As you consider adding education into your creative business, how do conferences and speaking play a role in that journey? In today’s episode, James and Jess join me to share a behind the scenes look at building and creating their latest venture, Thrive Photo Conference.
Today’s episode is brought to you by my ebook for creative educators! It can be overwhelming to start on the path to becoming a creative educator. In this ebook, you’ll learn about the mistakes that are holding creatives back from becoming profitable and impactful educators, plus how to avoid those mistakes in your own journey! Grab your copy of my free ebook here!
The Inspiration Behind Thrive Photo ConferenceIn all of the years that James and Jess have been attending conferences and hosting in-person retreats, they realized that their favorite memories came from the in-between moments. Those moments where you’re between classes, at the bar, in the pool, wherever it may be; connection was key.
While the formal education components are vital to a photography conference, they wanted to host something that help capture and promote both: the education and the moments in between.
The desire for this conference came out of a need to fulfill this missing component from existing conferences. After years of considering this, they partnered with Tyler Speier, who was on the podcast in episode 94. They knew this partnership with their vision would elevate the in-person experience as a whole.
Thrive Photo Conference will take place November 14-16, 2022 in Santa Barbara, CA.
The Process of Creating a Unique EventWhen they sat down to start the process of planning and envisioning this event, the first thing James & Jess did (despite being positive people) was list off everything they hated about conferences based on their experiences. Unfortunately there was a number of things that they hated at conferences.
Additionally, they listed out all of the things they loved. This allowed them to remove all of the things they hated about conferences from their own conference, then crank up the things they loved to make an even better experience.
Building a Conference Attendees Will LoveIt was important to James and Jess that they fix the things they didn’t love about other conferences, including:
- Providing delicious coffee; they’ve hired their friends from Welcome Coffee Cart to handle your caffeine needs beginning at 8AM!
- Not to worry though, nothing formal begins until 10AM, because they wanted to remove those early morning start times!
- Shortened keynotes for 18-20 minutes
- Balanced education and entertainment so you can absorb it and have a good time.
- Celebratory hosted lunches and dinners every day to ensure gathering together.
Having made some of their best friends in the industry at conferences, they knew just how impactful and valuable a conference can be to individuals, whether you’re a speaker or an attendee. Additionally, some of the most impactful moments come year after year when attendees reach out and inform educators and speakers of what a difference their talk made on their business.
What It Looks Like to Plan a ConferenceAs wedding photographers and educators, James and Jess already have a lot on their plates—if you’re a photographer, you know as well! You’ve got a busy year, especially with the boom in weddings this year as things open back up and return to some sort of normalcy! They wanted this conference to be a place where photographers who are busy like them can come and let loose! Each event put on at this conference will be a celebration for the attendees.
Just like you though, they’re busy with their business, that’s why they’ve hired a team to help support them. Within their own business, they have team members to help behind the scenes, and with the conference, they trusted Tyler Speier to handle all of the planning!
With hiring Tyler, they haven’t run into any stresses or anxieties that they imagined they would run into. Hiring him and his team was 100 worth it! The only real struggles they’ve run into were a few planning logistics like when to host the conference, what vendors to connect with, and who to trust in each intentional component of the conference planning.
If Thrive Photo Conference sounds like an experience you don’t want to miss out on, make sure you grab your ticket today and use the code LAYLEE at checkout to get $200 off your ticket!
GRAB YOUR TICKET It can be overwhelming to start on the path to becoming a creative educator. In this ebook, you’ll learn about the mistakes that are holding creatives back from becoming profitable and impactful educators, plus how to avoid those mistakes in your own journey! DOWNLOAD NOWResources Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Connect with James & Jess:
instagram.com/thrivephotoconference
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DOWNLOAD NOWThe post Episode 103: Behind the Scenes: Creating a Conference – James & Jess appeared first on Laylee Emadi | Coach for Creative Educators.
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