invisible micro-management for large events
you can't leave it all to the attendees š¤
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invisible micro-management for large events š¤
this is a hot take, but if a large event didnāt go well because āthe people werenāt it,ā thatās still the organizerās fault. of course, this take excludes outlier events like people making a ridiculous scene.
the best large events feel effortless, but behind that ease is invisible micro-management. subtle, intentional hosting keeps the energy alive.
just hoping for people to successfully mingle is a recipe for disaster, especially at tech events, where >60% of the crowd is probably deeply unsocialized (LOL..). a skilled event planner puts a lot of effort into making their work feel minimal. they intentionally insert themselves into conversations to lift the mood, connect people as the evening unfolds using new information about attendees, and guide behaviour with the demeanour of a friend.
it must all appear natural and effortless, but invisibly, itās carefully micro-managed and intentional.
sure, the best hosts can indeed do this effortlessly; it comes naturally to them, but this is more common with smaller events. iād argue itās nearly impossible to do this effortlessly once there are more than a hundred pairs of shoes at the door.
at the best events:
people stay until the end (probably even extending the designated āend timeā).
everyone is chatting.
people specifically go out of their way to thank the host/organizer.
youāll see two people who met at the event hang out again later.
logistical operations are one thing, and of course, many details must be taken care of. however, people operations are easily overlooked and often become the achillesā heel of many tech events iāve observed.
an incredibly socially competent person must be at the heart of a successful event. at scale, effortless connection often happens through invisible micro-management
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