Another full day in the books and a partial day tomorrow to go. Live events are hard for a multitude of reasons. Virtual, live events pose even more challenges.
First, you’re at the mercy of your Internet connection. Scott lost connection near the end of a VIP session while interviewing a guest speaker today. My blood pressure peaked. The speaker carried on (which was amazing!) and I figured I’d be ok wrapping up that event — not a huge deal. But I had no earthly clue how to kick off the next general session that was to begin 5 minutes later. Scott came back using his phone as a hotspot — and his Internet came back up within minutes. Whew!!
You don’t know what your guests are going to say. You may have a good idea what they talk about and you know their style, but sometimes they don’t follow along with the outline. One speaker today said, “Watch this shit“… and I won’t lie… I cringed. He changed it to, “watch this poo poo” and everyone thought it was funny. I guess it was all good. Attendees seemed to love him.
You have to work to keep people involved and engaged. This is always true, but even more so when events are virtual. And on a weekend. The good thing is that the people there are paying to listen — even on a weekend — so they are invested. That, of course, puts more pressure to ensure they receive value.
I utilized the items in my swag box! I drank coffee from my Distinction Summit mug, iced tea from my Distinction Summit Yeti, and wore my Distinction Summit hat. If I don’t make it through this last 1/2 day… don’t y’all let them bury me in it.
TIL (Today I Learned): Ken Allen, a Borneo orangutan in the San Diego Zoo, has escaped his enclosure three times. He never acted aggressively towards anyone during his escapes, and just wandered around the zoo looking at other animals. Read more about Ken right here…
Daily new COVID-19 cases (7 day moving average):
Indiana-24.6 (up); Jackson Co – 37.8 (up…HOLY SMOKES); Florida 12.6 (same); Nevada – 19.6 (up)