A Return To Live Events... and Why It Matters
A Return to Live Events.. and Why It Matters.
A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our investors for Grand Ventures Annual General Meeting. I have to admit that those two days are both the most exhausting and exhilarating days of work that I’ll experience all year. As our Marketing and Operations Lead, it is my responsibility to take care of all the behind-the-scenes details so that the team can focus on their presentations, networking, and not have to worry about all the moving parts and pieces of hosting a live event.
Inevitably, we get to the final days before the event, and we ask ourselves “Will this all be worth it?”. As we send final reminders for RSVPs, endlessly critique the best way to present the narrative and data from the last year, and spend extra long days trying to keep the normal day-to-day activities moving, it’s easy to forget the why.
For this reason, as I started my extensive list of notes and feedback from this year’s events to keep in mind for future events, I also took some time to write down some of the wins (big and small) that helped remind me of my why. (Spoiler alert, they have a lot to do with connection.) I’d like to share a few examples of memorable stories that happened this year as a way to both document the successes and encourage others in their efforts to create live events, that it is worth it (even your remote employees will thank you).
Local Venues & Businesses
This year we hosted our event in our hometown of Grand Rapids, so I had the pleasure of working with local vendors, small businesses, and venues in our own backyard. It makes such a difference to be able to do multiple site visits with the event coordinators, get recommended vendors from other event planners in the area, and support our economy instead of pumping money into bigger cities and airports that don’t necessarily need the business. (A surprise bonus was guests absolutely raved about each venue: Bissell Treehouse and Egypt Valley Country Club!)
Professional Connections
While we’ve all come to love the convenience and quick connection of Zoom, there is nothing quite like the interaction with a live presentation and person to tell the story of their company and vision for the future. One of my favorite parts of any presentation during our AGM was the Q&A after a speaker finished speaking. It allows for such authentic on-the-spot dialogue as the audience’s full attention is on them for 30–45 minutes. One of our CEOs walked away with at least 5 new customer introductions and another swapped contact info with an investor on our advisory board to talk strategy in the months to come. These moments are not as common through a computer screen.
Personal Connections
On the first night, each of the General Partner’s spouses joined us for dinner and drinks. Why is this important? We work on a small team and get the chance to know each other quite well. That said, this was the first time I was able to meet one of their spouses, and it was a delight to finally put a face with the name, and hear more about their family, career history, and even a recent anniversary milestone. As a team, we definitely bond over shared experiences outside the office, and being able to show off our hard work to our families and investors is a great annual tradition.
Mix in Some Fun
After this dinner event, a few of our out-of-town guests wanted to explore the city a bit. They asked for recommendations on microbrews in Grand Rapids (we are Beer City USA, after all). And wouldn’t you know that a group of them ended up singing karaoke together that night? These spontaneous and fun connections are much more organic while spending quality time together without a computer or conference room involved.
While the energy from the event is dying down, and we’re now on to our next conferences and events, I’m glad I took a few moments to remember the why behind the work it takes to pull off two incredible days of our Annual General Meeting. At the end of the day, it’s very much about who we work with, for, and alongside that matters most.
