How do I make my event more engaging for attendees?

Focus on designing the full experience from the moment someone signs up to what happens after the event ends. Learn who your attendees are before they arrive, welcome them intentionally when they walk in, structure activities that encourage interaction, and create ways for people to stay connected afterwards.

How do I get people to show up to my event?

Find out where your audience spends their time online and focus your promotion there. Use platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Eventbrite, or Luma depending on your audience. Ask attendees how they found you so you can double down on what works. As your events grow, word of mouth from past attendees becomes your most powerful marketing tool.

Should I host a large event or a small one?

Smaller, more intimate events make it easier to create a sense of safety and belonging, especially for shy or introverted attendees. They also give you more flexibility to guide interactions and ensure everyone feels included. Larger events can work, but it becomes harder to foster the kind of deeper connection that keeps people coming back.

How do I build a community around my events?

Host on a regular cadence so people know when to expect you. Create space for attendees to connect with each other after the event through a group or online community. When people form relationships with other attendees, they start coming back not just for the event itself but for the people they've met.

Building Events Around Connection, Not Just Attendance

Design the experience around your audience, not yourself
Think beyond the event itself
Smaller is almost always better
Getting people in the door
Build consistency and people will follow
Final thoughts

You’ve been to that event. The one where you walk into a room full of strangers, hover near the drinks table, make small talk with one or two people, and leave feeling like you wasted your evening. Maybe there was a keynote speaker. Maybe there was a free drink. But nobody made you feel like you belonged there.

The old format of “book a venue, invite people, hope for the best” isn’t cutting it anymore. People’s expectations for in-person events have shifted dramatically over the past few years. Attendees want to walk away feeling like they were seen, like they connected with someone on a level deeper than “so, what do you do?”

Kimberly Chan and Linda Cajuste, co-founders of My Creative Break, have built their business around solving this exact problem. Kim brings a marketing background and Linda is a confidence coach, and together they design events that blend team building, improv, and guided interaction to help people genuinely connect. In a recent webinar, they broke down the principles behind events people actually want to attend, and more importantly, want to come back to.

Design the experience around your audience, not yourself

When Kim and Linda plan an event, they start by learning as much as they can about who’s going to be in the room. During registration, they ask attendees about their goals, what they do, and why they’re coming. This information feeds directly into how they structure the evening, from the activities they choose to how they group people together.

And the research doesn’t stop once the event is over. They actively collect feedback from attendees and use it to shape future events. Linda shared an example: they once assumed attendees would prefer large group games, but feedback revealed people actually wanted more time for smaller group conversations. They adjusted, and the events got better for it.

The instinct when planning an event is to build something you’d personally want to attend. Kim and Linda do encourage starting there, since your own frustrations with events you’ve been to can be a useful compass. But the real work is in listening to your specific audience and being willing to let go of your original vision when their needs point in a different direction.

Think beyond the event itself

Kim and Linda describe their events as experiences, not just gatherings, and the distinction matters. They think carefully about every stage of the attendee journey: before, during, and after.

Before the event, they’re already building connection. They reach out to attendees, make early introductions, and set expectations so people feel at ease before they even walk through the door. For someone who’s shy or introverted, knowing what to expect can be the difference between showing up and staying home.

During the event, they focus on making people feel welcome from the moment they arrive. There’s always a host greeting people. Activities are guided so nobody ends up standing alone in a corner. The structure is intentional but not rigid, giving people a framework to connect without feeling forced.

After the event, they keep the momentum going. Attendees are encouraged to stay in touch through group channels where they can share wins, continue conversations, and build on the relationships they started. The event is the spark, but the community that forms around it is what brings people back.

Smaller is almost always better

There’s a natural temptation to measure an event’s success by headcount. Kim and Linda push back on this. Smaller, more intimate events consistently create stronger connections and a deeper sense of community.

In a smaller room, people feel safer. The hosts have more flexibility to guide interactions, especially for attendees who might struggle in larger social settings. People get more individual attention, and conversations naturally go deeper when you’re not competing with 200 other voices.

Larger events can work, but they serve a different purpose. If your goal is to build a community where people feel like they belong and keep coming back, smaller gatherings are far more effective.

Getting people in the door

Designing a great experience only matters if people actually show up. Kim shared that their most effective marketing channel has been Instagram, where they can post content that shows what their events actually look and feel like. Giving potential attendees a window into the experience is more compelling than simply announcing dates and details.

But their single biggest driver of attendance is word of mouth. People who’ve had a great experience talk about it, bring friends, and share posts. Your best marketers are the people who’ve already been to your events.

For anyone just starting out, Linda recommends experimenting with multiple platforms, whether that’s Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook Events, Eventbrite, or newer tools like Luma. Track where your signups are coming from, and ask attendees directly how they heard about you. Over time, patterns will emerge and you can focus your energy where it counts. The key is not to assume you know where your audience is before you have the data to back it up.

Build consistency and people will follow

One of the quieter but most important points from the conversation was about cadence. Kim and Linda run their events on a regular schedule, and their audiences know when to expect the next one. Whether it’s monthly or every two months, the predictability builds anticipation and makes it easy for people to plan around.

Repeat attendees start showing up not just for the programming but for the familiar faces. New attendees benefit from joining a room that already has a sense of warmth and community. Over time, the event becomes something people identify with, a space they feel ownership over, rather than just another thing on the calendar.

Final thoughts

The through line in everything Kim and Linda shared is simple: put your attendees at the center. Think about what they need, how they want to feel, and what will keep them connected long after the event wraps up. The logistics matter, but they’re secondary to the human experience you’re creating.

If you’re planning your first event, don’t wait until everything is perfect. Kim and Linda’s first live event was a rollercoaster of uncertainty, and it became one of their most memorable. Start small, pay attention to how people respond, and be willing to adapt as you go.

You can connect with Kim and Linda and subscribe to the My Creative Break newsletter on their website.

FAQ

How do I make my event more engaging for attendees?

Focus on designing the full experience from the moment someone signs up to what happens after the event ends. Learn who your attendees are before they arrive, welcome them intentionally when they walk in, structure activities that encourage interaction, and create ways for people to stay connected afterwards.
How do I get people to show up to my event?

Find out where your audience spends their time online and focus your promotion there. Use platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Eventbrite, or Luma depending on your audience. Ask attendees how they found you so you can double down on what works. As your events grow, word of mouth from past attendees becomes your most powerful marketing tool.
Should I host a large event or a small one?

Smaller, more intimate events make it easier to create a sense of safety and belonging, especially for shy or introverted attendees. They also give you more flexibility to guide interactions and ensure everyone feels included. Larger events can work, but it becomes harder to foster the kind of deeper connection that keeps people coming back.
How do I build a community around my events?

Host on a regular cadence so people know when to expect you. Create space for attendees to connect with each other after the event through a group or online community. When people form relationships with other attendees, they start coming back not just for the event itself but for the people they’ve met.

Building Events Around Connection, Not Just Attendance

Table of Contents

Design the experience around your audience, not yourself

Think beyond the event itself

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Why process debt is the invisible tax on your growth / 6 mins read

Revenge of the Zombie Project (Or When It’s Time to Circle Back) / 4 mins read

Smaller is almost always better

Getting people in the door

Build consistency and people will follow

Final thoughts

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