#105 The ROI Of In-Person Community Events
This time of year always feels so good – so much momentum! It's that spring renewal in the air.
My mentor and friend, Anna Nassery, recently shared that she doesn't believe in annual goals on January 1st in the dead of winter. She says we should be resetting our year aligned with the Spring equinox aligned with the earth's renewal.
I think I'm buying into that. I'm going to spend some time this weekend journaling on the next year of growth – you with me??
Justin and I are celebrating this weekend – we're ending Q1 with double the revenue we did in 2024. Sometimes building a business feels like an endless grind, but some days you look up and realize that all the work you've been putting in has been compounding interest.
Keep going.
This week I want to check in on one of my community predictions for 2025... and how right I was 😜
Let’s get into it –
As part of my 2025 community predictions I shared that I believe in-person events will become the standard expectation for any online community.
And I'm seeing it pop up everywhere. With all my clients, and all my friends – in person events are beyond pre-covid levels at this point.
We're craving in person connection more than ever.
Jay Clouse is hosting an at-cost retreat before Craft + Commerce (C+C) for members of The Lab in Boise.
I have been BLOWN AWAY watching members that churned renew their membership and come back so that they can attend this event.
This means that not only is it a huge benefit for members, but Jay's membership is growing at a faster rate and seeing higher renewals so that people can be in person together.
The return on investment (ROI) is huge for both the community builder, AND the attendee.
It was a no-brainer for me to sign up for this retreat that Jay is hosting.
Here's what I'm spending to attend –
$499 – at-cost retreat (in addition to annual membership)
$479 – discounted Craft + Commerce ticket
$1,035 – hotel
$660 – flights
$300 – estimated meals / random expenses
Total Estimated Expense: $2,973
I track the ROI of the events I attend – it helps me decide what to spend the next year and (very easily) justify the business expense of it.
But there are some intangible benefits that are always hard to measure.
Because I was at C+C I built stronger relationships with some amazing creators in my circle... including Jay Clouse who had me on his podcast, Creator Science, while we were there. That visibility was amazing for me!
When I review my books I can confidently tie back $8,000 of work that came directly from going to Craft + Commerce in 2024. Last year my expenses were more like $2500, so that's a 220% ROI.
I also have a proposal out right now from Affinity for a project that is scoped at $46,500 because of a new friendship I made at C+C... so if that closes this year that's a 2080% ROI.
This January I closed a project for $36,000 with someone I met at a different event last year. Business is human-to-human. We want to work with people we've connected with.
One of my clients offers an in-person graduation dinner at their home in LA as part of the benefit of joining their 8-week program, and it helps close high ticket program sales.
The value of in-person connection is exponential. You can stay working in your at-home cave 90% of the year, but that other 10% you need to get out there and build in-person relationships to grow.
One of the things I'm most excited about the Make Smart Retreat I'm co-hosting in May is to hear about the impact on business revenue from attendees afterward. I am confident that every single person will have a multiple x ROI if they implement what we build together during these 3-days.
So what kinds of events are you going to host for your community this year? Start small – pick a city where you have a majority of members and host a simple happy hour meet-up.
Join The Make Smart Retreat in Nashville May 20-22
🚨Earlybird pricing ends Monday March 31st – join now to save $500 & attend my 90-minute workshop April 2nd.
The Make Smart Retreat is May 20-22 in Nashville, TN. It’s a 3-day, in-person retreat where we’ll…
Break down your business data – so you know where you’ve got leaky buckets in your product + marketing strategy and can stop leaving money on the table.
Refine your product strategy – so your offers serve + attract your ideal customer + sell.
Fix your messaging + your marketing funnel – so you stop losing leads and start making $$$.
This is NOT another “work on your mindset + spend a bunch of $$ just to have new words on your affirmations sticky note” kind of retreat.
This is a hands-on, get-shit-done experience designed to leave you with a real plan to make more money (aka earn that ROI 😉).
Plus – if you register before March 31, not only will you get Earlybird Pricing of $500 Off, you’ll also unlock our…
🎁 Pre-Retreat Research Deep Dive – A 90-minute training + coworking session where you'll learn exactly how to survey your audience, gather insights, and refine your product strategy before the retreat, so you arrive with clarity and a plan.
🎁 Sales Page Audit with Cheyenne – Get personalized feedback on your sales page with an async review from Cheyenne, ensuring your messaging is clear, compelling, and conversion-ready.
🎁 A Surprise Gift Box – well, I guess it’s not a surprise anymore. But think: cozy, high-quality goodies you’ll actually love).
You have our word: you’ve never attended a retreat that’s as hands-on and *get shit done* focused as this one.
Want to chat about if you're a good fit? Shoot me a DM . I'd love to help you decide!
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