This is an important event, and you need to tell everyone! You are going to need some help getting the news out. Here’s what you do; Invite your community to attend the show, and broadcast the event to your audience. Where to start?
Community…what comes to mind? Where are they? What, exactly, makes this your community anyway? What channels do you have open to communicate with them? What is the commonality that binds here? Surely you can answer some questions about your own community. Can’t you? You’ve spent all that time giving…all those conversations, all the thought you put into the ways you might help empower folks. These are YOUR people, they support you, they’ll help you carry your message, and they want to be a part of everything that you do! You can count on these people; they’re coming to the show.
Broadcast? Ah, the media! Social media! This is it; this is why you’ve been tweeting and following your ever-lovin’ heart out! You’ve poked and freinded and invited and linked up all year, 12 hours a day, I know! Awesome! It’s only a matter of time before they write on your wall, somebody will leave a comment on your blog soon, I just know it! That Re-tweet last month, that was cool beans! Sure, it’s a little quiet out there, but the numbers are there man, 1412 people in 27 places see everything you say. You’ve done a good job with the whole social media thing. Just keep it up.
How’s the foot?
There are many ways for folks to attend the event. You'll meet some of them and have a chance to get to know them better. Others will swoop in, push a business card in your face and move on to the next event. Many will connect with each other when they discover they attended another event together last week, and you'll never know. Ultimately, I plan events because I want folks to connect and learn. It's not about me.
The "event" being the community….yes, some, though invited by whatever method, likely a social media outlet, will not embrace "community". Social media and community are very close relatives, but NOT the same thing. I hate to see people confused and spinning their wheels on one, thinking they're doing right by the other. Thank you for commenting!