“Virtual Summits are my favorite type of collab.”
That might sound scary to some of you out there. And, honestly, I get it.
Summits are large-scale collaborations that take a lot of planning and time. But, can they pay off… HECK YES!
Should I say it louder for the folx in the back?
Summits are an awesome collaborative strategy to help you scale, launch… you name it.
But, don’t take my word for it. Sharee knows way better than I do, sooooooo today’s blog post comes from Sharee, one of our amazing speakers at The Power of Collaboration, and the Founder and CEO of “The Summit Host“.
Virtual Summits are my favorite type of collaboration.
Not only do they fill my need for large-scale project management, logistics and big collaborations but virtual summits also proved a ton of future opportunities that continue to deliver results long after the live event has ended.
Over the past 4 years, I’ve had the privilege of orchestrating numerous gatherings that brought together inspiring individuals, industry experts, and passionate attendees. In fact, in 2021, I hosted 7 events in just 5 months and they were all incredibly successful with thousands of attendees and a variety of sponsors!
It was a wild ride to take on so many events in such a short period of time, and as I think back to the secret ingredient that allowed me to actually deliver so many impactful, inspiring, and educational events in such a short period of time, it was something beyond a great project plan and killer templates from start to finish.
The secret ingredient was having incredible co-hosts for each of those events, and that’s what I’d love to talk with you about today!
Because to be honest, co-hosting is an art.
There are good ways to attack it and even more ways to screw it up. So in this blog post, I’d love to cover the top 5 things I’ve learned from co-hosting virtual summits!
Whether you are an aspiring event host or an experienced professional looking to enhance your hosting skills, these insights will provide you with practical wisdom and down to earth tips to hopefully help you make the big decision to try co-hosting your next event!
Let’s get started!
5 Things I’ve Learned From Co-Hosting Virtual Summits
The insights gained from co-hosting these events have shaped not only my skills as a host but also my overall perspective on organizing successful gatherings regardless of how many people are involved.
There is great power in collaboration. Working with another partner to produce an event is an amazing experience that I have come to really enjoy.
Not only does it split the workload, but it allows you to brainstorm and bring in new insights and opinions that go beyond your primary vision.
Be flexible with accepting possibilities for where the event could go or what it could be will help both hosts feel a part of the final result. Allowing all stakeholders to be active and excited during the planning and decision-making steps will only lead to a better and more throughout event experience for your attendees.
You know what they say… 2 heads are better than 1 and this is totally the case when hosting an event as big as a virtual summit.
Having pre-defined roles for each person is a must. On each of those events where I worked with a co-host, I was completely able to focus on my tasks while feeling comfortable with my co-host completing their own.
This only worked because we defined our roles from the beginning.
And more than just defining the roles, we assigned each task inside those defined roles to the new owner inside our project plan with due dates to make sure they were being completed on schedule and everyone was in the loop on progress.
Organization is vital to success. Establishing a tracking and project management system from the very beginning will serve you well.
If you start your planning with an organized system that’s both manageable and simple to operate, it will help make the entire planning and production of the event as low-stress and seamless as possible.
I tend to use Airtbale and Google Docs for my events. In addition to utilizing the many different configurations of the Aitbale to make our planning efficient, we can also easily link docs over to their coordinating Airtable field or task item, so it’s easy to find exactly what you’re looking for when you need it.
Communication needs to be simple and straightforward. When you’re the only one making the decisions and planning the event, it’s easy to keep all your ideas to yourself and not have to explain your reasoning or how you want things done. Once you bring in a co-host, one of the best things you can do is really work hard on communicating your thoughts, feelings, ideas and strategy effectively in a simple and straightforward manner.
There’s no time for misunderstandings, fluff, or beating around the bush. You really need to make sure you’re saying what you mean and meaning what you say.
Attention to detail is crucial. Details matter and they matter a lot when you’re planning a large project such as a virtual summit.
Skipping a task item or not completing something in its entirety or to the best of your ability can seem like not that big of a deal until it’s the day of your event and your tech doesn’t work… It’s important to make sure you’re taking the necessary time to complete your tasks and give them your full attention when you’re working.
It’s easy to get sidetracked, try to multitask, or simply stop in the middle of a task with the intention to come back and finish it later. But, logistically, everything depends on each other to work correctly, steps build on each other as you progress in the planning and production of the event and so it’s really important to make sure you check, double-check, and triple-check your work.
For me, having another host to lean on for ideas, support, and deeper insights, as well as taking on 50% of the workload… made all the difference!
When you put the power of collaboration to play in planning and coordinating large-scale projects like virtual summits- the doors of future opportunities, big results and raving fans become a wide open field for you to fully enjoy.
So, if you have an event idea on the horizon, regardless of its size – I truly encourage you to consider the options for bringing in a co-host!
Who knows, it could even be the difference between seeing 5- or 6-figure results.
The Power of Collaboration Summit is packed with amazing content from brilliant speakers. I promise you do not want to miss this event!
