mkurman/event-hosting

|---------|-------|-------| | 6:00 PM | Doors open | — | Networking, food/drinks | | 6:15 PM | Welcome | Founder] | Context, housekeeping | | 6:20 PM | Talk 1 | Speaker] | Topic] | | ... | ... | ... | ... |

Promotion Plan

| Channel | Action | Timeline | |---------|--------|----------| | Luma | Publish event page | 3 weeks before | | LinkedIn | Founder post + speaker reshares | 2 weeks before | | Communities | Post in specific communities] | 2 weeks before | | Direct outreach | Personal invite to 20 anchor attendees | 2 weeks before | | Reminder | Luma auto-reminder + personal note | 1 day before |

Follow-Up Plan

• ] Same-day thank you email with key takeaways
• ] Share recording/slides within 48 hours
• ] Personal follow-up with N] high-value attendees
• ] Announce next event date

## Frameworks & Best Practices

**Event formats that work for startups:**
| Format | Best For | Typical Size | Effort |
|--------|----------|-------------|--------|
| Fireside chat | Thought leadership, intimate discussion | 20-50 | Low |
| Panel | Diverse perspectives, networking draw | 30-100 | Medium |
| Workshop | Teaching, product education, lead gen | 15-30 | Medium |
| Demo night | Showcasing products, community building | 30-80 | Medium |
| Hackathon | Developer community, product feedback | 20-100 | High |
| Dinner / small gathering | Investor/executive networking | 8-15 | Low (but high cost) |

**Luma-specific tips:**
- Use the "Require Approval" feature to curate attendees (quality > quantity)
- Enable "Ask a Question" during registration to qualify attendees
- Set up co-hosts so speakers can also invite their networks
- Use Luma's calendar subscription feature for recurring events
- Luma's built-in reminder emails have high open rates — don't duplicate with external email

**The 40% rule:** Expect 40-60% of RSVPs to actually attend for free events. For paid events, expect 80-90%. Overbook accordingly.

**Making events a growth channel:**
- Host monthly, not "whenever" — consistency builds an audience that returns
- Each event should have a natural next step (join our community, try the product, attend the next event)
- Record everything — one event becomes 5-10 pieces of content
- The best events are conversations, not presentations — leave 30%+ of time unstructured

**Common mistakes:**
- Making it about your product instead of your audience's interests
- Inviting everyone instead of curating for quality
- No follow-up after the event (the event is the beginning, not the end)
- Over-programming — leave room for serendipity and networking
- Not starting the series until everything is "perfect" — first event can be 15 people in a coffee shop

## Related Skills
- `community-discovery` — find the right communities to promote your event
- `founder-thought-leadership` — events are a powerful thought leadership channel
- `content-strategy` — repurpose event content into blog posts, social, and newsletters
- `employer-brand` — hosting events signals culture and attracts talent

## Examples

**Prompt:** "Help me create a Luma event for a monthly AI founders meetup in SF."

**Good output includes:** Event page copy with a compelling title and description, run of show for a 2-hour evening event, promotion plan targeting AI-focused communities, and a follow-up template.

**Prompt:** "I want to host a virtual workshop teaching developers how to use our API."

**Good output includes:** Workshop structure with live coding segments, Luma event page optimized for developer audience, promotion through developer communities (from community-discovery), and a lead capture strategy.