What Up Summiteer AKA: ,

Last Friday's discussion (Yesterday) started with a simple question:

What's one thing that used to work in events that just... doesn't anymore?

The answers came fast.

Attendance is harder.

Engagement is harder.

Algorithms are harder.

But as we dug deeper, we discovered that those aren't actually the biggest challenges.

The real challenge?

Audience overwhelm.

People are drowning in content.

They're drowning in notifications.

They're drowning in AI-generated everything.

In 2026, nobody attends an event simply because it exists.

The topic has to feel urgent.

The host has to be trusted.

And the outcome has to be crystal clear.

The Biggest Insight of the Day

Many of us have spent years trying to get more registrations.

But what if that's the wrong metric?

A room with 12 ideal buyers can outperform a webinar with 500 random registrants.

Read that again.

The future belongs to highly targeted communities, not massive anonymous audiences.

Participation Beats Presentation

Another theme that surfaced repeatedly:

People want involvement, not information.

The best-performing events today look less like webinars and more like workshops, discussions, roundtables and collaborative experiences.

Ironically, many events labeled "workshops" are still presentations with slides and little audience interaction.

Attendees are craving experiences where they can contribute, ask questions, solve problems and connect with others.

Events Are Becoming Ecosystems

One of the strongest conversations centered around content repurposing and event-led ecosystems.

The live event is no longer the product.

It's the starting point.

One discussion can become:

✅ LinkedIn posts

✅ Newsletter content

✅ Blog articles

✅ Video clips

✅ AI-generated audio overviews

✅ Evergreen replay libraries

The smartest event leaders aren't creating more content.

They're creating more value from the content they already have.

Communities Continue to Win

We also discussed a trend that's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore:

Communities often monetize more consistently than standalone events.

Memberships.

Masterminds.

Industry hubs.

Creator networks.

These models generate recurring engagement, recurring trust, recurring data, and recurring revenue.

Events are increasingly becoming the heartbeat of those ecosystems, not the entire business model.

AI Is Changing the Game—But So Is Human Connection

One fascinating takeaway was how everyone is using AI differently.

Some are using it for automation.

Others are using it for content repurposing.

Others are using it as a thought partner.

But despite AI's rapid growth, demand for human connection continues to rise.

People still want trusted relationships.

Peer validation.

Meaningful conversations.

And communities where they feel understood.

AI can accelerate content.

It can't replace belonging.

A Question for You

As you think about your own events, community, or content strategy:

What's one thing that used to work for your audience that no longer gets the same results?

Perhaps more importantly:

What are you experimenting with instead?

The answers to those questions may shape the next stage of your business.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to another thoughtful conversation.

See you next Friday for another Virtual Summiteers discussion.

Keep building.

Keep experimenting.

And keep creating experiences people can't get from a chatbot.

Ericka Bates

Talk Virtual / Virtual Summiteers