speakers stand
Scrolling back through email threads to work out who sent their bio and who still owes you slides is not tracking, though it feels close enough until it isn't. This post covers what to use instead and how little it takes to set up.
What actually begins the moment a speaker says yes
Inviting speakers before you've settled a few things means renegotiating with them later, which is a conversation nobody enjoys. This post covers what to decide before the first ask goes out, so the yes you get is the yes you wanted.
The decisions to make before you invite a single event speaker
Inviting speakers before you've settled a few things means renegotiating with them later, which is a conversation nobody enjoys. This post covers what to decide before the first ask goes out, so the yes you get is the yes you wanted.
What actually happens between "the venue is booked" and event day
Impressive names, strong bios, and a room that somehow never quite lifts. It happens more than anyone admits and it isn't about the speakers being wrong. This post covers what determines whether a lineup lands once everyone is in the room.
Why your speaker lineup looks great on paper but falls flat in the room
Impressive names, strong bios, and a room that somehow never quite lifts. It happens more than anyone admits and it isn't about the speakers being wrong. This post covers what determines whether a lineup lands once everyone is in the room.
What event day feels like when your team has the full picture
Your team can only run the day without you if the document in front of them answers what they'll actually need. This post covers what has to be in it, what usually gets left out, and how it changes event day.
The event logistics spreadsheet your team needs to execute without you
Your team can only run the day without you if the document in front of them answers what they'll actually need. This post covers what has to be in it, what usually gets left out, and how it changes event day.
Your event has multiple versions right now. Here’s why that matters.
Your event currently exists in four places and they don't quite match: the doc you share, the notes on your phone, the vendor emails, and the version in your head. This post covers why that matters more than it seems and what to do about it.
The difference between planning your event and running your event
Connected tools and a working setup are two different achievements. This post covers how the pieces fit together so that registration, confirmations, and reminders keep moving without you remembering to push them.
Why getting more organized won’t fix your event stress
Connected tools and a working setup are two different achievements. This post covers how the pieces fit together so that registration, confirmations, and reminders keep moving without you remembering to push them.
How to build your retreat tech so it actually works as a system
Connected tools and a working setup are two different achievements. This post covers how the pieces fit together so that registration, confirmations, and reminders keep moving without you remembering to push them.
What's actually missing from your retreat tech (7 gaps with fixes)
Seven things that go missing from event tech setups, each one small enough to overlook and large enough to cause a scramble. This post covers what each looks like when it's finally in place, and how to get there.
Why rebuilding your retreat tech keeps giving you the same problems
You rebuilt the whole thing and within a month the same problems came back. That repetition is telling you something useful. This post covers what it usually means and where the real issue tends to sit.
How to audit your retreat tech layer by layer before your next event
Before you add another tool, it's worth finding out what's already broken in the ones you have. This post walks through a layer-by-layer check you can run in an afternoon, and what to do with what you find.
Set up vs. built: Why your event tech keeps failing
Everything is connected, everything is technically working, and things still fall through. This post covers the difference between a setup that exists and one that was genuinely built, and how to tell which one you're running.
You’re building your retreat backwards (start with the tech)
Most retreats get built in an order that guarantees you'll redo half of it. This post makes the case for starting somewhere that feels counterintuitive, and covers what it saves you later.
Stop being the search engine: how to build a retreat coordination hub
When every question comes back to you, you've become the place people look things up. This post covers how to build the place they should be looking instead, and what has to live there for it to work.
She registers, gets a confirmation, and then hears nothing for six weeks. Whatever excitement she had gets a chance to cool all the way down. This post covers what should be reaching her in that stretch and how to set it up once.