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Welcome to Make More Money without Selling Your Soul with me Polly Lavarello, evergreen marketing expert. This podcast is for you if you are an online entrepreneur who is looking to simplify their business to scale.  On this podcast you can expect to hear regular talk about wealth, about selling and about wellbeing. Because I believe these three core fundamental things are pivotal to your growth moving forward.

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Hello and welcome to make more money without selling your soul with myself Polly Lavarello, evergreen marketing expert and cushy business pioneer.

And today, we’re talking about how to not mess up your in person event. Bit of a silly title Not going to lie just wanted to get your attention in person events are epic. People have never wanted them as thirstily as they do right now. And whether it’s that you’re already running in person events, and wondering how you can organise them better. Perhaps the last time was a bit stressful, or whether you’ve been sitting on the idea of hosting your first in person event, this podcast will be helpful to you, because I’m going to be sharing what I have. Well, I’ve only hosted one event so far and another one is coming up very shortly in September. And I wanted to share with you my first time event hosting kind of tips, which I will definitely be taking into consideration as I get organised for the mastermind event I am hosting in September. Okay, so the eight things you need to consider. Now this may seem really, really obvious, I will admit that before I hosted my first event in January, we had 20 People come and join me at Hotel du Vin in Brighton, it was an event which was very much geared towards kick starting the year in a way that was really embodied and grounded and strong and full of intention. So rather than that frantic rush that we can sometimes do into that new year, or that resistance we can feel to stepping away from our holiday sofa vibes to instead feel really, I guess, reconnected to our vision and mission and purpose in business.

So it was a really, really beautiful event, the majority of people who attended were people who I’d worked with previously or I was still working with. And it was really, really wonderful to meet them in person. And I had massive hesitations before I actually put on the event. But what I will say is essentially a lot of clients kind of asked me for it, they were like, when are you going to put on an in person event I’d so love to meet you as so loved to come down to Brighton. So there was a demand, which was helpful. So I guess if you’re considering an in person event, you know, it’s definitely not a bad idea to be putting feelers out there. The moment I put feelers out there to say I was considering hosting an event in Brighton, I don’t think I’ve ever run such a successful poll, like people immediately jumped on it and said, I want to know more Tell me more when it’s ready. So that already gave me immense confidence that if I were to host an event, people wanted to show up. And yet still being really honest here, I found myself procrastinating a bit and wanting to sign up to various in person events myself, believing that if I had attended loads of them, that I would know more and more and more about what makes a good event. Because I think that’s the best way to learn. I don’t think it’s about buying another course or programme that tells you how to host an in person event because we’re also different, right? People are going to bring their own take on what they think is a good event. And that’s not necessarily going to be what you think is a good event. It’s deeply personal and very personal to who your ideal client is to or who your existing clients are. So there are various things to take into consideration. And fortunately, I had a business mentor in my corner at the time, he just said rather than keep on spending money on attending events, how about you actually just put it towards the hotel conference room that will enable you to host your own event and invite people to it? And I’m so glad I did. I’m so glad I got that prompt. Because ultimately, as with anything a bit like a recipe, you can be looking at the most perfectly baked cake within your Recipe Book and be thinking that looks delicious.

Yes, I have the ingredients in my cupboard. Will it come out as nice, you just won’t know until you’ve prepared the data, put it in the oven and seen what’s occurred. And ultimately, as we know, even with cake recipes, even if they don’t come out looking entirely perfect when it’s got enough sugar, and delicious things inside it, there’s no way it’s going to be a bad cake. And similarly with an experience. As long as you’ve nailed a few core elements, it can’t go too far wrong. So I’m going to share with you today what those core elements are. So that whether you are thinking about how to improve your events moving forward, or how to organise your process in a way that makes it more efficient, or whether you’re just thinking about running one for the first time. These are the things that you need to take into consideration when you host your first event. So the first thing to think about which should be really obvious but some people forget is why are you hosting this event. What is the goal, what is the outcome you desire for your attendees? What is the purpose? This is all the same question. By the way, in case it’s not clear, what is it that you want them to have.

So for example, my event in January, I was really excited to be connecting people at a time of year where it’s very easy to feel of it. And just really kind of reinvigorate them with a sense of purpose, clarity. And also, most importantly, it was about really connecting them to what I like to refer to as the body barometer, to really help them take those kinds of aligned decisions as they move into business across the year ahead, really tuning into what their version of success is. So not listening to the external noise as to what everyone else calls successful, like 30k months, 20k months live launching every month, and instead really, really made a plan based on what felt very genuine and true to them. And so it was really beautiful experience, it was also lovely to have 20 people in a room together, sharing their stories, sharing their experiences. And it was a really nice number of people not so many that people didn’t really get to know or connect to one another. And at the same time, big enough that there was a real variety of people in the room and a real variety of experiences being brought to the table. And it was amazing.

Well, in September, the outcome and the purpose of my September event is a mastermind, it’s way more intimate, there’s only going to be eight people, it’s very high touch, I’ve included elements to the event that I didn’t include in January, because it was a rather light touch event in terms of you just show up on the morning, in the most gorgeous and inspiring clothes did encourage them, I was like dress like that future version of yourself that you want to be bring her to the table today. In that sense, it was very simple, it had a very clear outline from start to the end. And because it was about being an embodied CEO, I had a guest coach come along and support me with various elements. But I’ll come back to that bit in a moment. But well, with this mastermind, the intention is for it to be a very high touch experience that people have submitted to me, essentially where their business is at with massive depth before they’ve even walked into the room.

So I know their business inside out before they’ve even arrived. And the fact that there’s only eight people enables us to go really deep into their businesses, I’ve also stipulated that they need to be six figure plus earning business owners, because I want people coming to the table who perhaps already have the beginnings of or an established team, people who can take the information I’m sharing and run with it and really creates momentum and scaling in their business. So it’s a totally different outcome. Totally different purpose. And because of that the way I’ve created the day and made other decisions has been impacted by that too. So do think about that seriously. One thing I will say that I will admit was maybe not necessarily a mistake, but something I kind of didn’t think enough about was my January event, I was kind of asking mastermind ish questions to a table of 20 people, where it was really hard to get to that level of depth and quite challenging to get around a whole table that 20 people to share their experiences. So that was one of the things that influenced me to recognise for the kind of level of transformation I want to support. And the kind of depth that I want to get to. This is the next event, it’s going to be a mastermind event. That’s not to say I won’t host another event like the one I did in January because it was immensely successful and really powerful and beautiful to connect to so many wonderful people. But yeah, the next one has a totally different purpose and outcome.

So think about your purpose and outcome because it will affect what I’m about to say is number two, which is thinking about the size of your event, like you know, your target audience their specific needs, and how many people you need this. So in the context of my September event, I know the people who are going to be signing up to it are going to be very intentionally connected to creating an actual roadmap for them to follow as they leave, and really leverage everything that’s going on in their business to create bigger, better, bolder, beautiful results. So because of that I limited the size of the number of attendees to ensure that that’s possible, the connection piece was actually really powerful in and of itself.

Of course, there’ll be connection at the eight people event in September. But it’s a different a different kind of thing. So thinking about when you know what the outcome is that you desire, not all impact the number of people you want there. If it’s like, you know, you want to inspire a roomful of like 50 people just to kind of feel motivated, be inspired by stories of people who’ve had incredible success with you and help them recognise what’s possible for them to, for them to connect to one another, all that kind of stuff, then of course, you have an event with loads of people. If actually, you want to create a few deep and very meaningful connections over the course of like one day, then a smaller event would be better. And then it’s thinking about, well, what does someone at a smaller event where they’re getting that extra level of access to you and each other? What’s that outcome? So sometimes you kind of almost blend the two together to figure out what makes the most sense. And then the next piece of course, is if you’re hosting an event, what do people want to know? Well, you need to be clear around your guidelines and expectations.

Shen’s are you creating a safe and inspiring and supportive events. So in the case of the mastermind, of course, you know, there’s going to be things around feeling like everything is confidential, feeling that they’re safe to share the wobbles. Because the higher up you are in business, the more successful you are, sometimes the more intimidating it can be, to admit where things aren’t where you want them to be at. So it’s ensuring that there’s a kind of safe space where people will feel good about sharing the kind of real gnarly elements of their business as well as the best bits. And really normalising that. And then of course, in other scenarios, where you’ve got a room full of loads of people, perhaps it’s a very different scenario, like I say, maybe it’s one where you’re really elevating the room with loud music and dancing and cheering like it gets to be whatever you want it to be. So you know, people will feel safer making a decision to invest in coming to your event, if they have an understanding as to kind of what is the vibe of the event refer to it very simply. And then it’s thinking about for structuring an agenda, which facilitates discussions.

So what I will say about agendas for in person events is, I recommend that you have the bare bones of one. But that was my personal approach to the event I hosted in January. And the reason why I say that is because one of the most powerful things about coming to in person events, is the connection piece to the other people in the room, is the kind of unexpected conversations that you weren’t planning on having is the ability if you’re so structured, as to what it is that you want to share, people may as well just be following a programme or doing an online course they’ve come to see you for the nuance, they’ve come to connect with other people in the room for those stories for those connections for those potential collaborations moving forward. So if you don’t allow a decent period of time for people to connect to one another, connect to each other stories, share their stories, people won’t really be fully present in the room, okay, and we want people to be fully present in the room. So what I will say is, I think most people over prepare for how much they are planning to deliver, and often will end up only delivering half of it. So I would definitely look at your agenda for the day, and kind of almost colour code, it will like the must have slight the bits that you need to get through. And then they’re kind of like nice to haves. And they’re like nice to nice to have. So that 100% Whatever happens at the end of the day, people have definitely gone through the process that you know will be the most supportive to them. And at the same time that you’re not getting stuck in one area that actually isn’t going to be particularly helpful to them. So that’s something to think about.

Now, of course, when you thought about that, then it’s thinking about, am I the person who’s best to support all of this? Or would I benefit from inviting in a guest facilitator or coach. So in my case, in January, I invited in the amazing Natasha Grunwald, who came in to support with some breathwork and some somatic movements, because the day was all about being an embodied leader. So of course, I wanted to have some embodiment elements in there so that we didn’t spend too much time in our heads and that we were very much connected to our bodies, while in September, because it’s very much leaning into a strategical day. Well, of course, there will be some elements of that kind of facilitated by myself, my guest coach on this occasion is the incredible, Sarah Dalrymple, who is the sales coach in scale with the power one.

So she is somebody that various clients of mine have already worked with. And I’m super excited to have her in the room. Because obviously one of the really important things that we’ll be touching on on the day, alongside strategy alongside business model alongside all the pieces that people need, is also how they’re actually going to be selling and what their sales strategy is going to look like. So I’m super, super excited to be hosting with Sarah plus, Sarah and I have a very similar kind of energy. So I just think it’s going to be really, really fun. And interestingly, despite Sarah and I having worked together, I imagine around a year now, we’ve not met each other yet. So it’s going to be so so exciting for her and I to host our first event together. But yeah, thinking about the coach who’s going to support that purpose, that outcome, that transformation that you desire for your clients. Like for me, the moment I price my event, I priced it with a view in mind of and I feel really confident that that these people are going to walk out with strategies that are going to make them a huge ROI on what their investment is. So I feel no qualms charging what I’m charging, because I know that between myself and Sarah, these people are going to leave fully loaded with incredible ideas to create serious momentum in their business. So of course, now you’ve decided all of these things, you want to choose a venue that allows for all of that and I put venue like further down the list than you perhaps expect. I say this because I actually decided on having Natasha come along to my event in January, after I chosen the venue, which actually was not exactly problematic. But again, it was one of those moments where in hindsight, knowing that there were going to be somatic elements involved and knowing the kind of nature of the event I wanted to host I would have probably chosen a slightly different more kind of cosy non conference space room to allow for that kind of embodied leadership work to come through. It was absolutely fine. The room we’re in and people had a really great experience but being

I will admit a slight perfectionist I did reflect on it and think yes, in future, I’d want some cushions on the floor, I’d want some 30 throws there different things that I would incorporate next time to really allow people to connect to their body and really make the most of having somebody like Natasha they’re supporting. So yeah, do choose the venue and perhaps choose it after you’ve decided on who else is supporting you. Because obviously, for me, people could just be sat down for the parts that I was supporting them with, or stood up or maybe moving a little bit. But when Natasha space was really important, and yeah, I wish I’d thought of that one before.

Finally, obviously, once you’ve hosted the event, the only way to improve events is to evaluate and improve, which means definitely getting feedback from those who’ve attended, I got some incredible feedback, which was so so helpful, the majority of which was really, really positive. There was the odd little comment here and there, which really helped me lean into what’s going to make an incredible event in September because like I say, almost like with every first cake, no, it won’t be the finished article, it won’t be the same event that you’re hosting in five years time. But can you say that for anything, ultimately, at some point, you always just need to get started. And my tip number eight, which is deeply personal and slightly impractical? Well, actually, no, it’s not impractical. I’m like doing a disservice to my very personalised tip here. But it comes back to that phrase I always lean into, which is build the business you’d like to buy from.

And in this case, we’re talking in regards to an event is hosting the event that you’d like to attend. I love opulent environments. So in January, that’s what the event was like. And similarly in September, we’re going to be at Covent Garden Hotel, in the most beautiful room with beautiful sofas, beautiful upholstery, delicious food, beautiful service, I love Covent Garden, it’s such a bustling kind of beautiful space to be as well. And similarly, I’ve chosen September, because for me, it’s almost like a business New Year. So it’s a great time to kind of get together and create a knockout the park final quarter of the year. And so you know, all of these things I’ve chosen because I know that that’s the kind of event I’d like to go to. I’m also cooking up something else, which kind of reflects a different side of my personality, the one that’s very connected to nature in the wild. And that’s something I’ll be cooking up for next year. But no, ultimately, that’s one of the things I recognise when it comes to hosting an event. Like most businesses decisions, people tend to overthink things or overcomplicate things or constantly look for somebody else to kind of make the mould for them to kind of fit into to make it easier to decide what to do moving forward. But ultimately, like I say, you can have the perfect recipe, and the only thing that’s really going to improve these things is getting it out there. And I remember on the day of my event, one of the kind of almost mantras I repeated to myself as I kind of anxiously awaited my first attendees was this delicious food here, we’re in a beautiful environment, wonderful people are connecting to one another. I am getting to see them, I am so excited to see them. I’m so excited to be their host. And I really trust that whatever comes up today is going to be exactly what they need. And when I lent into all of those things, it did remind me I knew personally myself if I again were attending that event, the space I held, the welcome they had for the beautiful gifts that they weren’t expecting the delicious food, the celebratory champagne at the end the cosiness and kind of opulence of the room, it was kind of hard to go wrong. And obviously it was helped by the fact that I’d been very intentional and thoughtful about those particular elements before people arrived. And like I say, with mastermind event that I’ll be hosting in September. It’s a similar thing in that, you know, I’ve been immensely intentional as to how the day has been curated and who’s been invited and where it’s being hosted.

And who I’m inviting. So, ultimately, I think always leave space for surprise. Always leave space for magic because it won’t appear otherwise. So now we have it my lovelies, if you’re interested in hosting event, best of luck to you, if you’re interested to hear more about my event in September, like I say it’s for six figure plus business owners, but it is a mastermind day. You can find out more details. I’m going to stick the URL, which gives you all the details of the event below the podcast so you can find out more. I would love to see you there. Next week. I’m going to be talking about how you should choose your one to one business mentor.

You don’t want to miss that one. See you then.