The Fierce Business Babe Podcast Ep 110: Live & Virtual Events With Brooke Dumas

In today’s episode we have a very special guest, Brooke Dumas. She is an event planner that has also expanded into retreat and conference planning for entrepreneurs. She has been in the event planning industry for eight years and she works with entrepreneurs that want to create connections through an in person experience but are just too busy to make it happen themselves or simply don’t know where to begin.

Live & Virtual Events With Brooke Dumas

By: Melissa Lin

Today I have a very special guest with me, Brooke Dumas. Brooke is an event planner that has also expanded into retreat and conference planning for entrepreneurs and has been in the event planning industry for eight years and started her business about four and a half years ago. Typically, Brooke works with entrepreneurs that want to create connections through an in person experience, but they're just too busy to make it happen themselves or don't know where to begin. Today, we're gonna be diving into retreats and event planning; how to get started, how to transition into virtual events and so much more. Big loving welcome. We're so excited to have you here with us, Brooke.

Oh my gosh, thank you for having me. I'm honored to be here.

I'm so excited. I mean, anyone listening, we're still kind of going through COVID in most states and most of the world. So this is definitely, definitely needed right now. So I'm so so excited. Brooke has such an incredible background, and I can't wait to hear about it. In the wedding industry, event planning, all of the things. Can you walk us through just how you got started, how you got to where you are today, all of the things?

Absolutely. So I always knew I wanted to be an event planner, which I feel like is kind of rare for a lot of people. So I went actually to college for event planning, I got my degree in hospitality with an emphasis in event management, but the twist for me was in college, I was dead set on being a corporate event planner, I had just this vision of wearing this black power suit and a Britney Spears like, in high heels and like running around barking orders at people at like 5000 person events. So that was the vision anybody that wanted to do anything different, like y'all are crazy, I'm gonna make the big bucks. I graduated from college, got my first position in corporate and look, within a week I knew I hated it. It was just not the place for me. I think just the whole corporate atmosphere was a little bit too cookie cutter, too clean, too polished for what I was wanting to do. So I lasted a few months, and through that time, I was racking my brain. I'm like, I should start a business. What should I start a business doing? All of a sudden, one day I'm like, I'm gonna start a wedding planning business, It really wasn't much more thought out than that I had a lot of experience in weddings. I did a lot of internships at wedding venues with wedding planners, things like that. So I went ahead and I started my wedding planning business in 2016, Sail Luna events. Then within 11 months of starting it, I was able to go full time as a wedding planner. So for a really long time in our business, we have focused solely on weddings, and then about in 2000. In 2019, I hosted my first event for entrepreneurs called The Haven conference. It was something that I had just kind of felt this itch and this calling to do something to connect with entrepreneurs. I was really wanting to find an event in Michigan where I'm located that was supportive of entrepreneurs and really wasn't finding it. So I just decided to create it because nobody else was. I did the whole haven conference, and after doing my first conference, I was like," Oh my gosh, I absolutely love this. This is so fun. It's so amazing to connect with entrepreneurs there are so many entrepreneurs out there that need help hosting events like this." Then I kind of opened the next section of the business, which is doing a retreat conference and live event planning and hosting for entrepreneurs, which has just been so fun and rewarding. So that is kind of where we started.

That's amazing. It's amazing that one week into corporate life like you knew this wasn't for you.

oh yeah

You got the vision so quickly of what you wanted to do. It took me so long to figure out what I wanted and what I wanted to do in my vision. I was stuck in my nine to five, the corporate world for 5,6,7 years. So you're so excited that you are able to get out that quickly. It's incredible.

Yeah, Absolutely. Yeah, definitely a blessing. I mean, I started my business by the time I was 21. So I definitely was one of the early starters. And so I'm happy that I was able to start that soon. You know, everybody's on their own path. Everybody figures it out at different times.

Definitely, you know, fun fact, audience, Brooke and I actually met at an in person event. About a year ago. I think I just saw you post this like, I checked Instagram, right before we hopped on this podcast. October, it was September, October ish.

It was I think it was almost exactly a year ago, which is so cool, and I mean, that's part of the reason why I love conferences, live events and things like that is because the connections you make especially, I mean, you and I have followed each other on Instagram and stayed in touch, but you know, this is kind of our first thing that we're really like doing together. So it's funny how you know, relationships and connections that you make, like a year later, or two years later, can blossom into something more. So it's amazing.

Oh, it's amazing. It's, it's the craziest thing, the craziest things to happen at these in person events. I mean, I met my PR manager by literally sitting down by a random person, and kind of getting out of my comfort zone. "There's one seat by themselves right there, I'm hopping in", and boom, there's my car manager sitting right next to me now.

I love it. No, that's the end. That's why people need to host events and conferences, and retreats and things like that. I think a lot of people think of just the weekend or just the few days that the event is going on but the imprint that you make when you host a live event is so much larger than that. I mean, you found your PR manager, you and I are doing a podcast now, one of the gals I met in the Facebook group of the event that we went to. I'm doing her wedding in Mexico in April, like, it's amazing how these connections happen.

So it's so amazing. I'm so excited to be getting back. In the meantime, all the virtual events, because there's definitely some fun ones there. So I know we're using a lot of different words; conference, retreat, live events. Is there a benefit with hosting one or the other? Are there differences between them? Should we start with definitions of them? I think when I hear a conference is like a corporate huge hotel, like huge things are what comes to mind for me, but maybe that might help my audience a little bit kind of breaking those down.

Yeah, for sure. So there's 84 million words, I feel like describing an event. Um, so I like to use live events as kind of a blanket term, if you will. I don't feel like there's any one single definition that really identifies with anything. So when I think about a retreat, I'm thinking of something that's a little bit more intimate, not necessarily in the guest count wise, I mean, I think you can do a intimate quote, unquote, retreat with 100 people, but it's more of an intimate experience, it's definitely, to me more of like a transformational experience, people are coming in starting here, and they're kind of working their way from point A to point B and achieving a goal. There's a lot more with retreats in my eyes that it's kind of more of an all inclusive experience. So people are staying overnight together, they're sharing meals together. It's all packaged into that one thing, and I feel like most of the time with entrepreneurs, retreats are the things especially with more of like solo entrepreneurs, retreats are more like the sexy thing that everybody wants to do. There's just so much connection that happens with retreats, and then when I think about the conference, I agree "conference", the word kind of sounds a little bit more corporate to me. So some people say conference, they call it an experience, they call it a live event, they call it whatever they want, but conference to me is something that's maybe a little bit I don't want to say larger, but a little bit more of you show up into a room, you sit down, you listen to a keynote speaker, maybe you do some breakout sessions and activities, but you're not like all staying together and an accommodation together and sharing every single meal together, and maybe it is a day or it might be a few days, but you come in you sit in the room, you listen to the speaker and then you leave the room and you go off and kind of do your own thing. So that's when I talk about retreats and conferences. Those are kind of the two differences that I have decided that they are again everybody has their own definition wording all that good stuff.

Yeah, no, I'm on board totally makes sense on board with them all. Oh, I can't wait for those retreats though you and I. Brooke and I were talking right before getting going on this podcast about like, staying up till midnight drinking wine with the girls and all of those things like your usual your entrepreneur slumber party pretty much, so can't wait to get back to those. So many people are starting to include some nice things and a lot of their programs, you know, you see a lot of masterminds, including retreats for a weekend or for four or five days. Do you feel there's like a, and im like air quoting right now, like a right time? Whether it's a certain, you know, season in their business or season of the year? How far into a business do people usually need to be? Should we be a little more established before starting to use it? I know, so many questions, but is there a right time to host one of these things?

Yeah, that is a great question. So I think it's really important to know what your goal is with wanting to host it. I think a lot of people have this idea that, "Oh, I'm gonna host a retreat, or I'm gonna host a conference, because I'm going to make a lot of money." You know what I mean? Because we hear all these other entrepreneurs doing it, and we see, oh, my gosh, they're selling tickets for $1,000 each, and they have 20 people come, Oh, my gosh, they just made $20,000. Well, that is not true at all. If they even profit, anything, that's a win. And I don't say that to deter people, but I just say To be honest, if your sole reason to host a retreat, a conference, a live event, whatever experience, whatever you want to call it, is to make money, it's probably not going to be the best solution for you. It is definitely a great option for somebody that is trying to maybe bring more brand awareness, promote their product, their service, the thing that they offer. So I see a lot of business coaches, doing retreats and conferences and live events, and I think that's such a great option, because it kind of lets you showcase what you can do. Then the people attending kind of get like a little snack of who you are, what you offer. So then they might later on want to purchase your program or work with you as a coach. So that's something to keep in mind. I think it's also something too, if you really feel like a deep calling to host something, and you feel like that's just gonna fill up your bucket and make you happy, then, like, go for it. That was kind of me with the Haven conference, I really wasn't finding this opportunity in this experience in Michigan that I wanted. So I was like, well screw that I'm going to create it myself. If that's you, then that's totally fine. Just create it. Some things to be wary of is I think you have to, in the beginning, I would definitely be mindful about what your intentions are, again, kind of like what we chatted about, are you doing it solely to make money? Are you doing it as a way to kind of drive business to other facets and factors of your business? Also be mindful of like, what kind of an experience Are you trying to create? What kind of a transformer transformation? So are you looking to do a 10 person retreat? Are you looking to do a 100 person retreat, because those are going to be very different events based on how your sales strategy, which I know you could talk for days about, Your sales strategy, your logistics, your execution, your communication, those are going to be completely different things. So I think just getting really, really clear on what you want to offer, what it is that you're hoping to achieve with it. Another thing that people seem to forget is do people actually want to come to this thing and do the thing that you offer? So I think a lot of the times people get stuck in this trap of saying, Oh, I really want to host a retreat, because they deep down, just want to sit and drink wine till midnight with a bunch of entrepreneurs and chat, which is fine. That's me. 100%. I'm like trying to come up with any excuse to host a retreat right now, but I think you need to be careful and make sure that this is actually something that other people want, and that you're not just creating it because you want it because you're gonna have a really hard time selling it if people don't want it. I also think from a sales perspective, the larger the audience you have, I'm not going to say larger, the more engaged the audience you have the easier time you're going to have selling this thing. So the first haven conference I did, I had, I think like 1500 followers, no, probably less than on Instagram, it was on my wedding planning Instagram. So it wasn't a ton of entrepreneurs. There were a lot of brides. I had a really hard time selling it I got like 30 people to come, which was I think it was like 35 actually, oh, well Oh, win in the book for me, but I really relied heavily on the speakers that were coming to the event to talk about it and help me sell it because I didn't have a massive following. Since then, since we've done a few it's kind of helped that people have learned about it and gain traction and that's made it a little bit easier to sell. So keep that in mind as well. If you're hanging out with you know, 1000 followers and they're all super engaged and love what you're doing then you're probably you're going to be To sell it, if you have 13,000 followers, and they barely like your stuff and they don't engage, then you're probably gonna have a really hard time. So I think it's less about the number of followers and the more about the engagement piece.

Yeah, definitely. That goes for anything business as well. Yeah. So you had mentioned and I just quick questions you mentioned, you know, we got to make sure this is something our audience wants any tips for how to go around that, you know, obviously, some kind of market research. Have you ever seen any kind of beta link events to kind of get a taste to see if it's a good idea if it's something your audience really wants?

Yeah, you know, I haven't seen a beta event. But I think I'm a big fan of just like a good old fashioned survey. If you don't want to go the survey monkey route, or actually like to email things out to people, I think Instagram is such an amazing tool. You can use polls on stories and say, Hey, guys, I'm thinking of creating an experience. Here's what I'm thinking and then say, you know, have them tap yes or no. Then when it comes to like, the cost of it, you know, give them a range and say, Would this be doable for you? I think that's a really good gauge. I also like to take that stuff with a grain of salt, because I think a lot of people and the initial phase are like, when there's no commitment, there's, they say, it's amazing, that's fine, and then when the commitment comes, they're like, Oh, yeah, it's not in the budget right now. You know what I mean? So take it with a grain of salt. I think also just asking your most engaged people in your audience most the time, we can kind of pick those people out and saying, Hey, I'm thinking about creating an experience, I feel like this would be perfect for you, can I pick your brain and see what you would want out of something like this and actually talk to people and hear what they would want and what they would want to see in the term transformation that they would want to have?

Yes, market research is key, everybody, definitely. So we had touched on this just for a minute or two, just differences between some smaller events, like 10 people versus large events, 100 and you're so like, right on there, there's so much that happens behind the scenes, I, I hosted a retreat for some of my higher level mastermind, clients who this is a year ago, little over a year and a half ago or so. There's so much planning, and it was a retreat for like four or five of us. So it was fairly small. There's so much planning that goes in just for that.

I was gonna say, I think there's always an initial level of like, it's kind of like an initial investment, if you will, of time with planning, like, no matter what size you're gonna have in it time investment with planning unless you hire it out. 100%

Yeah, what are some of the things just to keep in mind, like you had mentioned, like, finance space for it? Like, what are some of the big key things?

Yeah, so I think, um, you know it, definitely the more people you have, the more people you're going to need on your team to help to make it happen. If you and your team are creating this together, if you're not hiring this out to an event planner, or someone like myself, or whoever it is, I think you probably should have more people there than you think you need. So typically, like somebody like myself, I can kind of have a really good gauge, because I do you know, 300 person weddings every weekend and things like that. So, I mean, if I can, if you can do a wedding, you can do anything. So I have a really good gauge of how many bodies it takes to do things, but I think for a solopreneur and entrepreneur trying to DIY this, I definitely would have more people there and more assistance than you think that you need. I think delegating tasks is super important with any kind of an event, don't just assume somebody is going to do something, don't assume somebody knows that, you know, the, the yoga mats need to be laid out, or they need to call and confirm the dinner. like don't assume. Assign it, put it all on a list, put it all in a beautiful little timeline. I think when you're structuring events, one thing that some people. The sweet spot is some people leave too much time for interaction and chatting, and some people don't leave enough. So I think finding that kind of sweet spot, because as we kind of discussed, one of the secret superpowers of live events is the connections that people make. Regardless if this is a banking convention, or small yoga retreat, whatever it is, people are still going to make connections and get to know each other. So you want to make sure that you intentionally build that into your timeline for the event, whether it be 10 people, whether it be 100 people, and I think also like cultivating and like finding ways to push people into connection is also a little bit important. There's a lot of people that attend, they're just introverted, that isn't, you know, excited to jump up and go and talk to people. So how can you create different opportunities and ways to get people connected if there are 1000 people there or five people there. I think that that's one of the things is building out a really nice intentional timeline for the whole event that makes sense, and flow steady Lee is something to be really mindful about.

I love that it's such a great piece because I know when I went to my first live event, I was terrified. I was like, "oh, my goodness, there's so many people. Who I talk to? I don't know anybody."

Yeah, it can be super intimidating, and even somebody like myself, I mean, I would consider myself extremely extroverted, but even me, I get those butterflies sometimes when I walk into those events, and all I want to do is grab a drink at the bar, and then go hide in the corner, and nobody sees me or like, or maybe a magical group of amazing people come talk to me, but that's just not the reality. So I think having those quote unquote, icebreakers, not the cheesy ones, but having an icebreaker or way for people to connect with each other, or even you as the host, are your team walking around, and literally getting people to connect together and say, "Have you met this person? They're amazing." I think that is just a fabulous way to get people intertwined. I love that.

I love that. I love that. So right now, it's 2020. COVID is a real thing. It's a real thing. How can we start to transition if someone has maybe an in person event right now, and they want to move it to virtual? Does the prep look any different there any tips there for how to start to move things to a virtual event space? With COVID? not really knowing what's going to be happening in the future?

Mm hmm. Yeah, virtual events are definitely going to become part of our norm. I know, they started pretty quickly once quarantine hit because everybody was going crazy, and they needed something. So I think it kind of depends on what kind of an experience or trying to do through a virtual event, but I actually think a virtual event is a little bit easier. It's definitely more cost effective. So if you are thinking of doing an in person event, but you're a little bit fearful of what that would look like, or investing all that money, a virtual event is a really great place to start, especially right now, when people really can't meet in person. So all the virtual events that I have done, I've just used zoom, um, you know, everybody kind of uses different platforms, but that's what I found to work the best for me, and I would say one of the key things with hosting a virtual event is just know that communication is key. So when we did, we did a virtual haven conference at the beginning of quarantine, and one of the things I found to be huge was we had set out all the information about their virtual event, I believe it was three days beforehand, the day beforehand, the day of and like an hour before it happened, and the amount of people that still sent me a message and said they couldn't find the zoom link, or the password or whatever it was, even though it was bolded. outlined. all of that. was amazing. So that just shows that you cannot communicate enough to people. I shared everything into the Facebook group. So I think that's one thing, if you are going to do a virtual event, just make sure that you are just sharing all the information, answering all the questions, if somebody asks a question, forwarding it on to the communities, so that they know how to. You know. Do they have to show up with their camera on? Do they have to speak? Can they show up in their pajamas? Will anybody judge them? What's the etiquette? Will there be replays? Like, can they dip out for a minute and go pet their dog and then come back later and watch the video. So I think that's something to be really mindful of too, is listening to what people need in knowing that virtual events are a really great way for people to work it into their at home schedule, because they're not having to carve out a two day, a day, whatever it is, period to go attend this event. So definitely communicate, definitely make it flexible and work in people's schedules. Another thing I would say if you're going to host a virtual event, definitely have somebody from your team or virtual assistant, or whoever it is also on the call that can kind of handle admitting people into the like, if you're using zoom, you're going to have to admit people in so they're kind of handling that in admitting people, in answering questions in the chat, muting random people that for whatever reason, can't find the mute button or think they're on mute and are yelling at their children. So just have somebody there to manage all of it and make sure they're not in the same house or on the same Wi Fi as you. So then you're not trying to, unless you have amazing Wi Fi. But so that you're not trying to do your virtual event via zoom or whatever it is that you use, and they're doing, they're on the same thing and it's sucking all the Wi Fi. Definitely my first virtual event. I did it solo and I was trying to manage all the things at the same time by admitting people in answering questions in the chat, which became a lot. So the second one I did, I had my assistant coming on, and it made it that much easier for me. It was so amazing.

Oh my goodness, those are great tips. Definitely great tips, I'm definitely gonna be using that moving forward. If I host any more virtual events. What is, I want to hear from you? Like, what's the funnest thing, we get to add some kind of play some kind of activities into our virtual events? Right? What are some of the things that you've seen done recently, to kind of add some of that playtime, some connection time on the virtual events that you've been to? Or some of the ones that you've hosted?

Oh, great question. So one of the things that we did, our virtual haven that I got a lot of great feedback on is we did, we had like 30 minute breaks in between each speaker. So we had broken people up into accountability and connection groups. So we had different group leaders that had been past attendees and members of my team that lead these small groups of anywhere from three to six people in them. It was an opportunity for them after in between all the calls to get together, connect, introduce themselves, talk about what their business was, and then we had some questions that kind of prompted them to create communication and kind of chat with each other. So this was such an amazing thing, because it got people that we know, we're in Seattle, I'm using you, as an example. Seattle to connect with somebody in Canada, or somebody in Nebraska, to connect with somebody in California, without sitting in the room with each other, and they also all exchange their Instagram handles for their emails, that kind of stuff, so they could stay up to date with each other. So that was a really great thing. It definitely took a lot of planning and logistics on our end to make sure that we had all the leaders, everybody knew what group they were in, they knew what time they were meeting, it was a lot for that, but it was so worth it for the people that I am still chatting to nowadays that say that their group still has decided to meet up like once a week, or once a month and connect with each other and hold each other accountable, which is super cool. So that's definitely one I've also seen some people do activities, which I think is such a cool idea. Like leading yoga as part of a session in a virtual event, or doing a meditation, I think like activities, I think encouraging people to get out of their seats too is really, really great, you know, get them moving around, getting the blood pumping a little bit because, I mean, that's a tip for any event, because people are sitting there all day long and their energy can be drained. So you definitely want to get the vibrations up, you want to get their energy up. So I think getting people to move or do any kind of an activity is such a fun way to get them connected. Then I also think having opportunities to do things like Q&A or sharing time is awesome. So people can like show their face and talk and it feels less like they're being spoken to the entire time and that they have the opportunity to ask the questions and speak to people.

Those are amazing. I love those. Yeah, I've seen some yoga experiences being led and some of these conferences. I went to a conference, a charity conference two nights ago. They have like a cocktail hour, with cocktail classes and also had a wine tasting hour. So that was super fun. Definitely a fun way to kind of get the night started. Also I've seen a chocolate tasting. So there's different things that we can add to kind of have this other asset other part of these events. Just super, super cool.

Oh my gosh, so fun. I've also seen some people that are hosting more of like a high level mastermind or something like that, that have had to move their in person meetups to a virtual event, like packages that have you know, a notebook, a water bottle, and like snacks like fun things like that, that kind of they use for that in person day. So you know, they block off their calendar and then they also have this really fun gift box that just came that they get to use all these tools for this live event. So it makes them feel a little bit more engaged. So I love those ideas though. The wine tasting the chocolate, the cocktail making that's so fun.

It was so fun.

Yeah, definitely anything you can do outside of the box is great. It just makes the experience. It makes people walk away and remember it a little bit more whether that be virtual or in person.

Yeah 1000%. Do you have any kind of tools or resources for anyone wanting to get started? See their planning in person event or virtual events? Do usually use a project management system checklists. What does that usually look like for you guys?

Yeah, so that's a great question. So we've kind of worked in our own little back end system for hosting virtual events. We do have a tool on our online shop which is the guide to hosting live events, or I'm sorry, the guide to hosting virtual events. For anybody that is interested, we kind of walk you through some of the different tools and software to consider. Different tips and tricks to consider. For anybody that's looking to host an in person event, there's a book called Retreat And Grow Rich, I cannot remember the name of the author, that's a really great tool for somebody that is maybe like a business coach or like a spiritual leader or something like that, that has programs and offerings, and all that good stuff, because she really talks about how to use your program and turn it into a retreat and then offer a high level program from there. So it's really interesting to read it and kind of have those takeaways. Beyond that, I mean, a lot of our retreat and conference planning experience has really been through what we've learned from weddings and then just doing it kind of hitting the ground. So again, if anybody has planned their own wedding, you can plan on retreat, because weddings are a big beast, I think compared to a retreat, a conference, anything at all. So I think if you have planned your own wedding, you can definitely play in a live event in your business.

I love that we'll definitely make sure to grab the link from you so that we can share that. Download that checklist you've got as well for everyone listening and so I love to end the day with some fun favorites. Instead people usually call it rapid fire but rapid fire seems so intimidating some kind of call it a fun favorite.

I like that it's more playful.

Yeah, are you ready for some fun favorites? The first thing that comes to mind? What is and it can be either in this moment or overall but your favorite book?

Oh, super attractor by Gabby Bernstein.

I've heard such great things about that. I haven't read it yet, it's on my list. Favorite TV show.

I think Parks and Recreation never gets old for me.

Good one. Definitely a good artist or band.

Oh, I am one of those people. I don't identify with a single artist or a single band. I just love variety. So I don't think I have one.

Who do you listen to like day to day? Or is there a type of genre music?

I would say I definitely love high vibe music, definitely like upbeat something where you could sit on the beach by the ocean and just bask in the sun and feel really good about life . That's my genre.

I love it. Love it. Love it. What about your favorite travel destination? I know you probably can't go there right now, but your favorite travel destination?

Oh, well, I love all things Southern California, my husband and I are actually trying to move there. So I love all things. I'm hoping that that would not be a travel destination for me, but you know my life, but I think when it comes to travel destinations, honestly anywhere in the Caribbean that has a beach, If I could live in my swimsuit every day, I would.

I can't wait for paradise like just paradise time. definitely read a book some and think. So my sister actually just moved over to Hawaii for a new job, so I think they're getting pretty close to removing the 14 day quarantine which is a little much for not wanting to do 14 days of quarantine before going over there, but I think that's probably going to be one of our first spots that we go to once they drop the 14 day quarantine when you arrive.

Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. Yeah, there's something about Island time that is just so amazing, especially in this fast paced world that we live in. I love the idea that time doesn't really matter. You just do what you do whenever you do it.

It's absolutely amazing. Okay, one last fun favorite. What's your favorite self care that you like to do?

Oh, okay, I have this little nighttime routine that I love. I like a Palo Santo stick, and I love the smell of it. It's supposed to clear your energy. I don't know if that part actually works, but I love the smell of it. I like the intention behind it. I'm a big believer in placebo as well. So I do that I drink a glass of magnesium like water. Like a supplement. I put my water and I put my blue light blockers on and I do my skincare and I just I don't know what it is and then I watch TV. I love it. It makes me happy

I love it. I love it. I love it. That sounds so perfect. So perfect. Brooke, how can my audience get in touch with you after today's episode?

Yeah, so the best way to stay in touch is Instagram so you can follow me @The_Brooke_Dumas and then you can connect with my wedding planning website stellaluna events from there. Definitely insta. I love stories so please send me a DM.

Yes and we will have all of those links in the show notes ready for you. Had so much fun with you Brooke today ladies, gents. Whoever's listening. If you love this episode, let us shoot us a DM and tag us on Instagram stories. handles are below. Thank you so much for being here with us today, Brooke and dropping so many golden nuggets with us. We appreciate it and can't wait to start to plan all of our events.

Awesome. Thank you for having me. Happy planning everybody.

Thank you for hanging out with me today. Please let me know your honest opinion. Any questions you might have thoughts, takeaways, all of the goodies you want to send my way. I'm always going to be your biggest cheerleader so you taking time out of your day to hang with me truly means the world to me. I'll see you next time.

Topics we cover include:

How To Get Started
Transitioning to Virtual Events
The Different Types of Events
When is the Right Time
Market Research

And so much more!

Times to check out:

(7:22) The Different Type Of Events

(10:08) When To Consider Hosting an Event

(12:34) Things To Keep In Mind When First Starting

(15:16) Tips For Market Research

(21:21) Moving Your Event From In Person to Virtual

GET IN TOUCH WITH BROOKE:

Instagram for Retreat & Conference Planning:

https://www.instagram.com/the_brooke_dumas

Instagram for Wedding Planning:

https://www.instagram.com/stellalunaevents

GET IN TOUCH WITH MELISSA:

Hot Leads Machine (new course):

https://www.themelissalin.com/hotleadsmachine

Are you ready to take your online coaching business to the NEXT level? Have you been wanting to start coaching, finally start making a full time income doing what you love? The Fierce Business Academy might be the right fit for you! Head to the link below for more details and to hop on the waitlist!

The Fierce Business Academy:

https://www.themelissalin.com/academy

The Caption Capsule

https://www.themelissalin.com/caption-capsule

Promo Code: PODCAST to save $$$ on The Caption Capsule!

Sell Like A Sales Queen Crash Course:

https://themelissalin.lpages.co/sell-like-a-sales-queen/

Five Figure Launch:

https://themelissalin.lpages.co/five-figure-launch

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