Another trip down memory lane. I love events. Did I mention that I absolutely love putting together and hosting small events? Very surprising coming from an introvert. Get Me Paid 2019 was the last event I did with my blog. It was hosted at a church. I know, right! The Pastor offered me the space and it was in my budget. At first, people were like girl, seriously?!?! But when they got there the church was really nice.
My caterer stepped all the way out with the food. It was so much food that we ended up working with the church to send the leftovers to charities who would make sure those who were food insecure could have a really good meal that night.
If I’m being honest, this event was so far different from my other events I had done that it really was a last-ditch effort to revive my events business after things went down in 2018. I probably should have gone back to my origins instead of hopping on a trend. I’ve never lost money on an event, but this event also didn’t make me a huge profit either. I barely broke even. And I couldn’t tell you what the speakers talked about. Or what I talked about. That’s just sad, y’all. Aesthetically the event was phenomenal. Content-wise if I can’t remember what was shared that day then to me the event was a bust.
Photos taken by Lisa Carey of Money Saving Parent blog
Why am I sharing this?
You can put your all into something. I mean your time, energy, money, all the skills and abilities you have, and things still fall flat. That’s what happened with this event. I wouldn’t say this is a bad memory. Just a memory to remind me that stepping too far away from what I know to be right for me to stay in line with others is a no-go for me moving forward. It was an expensive lesson.
Also, I mentioned that in 2018 some things went down. I haven’t fully shared that traumatic year, but that year also caused me to be repealed and to repeal others. That lingering feeling affected who rocked with me thus causing me to have an event that did not sell out. First time in a long time for me. The tide had turned against me, and I didn’t know how to navigate through the troubled waters. A new strategy was needed but I didn’t have one to use.
Plus, the disappointment and later fallout because some kraziness that was publicly put online about one of the speakers left me with a feeling that conferences of that sort just weren’t for me. Not to produce, create or plan. I’ll leave business conferences to those who thrive in that particular lane.
Will I ever go back to creating and producing events?
Who knows.
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