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Pull something off the shelf. I write most weeks about the parts of an event nobody sees.
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everything on the shelf
How to create an aligned, trust-building retreat journey from start to finish
Your guest starts forming an opinion the moment she registers, which is often weeks before you've thought about her at all. This post walks through the whole arc from registration to the drive home, and where trust gets built or lost along the way.
Plan your next retreat like a pro: The milestone-based timeline you need
Counting backward from your event date only helps if you know which milestones actually matter. Most timelines are a long list of tasks with no sense of what depends on what. This one is built around real decision points and what each one unlocks.
5 clarity decisions you must make before booking your retreat venue
Guests loved it, the photos were beautiful, and privately you decided you'd never do that again. That reaction has a cause, and it usually has nothing to do with the event itself. This post covers where it comes from and what changes it.
Why so many retreat hosts say “never again” and how to avoid burnout
Guests loved it, the photos were beautiful, and privately you decided you'd never do that again. That reaction has a cause, and it usually has nothing to do with the event itself. This post covers where it comes from and what changes it.
Why hustling through retreat planning backfires and what to do instead
Working longer hours on a retreat rarely gets it finished sooner, because most of what's left is waiting on someone else to answer. This post covers what genuinely sets the pace and what it costs you to push against it.
How to build a retreat that’s actually worth hosting (and attending)
A retreat guests rave about and a retreat you'd willingly do again aren't automatically the same event. Plenty of hosts build the first and quietly resent the second. This post covers how to design for both from the start, before the schedule gets set.
How to prevent your retreat from falling apart (even if you’re a first-time host)
Something changes in a client relationship after you've been in a room together. She replies faster, refers more freely, and renews without a conversation about it. This post covers what actually happens in that room and why an afternoon does what a year of posting cannot.
The Secret to Building Deeper Client Loyalty? Take Your Business Offline
Something changes in a client relationship after you've been in a room together. She replies faster, refers more freely, and renews without a conversation about it. This post covers what actually happens in that room and why an afternoon does what a year of posting cannot.
Time Management for Event Planners: Boost Your Productivity In Every Hour
Time blocking assumes nobody is going to interrupt you, which makes it a strange fit for event work. This post covers a more realistic approach for days that get rearranged by other people's emergencies.
5 Ways an OBM Can Improve Your Event Operations and Boost Efficiency
Five places an OBM makes a visible difference in event work, drawn from what the role handles week to week.
The Role of an Online Business Manager: A Guide for Event Planners
An OBM does considerably more than take tasks off your list. This post covers what the role really involves and what changes in a business once someone fills it well.
Do You Need an OBM or VA? The Best Role for Event Professionals
These two roles get used interchangeably in job posts and they shouldn't be. This post covers what each one actually does day to day, and which one your current situation calls for.
Outsource with Confidence: A Guide to Delegating in Your Event Business
Burnout in this industry rarely comes from the events themselves. It comes from everything you're carrying in the weeks between them, and this post covers what to put down.
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Systems to Prevent Burnout for Event Professionals
Burnout in this industry rarely comes from the events themselves. It comes from everything you're carrying in the weeks between them, and this post covers what to put down.
Kick-Off 2025: Essential Systems Every Event Professional Should Have
The setups that keep a growing event business from running entirely on what you happen to remember. This one covers where to start.
New Year, New Workflow: Crafting an Efficient Weekly Schedule for Event Professionals
Event work refuses to sit neatly inside a tidy weekly schedule. This post covers how to build one that survives contact with a real client list and a real event calendar.
2024 in Review: Improving Your Event Business Through Reflection
A year in review written honestly, covering what worked, what didn't, and what those answers changed about the year that followed.
Setting 2025 Goals for Your Event Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
Goals fall apart when they have nothing to do with how the work actually gets done. This post covers a more useful approach for a business whose calendar gets set by other people's event dates.
Start 2025 with Confidence: 5 Must-Have Systems for Event Professionals
Five setups worth having in place before the year's first client signs. Each one takes a decision off your plate that you'd otherwise be making under pressure in March.
Reflect and Refine: A Year-End Business Audit for Event Professionals
Looking back at a full year of events is uncomfortable and genuinely useful in equal measure. This post gives you a structured way to run that review without it turning into a spiral.
I built an event logistics spreadsheet for a team that had never run an event that size. By the time the event came back around, one of them had rebuilt it herself, and they kept it going for four events. Here's what it did for them, and why the one you already have is worth keeping.