Marketer's Heart Live Event Recap & Reflections - Let me tell you, this was one for the books!

I was recently scrolling back through my Instagram feed and was reminded that, a year ago, I was coming off a huge high from directing the wildly successful Marketer’s Heart Conference in NOLA!

New Orleans provided and incredible amount of inspiration for planning out all of the details. We painted the town up Big Easy-style with “swamp luxe” floral arrangements, beignets for days and a delightful river boat cruise, all against the backdrop of classic Bourbon Street jazz!

After spending 10 months planning and designing this signature event for Funnel Gorgeous, I can say without a doubt, it was absolutely wonderful and exhausting in the best ways! Seeing all the details I dreamed up come to life for online marketers and business owners was magical for sure!

Now that we're a year out from the event, nostalgia has me thinking about some great lessons I learned from the planning and directing of the experience. Of course, I can’t help but share them with you. Read on for my top three takeaways from the 2023 Marketer’s Heart Conference.

 

Creative Communication is Key

In this day and age, effectively sharing messages with participants and attendees before an event is crucial to the overall experience. 

During the weeks leading up to the conference, tracking down the 10+ speakers to discuss details, review their presentations and more, felt a little like herding cats.

In retrospect, hosting a Zoom kick-off meeting in the months leading up to the event to communicate clear deadlines and filter questions would have been much more effective. Using a messaging app, like Voxer, to send reminders and broadcast key events during the conference would have helped keep everyone in the know, as well. 

Sending a personal email to attendees ahead of time could have assisted with preparation.

Once the conference started, I noticed about 35 attendees did not show up. As an event planner, it feels like such a waste of resources when people you anticipated coming don’t make it. And idea to avoid this for future events is to send an email to each attendee a few weeks before the experience to ensure they will be attending. This type of communication adds a personal touch for people to get excited beforehand and enables the planner to solidify numbers.

Clear Instructions for Setup Frees You to Enjoy the Experience

Because setting up for a large event like Marketer’s Heart requires a team of people to execute, I knew I needed to have clear instructions for anyone helping in order to run it smoothly. Before the event, as I ordered swag, I made sure boxes shipped to the venue were clearly labeled. This enabled my team to know exactly where to place the contents of the shipments as they were unpacked. My team knew what was intended for swag bags, what needed to be set up for decorations, and what items should be reserved for other elements of the event. 

I also printed lists that included all items to be assembled ahead of time and a detailed schedule for anyone on the host team. Keeping these helpful hands in the know gave me space to focus on higher level activities at the event and freed me to fully experience the conference.

Incorporating Local Flair Creates an Authentically, Unique Experience To Remember

As soon as we learned the conference was going to be in New Orleans, I took to adopting all things NOLA to give attendees an authentic, one-of-a-kind experience. To create a memorable event, I wanted immerse the attendees in the vibe of the city. I embraced all the bright colors and party atmosphere for design elements, and chose a river boat excursion for an activity. Jazz music played during transitions throughout the conference to add extra layers of a Big Easy feel. Thanks to some pretty amazing vendor partners, we created a gorgeous, dreamy and sparkly event! Incorporating all the local elements created an aesthetic true-to-the-area, leaving attendees with a delightful experience.

Check out more of the gorgeous details over on Instagram: Marketer's Heart Recap Video

I've had so many people tell me how magical the event was for them. As I look back on these takeaways, I am grateful for the lessons learned. You know I absolutely LOVE in-person events and this one was tops on the list!

Bringing people together in community to learn and grow through a memorable experience is my passion! In fact, I’m looking forward to our sisterhood doing this very soon at Inspired Retreat! There’s just something special about being in a room full of creatives and visionaries. Come with me and get in the room, sister!

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