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
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.
The vendor questions no one preps you for
Vendors ask questions that assume you've already decided things you haven't thought about yet, and answering on the spot is how you end up committed to something. This post covers what they'll ask and what to have ready.
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.
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.
Managing retreat vendors & speakers: What most people overlook
Every vendor and speaker arrives carrying assumptions you can't see, about timing, about setup, about what you're providing. Event day is a bad moment to discover them. This post covers what to confirm early and how to ask so nobody is guessing.
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.