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As technology continues to advance, communities are becoming more digital. However, it is important to remember the value of in-person events and engagement. Working together in the same room builds relationships and trust, and leads to more focused and efficient collaboration. In order to maximize the benefits of in-person engagement, it is important to have a strategic and focused approach.
When considering hosting events, it is crucial to have a realistic strategy. Starting with small steps, such as offering yourself as a guest speaker at meetups or conferences, can help build your reputation and lead to more opportunities. Co-organizing a small event with another organization is another good way to gain experience and exposure. As your community grows, you can start organizing your own meetups and eventually move on to larger, dedicated events.
Not every community needs to reach the point of organizing dedicated events, and it is important to consider the aspirations and needs of your specific community. However, if you do decide to participate in or speak at conferences, there are some key strategies to maximize the value of these events. Focus on speaking and content delivery, plan meetings and local opportunities in advance, prioritize networking and social events, and divide and conquer with your team to maximize coverage and engagement.
Building skills and training is also essential for community growth and success. Two effective approaches are digital training and training workshops. Digital training allows for online webinars that can be scheduled at convenient times for your target audience. Training workshops, on the other hand, are in-person sessions that should be scheduled at times and locations that work well for your audience. These workshops should be interactive and provide practical skills that can be applied by attendees.
Running a community summit can be a valuable way to engage with your community and achieve specific goals. The format of the summit should include short morning keynotes for inspiration, followed by in-person round-table discussion sessions. These sessions should focus on training and planning for new initiatives and projects. It is important to keep the event productive and ensure that concrete action steps are taken.
In order to make the most of community events and engagement, it is important to focus on fusion between the digital and in-person realms. Experiment with new ideas to better connect events with the digital community and find ways to involve the broader community in live events. It is the responsibility of community leaders to drive this experimentation and continuously improve the engagement strategies.
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