How Do You Keep an Experience Special as More People Want In? ft. Maria Tassi, Kristina Barold, & Janette Downie

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This is the one I was telling you about.
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It is the You will not believe this place so that I just literally obviously the second cheaper.
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Tell them I sent this is my favorite.
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Girl.
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Ten out of ten would recommend.
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I want you to picture the coolest event you've ever been to.
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And if it was like my favorite event, there was a room full of ambitious women, there was music, the energy was high, there was fist bumps and high fives at the door, and the buzz just followed me home for days.
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And tucked off to the side, there was this quiet lounge with a couch and a soft drink and a permission to just stop for 20 minutes.
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And that contrast is exactly what I want to dig into today.
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Welcome to Would Recommend.
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I'm Nikki McKnight, a customer experience and operations strategist and founder of The Ops Shop.
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And this is the show about the businesses that customers can't stop talking about and what they actually did to earn it.
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Today I am sitting down with three women who design live event experiences for a living or as a side hustle, depending on who you're talking to, and the way that they conceptualize space and intimacy and service blows my mind every single time I attend one of their events.
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Maria Tassi and Christina Bartold are passionate about helping business owners think of their businesses in a bigger way than they ever could have imagined.
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They are co-founders of the Social Snippet, a digital marketing agency that helps entrepreneurs grow their communities online using social media and podcasting.
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And they are also the co-founders of High Vibe Women, a community that hosts local events for Canadian female entrepreneurs to connect and to network.
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Jeanette Downey is a creative strategist, brand whisperer, and advocate for redefining success as something sustainable and human.
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As co-founder of Space Creators, she helps small to medium-sized businesses transform their marketing strategies into measurable growth.
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She's also the host of the Chill Space podcast, where she explores the intersection of ambition and well-being, and the creator of the Chill Space, a blend of virtual community calls, in-person gatherings, and physical activations designed to help ambitious, sensitive people find calm inside high-energy environments.
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So if you've ever wondered how some businesses make people feel like they belong the second they walk in, or why the best experiences somehow stay that good even as they grow, please keep listening because we're about to get into it.
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Go bigger next time or keep it the same size on purpose.
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It depends, I guess, what we re what we mean by bigger.
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Like if we're if we're talking about more people, not necessarily, but I always believe in creating a bigger impact every time.
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I totally agree with Jeanette.
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I my initial gut reaction was keep it the same size on purpose.
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This is where we are yin and yang.
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Yeah, yeah.
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I'm like, go bigger.
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Let's go.
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I ended with that question very deliberately on purpose because I worked for many, many years in event production and design, and it was something that I think we were always kind of hitting up against, right?
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We put on successful spaces, activations, events, and people get so hype and they're so pumped.
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We love this so much, we're gonna come back.
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And there's almost like a pressure to well, if people are such raving fans of this, why don't we just invite more people and make more money and get bigger and get known for bigger and bigger and bigger events?
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And I do think there is a line where the size of the event or the size of the space, just in terms of body count or people size, can go up against the standard of service, the standard of care, and what you really at the end of the day want it to do for your business.
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When you think about looking at, we'll use events specifically.
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What are some maybe like non-negotiables you keep in mind versus what you're gonna happily blow up because you're not married to it?
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I feel like I'm willing to blow most things up.
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Um I think the most important thing for me is one, having fun and two, making people feel cared for, like the experience is intentional, like it's designed for them, like we thought of them.
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So as long as those two things are happening, I don't really care much about the rest of the logistics, like the venue, the schedule, the speakers.
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I'm kind of fine to be blowing things up as long as those intentional details are there and people are gonna have fun and they're gonna have a good time.
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It makes me wonder is there a size?
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It mean girls Lindsay Lohan does the limit does not exist, but is there a limit when you can deliver an experience at a certain size or in a certain way, and you just can't later?
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And it's that difference that people go, mmm, I don't like that.
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This isn't what I expected, maybe.
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Yeah, we play around with this all the time with high-vive women in particular, with our like our retreats we collaborate with Jeanette on, and then also um our VIP night.
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Because as you know, Nikki, our VIP night, like our tickets sell very quickly.
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Well, like, you know, we'll get we'll be done selling a week in a week and they're six months out.
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And business-wise, we're it's like supply and demand.
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We're like, oh, we have like a demand issue, and so we should add an extra 10, we should add an extra 20.
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And revenue-wise, it actually does make kind of a difference for us, but we know it's not VIP if everyone can do it, so we really want to make sure that like we can pour into those women, that it's really meaningful.
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We're always trying to add those extra special touches, and we know as like this has grown from you know being an event that had 80 people to an event that had, you know, 150.
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And now, as we're gearing up towards our first event of 200 plus, like we know we can't provide the same experience with VIPs if we had 180 VIPs.
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So, like with VIP nine in particular, we want to talk to everyone, we want the activations, everyone have time.
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We say no to more people, to more sponsorship, to more um activations in the interest of the experience of the people who are there.
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And it's the same with the retreat because retreats are one of those things that are actually kind of hard to sell.
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Like, people, I think, don't give it enough credit, and that's why I think a lot of the people we've seen who've run retreats have backed down on it.
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We're ramping up on it.
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And why is because we're bigger, we're going somewhere warm now.
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Like we're going somewhere warm now.
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Bigger longer.
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But the size is the same, and even though we can make more money adding five extra people or four extra people, 10 extra people.
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When we talk about it, it's always like, How could we do that?
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Like when we have 12 people, we're at max capacity on how many people we feel like we can serve in a weekend and be really intentional and pour drinks for them and connect with them one-on-one and do all the things.
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I think uh sometimes you have to sacrifice a little bit of profit, a little bit of money for the long-term experience.
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And we have a huge like resign up rate, right?
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Most of our retreats are filled with with people who've already done it before.
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Um, we see the same thing with the VIP night.
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We already have people asking about our VIP night in March if they can buy tickets.
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But there's people are slipping your money under the table, being like, this is for the fund.
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Um, someone literally was like, I will pay you double if a ticket comes up.
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I'm like, that I can't make a ticket.
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There's no there's no seat for you.
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I you can you'll have to sit on my lap to eat.
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Um, so I think we uh have been really steadfast, the three of us in our collaborations, but Marie and I on the high vibe woman side of like like anything that we can keep intimate where there's like a lot of meaning behind it, we take the investment so seriously that we really want to make sure that um anything that we do is kind of scalable on that end.
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Yeah, I love that, Christy, that you brought up intimacy because that's exactly where I wanted to go with Jeanette.
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It's not just size, right?
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But I remember the very first high vibe woman I event I went to was probably like three years ago now.
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Um, and when somebody mentioned the chill space, I had a moment of like, what do you mean?
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There's a quiet room I can go to and just not people for 20 minutes.
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And it was a different type of intimacy because I think you can have the type of intimacy that is like small group, the the vibe is not necessarily low, but it's chill, haha, branding.
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But it's just different, but it can also be intimate in like depth of conversation, depth of forethought.
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So, Jeanette, when you think about intimacy beyond just it's a quiet space, what are the feelings that you keep in mind when you're designing something like the chill space?
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I think the big through line for me is how are we being thoughtful about people and how are we thinking about the kinds of experiences they want to have and applying that to all different kinds of people, right?
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So, not everyone who comes to an event feels the same, acts the same, dresses the same.
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It's all a huge array of people and their needs are also varying.
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And so for me, when I think about how does the chill space play out in an event, I'm thinking about all of that.
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And so, what does someone who needs to step away need to encounter when they walk into that space?
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It's actually not really about how many people should be in the space at a time because it's open and available to as many people as need it.
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Of course, if we had a ton of people in there and it was really loud and it was crazy, then it would completely defeat the purpose.
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But thinking about it in okay, what's the flow of the room?
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What can people do in the space?
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How can they actually get what they need?
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If it is quiet time, how can they do that?
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If they don't want to talk to someone, how can they do that?
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Considering all of those different needs, that's even like how I think about intimacy is like, how am I being thoughtful about everyone who could possibly use this space?
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One of the most thoughtful moments I've ever experienced.
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It was at the Retreat in Collingwood when I showed up to check in.
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And I don't know if it was Christina or Maria, but said to me, Nikki, we put you in the furthest cabin in the room, furthest away from everybody.
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And I had a moment of, oh my god, these people know me.
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I get to have quiet time.
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I didn't have to hear pit bull karaoke at three o'clock in the morning.
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It was majestic, y'all.
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Like that was the first thing.
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I was like, I'm gonna have a great weekend because these ladies know I need my quiet space with me, so I need to be away from people.
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And you were part of our last Airbnb retreat.
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How amazing for you! Because the pitbull karaoke took us all out.
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I think that's something, Nikki, like we've learned over time, is like asking those questions, right?
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Like, even whether it's our retreat, our VIP night, you know, our main day, like what we're always trying to do is create a space where we're asking like people what they need and like how we can bring them closer to it.
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So even like on a deeper level, that you know, like when we were talking about the VIP night, our last one, something that we noticed was we wanted to actually be providing like so much value to the VIPs, like people pay a thousand dollars for these tickets, like they buy so far in advance.
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We were like, you know, this extra night we want to make it great.
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And so we added our VIP coaching tables this year where people could be coached by speakers, and um, that was really meaningful, and people loved that.
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And people were coming out to us like that night, being like, This is the best thing you've ever done.
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I've been at every single one.
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Like, we'll go so yeah, like thank you.
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Like, and but a big part of that was like very intentional, and then we bring people upstairs and we did assign seating for dinner where we put people based on like kind of questions that they had in a survey that they had filled out, and these things are things you need to think about, but they're not that hard to implement, you know.
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And I think with events like whether people are hosting events or attending events, those are the touches that I definitely look for.
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And when I think about returning to an event, like when I, you know, because I'm a mega returner, I'm one of those people like I find a community, I'm like, you are my community, and that's where I live now.
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Never getting rid of me.
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Yeah, a ride or die.
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Yeah, I'm a ride or die.
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It's the people who make you feel so seen, or you love those special touches.
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Jeanette and I have gone to a ton of cream cultivate stuff.
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Um, Maria's joining us for the first time this September.
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And like the thing that I love about it the most, even though there's thousands of people at these events, like thousands, and it but it's the special little moments, right?
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These curated brand moments, or you go and you sit and there's a handwritten card, or things like that make such a difference.
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And so um, I'm just encouraging anybody who, as you're thinking about running events, or you know, if you're trying to think about an event you want to go to, it's like where do you feel the most seen and excited about kind of what people are up to?
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Yeah, I love that you start from there because I think when we think about events, for many people they look at them first as this is probably a marketing or lead generation type of activity for me.
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I want to get into new audiences, new spaces, I want to show off expertise, I want to show off different speakers and provide value.
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But at the end of the day, they're kind of I I don't know how many show Bibles or run-of-shows I've made for events that are like, okay, Mike A is gonna be here, I need this slide deck up here, the music is gonna play here, I need to cue the jugglers and the contortionists, because yes, we had that in an event I ran.
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But like it was very much focused on what is the list of things I do.
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And when I reverse that into like a sales page or how people talk about the event, people tend to lead with this speaker, this is provided to you, almost like that value stack list you can get on sales pages, which is valid.
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People want to know what they're buying.
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But what I've always loved about all of you in the collabs that you do is yes, that exists.
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And that's not the first place you are thinking about.
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Yeah.
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It's who are the people.
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I think Nikki, like, and not to monopolize too much time on this, but I was I was gonna say one of the things that's so interesting about all three of us and the way that we've run events or or activations is that we actually have a predominant business, right?
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We all have, you know, pretty successful agencies that are the things that actually feed us.
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And you know, the chill space and high vibe women, these were these extra things we created from a place of need.
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And I don't know that like of course, was there a moment when we started High Vibe Women where we were like, oh, this will be good advertising for the social snippet?
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Yes, but it's so we don't even think about it that way at all, right?
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So it actually isn't a funnel into anything.
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And so for us, it's like we just want to build community, we want to serve women.
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We know that when women are doing great things in their community, um, in in in their businesses, they're doing great things, greater things for their community, right?
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And so that's of service for us that we want to be of service to women, and so I think that that's kind of the the difference.
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And and this is what I tell anybody who wants to run an event is like you actually have to be okay with you know getting a profit for it or breaking even, but being open to the magic that can come from it.
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You have no idea what's gonna come from it.
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And it's been podcast appearances, it's been relationships and connections, has it been agency clients?
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Of course, but I think we haven't made it like it was never about the sales of it, it was really about bringing women together.
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Yeah, Maria, I'm curious as the more woo of the two of you, where Christina, I feel like the woo adjacency is getting just a little bit more every time.
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It's a little bit more.
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A little less adjacent than it used to be.
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Yeah, but I'm just curious, Maria, like as you think about things like that.
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I know you love human design and how do people's types uh interact with other types and what what do people's intuitions tell them?
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I'm curious when you start thinking about the people in the room and centering those folks and their experiences, what do you have in your head outside of like the marketing needs of what's on the sales page, but really maybe bringing some of that woo energy into it and centering that in a lot of your decision-making processes through all of the events that you do?
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Yeah, it's a great question, and it's one of my favorite things about our collaboration, the three of us, because we bring such unique perspectives to the table.
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And like what I would want to see at an event is very different than what Christina would want to see, and it's very different than what Jeanette would want to see.
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And that's why I love these tools like human design, because we can design the experience so that a projector gets what they need, a manigen gets what they need, a generate, like everybody gets what they need, and that's I think something so beautiful about the chill space.
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Um, but I feel like at the end of the day, what makes us such good event hosts, if I do say so myself, yeah, is we're good event attendees.
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Like we attend so many events, we take notes, we think about what we like, we stay humble, we're always learning from other people.
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Like, I never go to an event without learning at least like 10 different things.
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Um, and I think paying attention to from my own intuition, like what I really love about an event, but then also listening to other people.
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What was your favorite part about the day?
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Hearing their compliments, not only for our events, but for others, and building that community, I feel like is really important.
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And now we've extended that to our team as well.
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Like, we've built a very diverse team with diverse perspectives who have all different needs.
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Like on our core high vibe women team, there is one of every human design type other than Reflector, which is only one percent of the population.
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They're hard to find, okay?
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The unicorn, like, I don't know who they are or what they're gonna do, but they're gonna breathe and they'll just be on a shelf and be like, we got one of those.
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It's like Pokemon cards.
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Exactly, exactly.
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But as leaders, we're not standing up here saying this is what we want and this is how our event's gonna be.
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It's like we take little pieces from what we know everybody would like and everybody would want, so that it feels intentional and curated for everybody.
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And that ties back to your example of even when we're selecting things like what room we're gonna people are gonna stay in, like we're thinking about what your human design type is, we're thinking about what your preferences are, and I think that goes a long way with people.
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I know for for me it does, and as an event attendee.
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I love that you brought up this.
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I there I'm a huge stand-up comedy fan.
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I go see it as often I can.
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One of my favorite comedians is Elijah Slesinger, and she was talking in her wedding special about weddings are the only things in life you can do where you do it once and suddenly you're an expert who will give their advice to anybody, and people listening are going, that's a dumbass wedding.
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I'm not doing that.
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But honestly, I feel like events are that other thing.
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Like people do it once and they're like, Let me tell you, let me preach at you on how to do things.
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So I love it when people say, like, I attend events because it's the only way to really learn and see what works in what context beyond logistics.
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But you know, oh, you know what?
00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:18.240
It was really frustrating to me that there was no break for the first four hours of the day because I availed myself of the free coffee, and holy crap, did I have to go to the bathroom?
00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.759
That was a concern for me.
00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:31.519
Or the parking lot was so far away, and I had to haul a bag with me, and it was just so annoying because I put it under my chair, and there's never enough room under a circular table to put a bag without your feet kicking it.
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:39.519
So understanding all of these little friction points that if you can remove those, automatically you're like, oh my god, this is so majestic.
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:45.279
And Jeanette, this reminds me of I think it was the chill space at the last event.
00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:51.839
Just walking in, yeah, because it was at the Pearl, just walking in and being like, there are butterflies in places.
00:18:52.480 --> 00:19:06.079
There is soft music, there are massage tables, and it was like it wasn't friction I thought I had to just look at something that wasn't digital, but to see real things in a way, something not on a screen, my eyeballs got rest.
00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:12.720
And I was like, Oh, I didn't really think that was something my eyeballs needed at this point in time, but oh my goodness, they did.
00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:21.599
Yeah, I think that one of the things a lot of events miss is the focus of the guest experience.
00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:28.079
And so many times they are thinking about the logistics, they are thinking about okay, what are we including?
00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:32.640
What are we making, how are we making this valuable for the price that people are paying?
00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:51.440
And all of that is super important, but all of that doesn't really mean anything if then the guests come and they have a horrible experience because they had to walk super far, or they didn't get fed enough food, or there wasn't water, or these are all things that we've actually experienced, which is kind of crazy but true.
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.960
And so I completely agree with what Maria and Christina are saying.
00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:04.079
By being attendees, we learn so much about what people actually need as part of their experience.
00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:15.119
And so whether it's the full high vibe women event or the chill space in particular, I feel like that guest experience is the forefront of what we're all thinking about.
00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:28.160
And I think that's what makes Christina Maria's events so amazing, is I think that's the first thing that's on the list of like, hey, how are we making sure that everyone that's coming has the best experience possible?
00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:30.480
And how do we have the best speakers?
00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:34.640
And how do we make sure everyone's really well taken care of, and so on and so on.
00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:36.400
But a lot of events miss that.
00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:45.599
They don't actually think about once someone's in the room, what's happen, like what's their experience like, not just what did they pay for?
00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:51.359
Yeah, I'm curious for all of you talking about attending all of these other events and seeing what works.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:21:00.960
Was there something you experienced in this market research attending of all of these events that you noticed and said, huh, I'm gonna take that back with me.
00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:07.359
Yeah, it's interesting because I think we we learn so much from events that we go to, both positive and negative.
00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:12.880
Like, and it's funny, I went to an event a few months ago and the the host was like, Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous that you're here.
00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:15.200
And I was like, You have no reason to be nervous.
00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:16.160
I'm not passing judgment.
00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.039
Like, I don't care.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:18.720
I know how much events like cost.
00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:23.920
I know, you know, like this is a smaller event than what we do, but I know what goes into doing it just like this.
00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:27.039
Like, so like really we we pass no judgment.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:30.960
And after every event that we go to, the three of us will be like, Hey, what did you like about that?
00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.400
Like, or what didn't you like about that?
00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:35.839
And the things that we don't like are never really anything personal against the hosts.
00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.680
It sometimes there are things that other people love, it's just not our jam.
00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:42.640
Something that's always been really important to us is feeding people.
00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:49.680
This has been very important because the three of us actually went to an event that like um it felt like they had decided we were all on a calorie deficit that day.
00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:51.039
It was like a collective display.
00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:53.039
You're biohacking, it's intermittent fasting, y'all.
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:54.240
Eight hours you can do this.
00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:56.799
We were intermittent fasting for many hours.
00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:03.359
And all of us went, these were, I would say, uh 11 out of 10 speakers, maybe the best speakers I've ever seen at an event.
00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:05.039
Um, didn't matter, didn't matter.
00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:05.839
We were starved.
00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:06.720
We couldn't listen.
00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:08.319
Train was not functioning.
00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:18.640
And at the end, they even had like meet and greets with the speakers, and all of us were so hungry we opted not to meet any of these high-level people because and then we all went out for dinner and we were standing there eating, like we had someone pre-order the food.
00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:27.039
Like, so why I'm telling you this is that now Maria and I in particular with the big events, with the small, like our retreats and stuff, you are fed 24-7 as you are.
00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:28.559
We are so well fed.
00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:29.839
Yeah, like you're well fed.
00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:36.240
But with the big events, Maria and I kind of walk through the day of like, yeah, we're starting at three, but they need a snack.
00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:38.960
We would just never want anyone to ever feel uncomfortable.
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:40.480
That's top of mind for us.
00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:50.079
So it's things like that that I always kind of take away from events is kind of like what makes somebody Uber eats themselves something, like a coffee or like seeing that happen at events.
00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:56.799
I've definitely not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's just for us, we want people to just feel like they get there and they have everything in front of them.
00:22:56.960 --> 00:23:09.279
And um, so not necessarily only about food and drink, but just thinking about like even this year, like a mistake we made is we didn't have notebooks, um, because you know, the event had uh what we thought were notebooks and they were just pieces of paper.
00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:14.880
Mistake, and the amount of times throughout the day, Maria and I were like, Oh my god, like people can't write.
00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:18.240
Like, this is so the and you know, we really dwell on that stuff.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:21.920
So I would say those are the things that kind of when I leave events, I I've thought of.
00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.119
I don't know, Maria, if you have any.
00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:25.440
The food was also where I was gonna go with it.
00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:33.359
Um, I think the interesting thing when you're planning an event, it's really hard to conceptualize what is gonna make or break the event for people.
00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:37.119
And so for things like notebooks, we're like, do people even care if they don't get a notebook?
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:38.559
Like, do people even write things down?
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.759
Do they just write it in their phone?
00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:41.039
Like, does it actually matter?
00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:46.880
And then when we didn't have notebooks and each person got three pieces of paper, it was the number one piece of feedback I got is that they wish they had notebooks.
00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:53.200
And I'm like, wow, when we were thinking of that and like just conceptually, we never realized it would have had such a big impact.
00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:57.680
And I think that's why it's so important as event attendees because we get impacted firsthand.
00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:11.279
So even though speakers of that event were 11 out of 10, the fact that we didn't eat, I was like, couldn't, but didn't eat, we couldn't even absorb what the speakers were saying because we couldn't think properly, we couldn't think straight.
00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:20.000
Yeah, you just start looking at them, it's like the old like Hannah Barbera cartoons when your eyeballs turn to like chicken wings, and you're just like you see the person, and like that's just a gigantic hot dog.
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:21.680
That's all I'm seeing.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:25.680
My event learnings have produced the chill space, right?
00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:38.720
Because I think I've been to so many events where it's just 100% scheduled the full time, there's really little to no breaks, which makes it hard to absorb information.
00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:54.160
It makes it hard to want to stay the whole time, hard to connect with people because when all of your energy is taken focused, listening to people trying to learn, trying to absorb, you have very little left to then actually go and meet people and try to engage with them.
00:24:54.400 --> 00:25:02.720
If there is no downtime and no option to walk away, then people start having to create those moments for themselves.
00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:06.480
And so I'd be one of those people who would disappear to the bathroom.
00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:08.960
I'd be hiding in there for God knows how long.
00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:13.119
I would go outside and then really struggle to come back.
00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:21.440
Like once I've actually left, then it's hard to be like, oh, now I have to psych myself up to go back into this event, right?
00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:24.240
So I experienced that so many times.
00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:32.079
And then there was one event that Christina and I went to in Florida where they did have like a relaxation room.
00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:35.519
It was, you know, like off to the side.
00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:38.240
There was a couch in there, there were some cute things in there.
00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:40.079
I think there was a beverage in there.
00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:48.799
And that for me was like the moment where I realized, oh, this is cool and could be done on such a higher level.
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:51.839
And that's kind of what my like big takeaway was.
00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:56.960
And when I started to kind of create these spaces, my first business was photography.
00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:14.720
And doing photography, I would always realize that it wouldn't matter how good the photos were at the end if the customer didn't have an amazing experience with me leading up to the photo shoot and after the photo shoot.
00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:16.079
I always carry that.
00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:19.200
It didn't matter how good they were or how great.
00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:23.519
If they didn't have a good experience, the photos suck, right?
00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:26.400
And they're not recommending you and they're not coming back.
00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:39.920
So I apply that same thing to events that we host now where it's like everything leading up to the event, during the event, and after has to be significant and thoughtful for that person to want to do it again.
00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:47.279
I'd love that you mentioned during the event because we've talked a little bit about what does feedback look like after the event, what do you do with it, but also how do you conceptualize it beforehand.
00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:48.640
Events take time.
00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.440
There's so many logistics involved in these things.
00:26:51.680 --> 00:27:02.480
Some of the big like two, three thousand-person events I was doing, I remember I didn't really sleep for three days because it was like, oh my god, I didn't print out the things to go on chairs, I didn't create this lighting cue, and it's just so much of it, and it snowballs.
00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:07.039
And then comes the day that it's like the doors are open, people are here, what is here is gonna be here.
00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:08.319
And I hope it's great.
00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:15.039
So once the doors finally open, people are finally butts in seats, they're talking to each other, and you get to see it.
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.319
What it what do you want to see?
00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:22.799
What is that green flag for you that you're like, we did it, we're gonna be fine.
00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:24.319
This is gonna be a great day.
00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:28.000
It's funny because I think Maria and I are our worst critics.
00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:38.000
So we're the people who, you know, it like you just very transparently, Nikki, like at the last met we left and we were like, ooh, like, was that our worst one yet?
00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:42.799
And and we were so and people like the feedback we got was overwhelmingly positive.
00:27:42.880 --> 00:27:44.880
Like everyone is like, this is their favorite one.
00:27:44.960 --> 00:28:01.279
The the venue, the food, the speakers, the but there were some things that we were so wrapped on all day that we left and we were like, oh, these were some things, and it wasn't the paper, but like, you know, things that we were like fundamentally our yeah, the notebooks took us out.
00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:04.720
Um, but like we were fundamentally like so disappointed in.
00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:10.480
And it really helped us frame a lot of our relationship conversations for this one and and and all of that.
00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:21.599
But I think in the moment, like the wins for us, the green flags are for us, it there is like an un you know this, Nikki, but like an unstoppable energy in the room.
00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:29.920
Like the women do not stop talking to our sadness when I have to use my camp counselor voice to get everyone to stop.
00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:40.480
Now we have mics like non-stop, we always need a mic, but we feel this energy and it feels like a reunion, and new people are just sucked in, and it's no one's standing alone.
00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.000
Like, we see it like time and time.
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:47.359
Like, I can tell you, like, in all of the high vibe women's, like, it's so rare for me to ever see somebody alone.
00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:54.000
And that is the those are the green flags, like when we hear that energy, like it's so rare to us to ever be like, wow, that was awkward.
00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:57.039
Like, how are we ever gonna like you know, like you fill some time up?
00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:02.079
Like, no, because we attract such great women, we have awesome programming, we're so intentional about it.
00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:08.160
So I would say those are our green flags, but I just want to say, like, even though we've been at this now, like this is our fifth or sixth one, I don't even know.
00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:10.319
You know, we spend six figures on every event.
00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:12.559
We're like, you know, we have staff, we have the whole thing.
00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:19.519
We're still very hard on ourselves, and we still look at these moments and and want to make sure we're doing right by the people who've bought tickets.
00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:23.039
And so I think the biggest green flag for me is definitely like the buzz.
00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:24.400
It's a fine line to walk.
00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:28.240
We always stay humble, but I'm like maybe a little too humble sometimes.
00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:28.880
Yeah.
00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:31.599
And it's exactly what you said, Nikki.
00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:37.039
Like, I always joke with people because I'm like, if you met me on one of our full-day experience days, like, no, you didn't.
00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:39.039
Because like the lights are on and nobody's home.
00:29:39.200 --> 00:29:47.440
Like, I am physically standing here, and in the back of my mind is like the lighting queue, the schedule, what speakers up next, what's the next intro I need to do, like this thing, that thing, the printing, the vet.
00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:52.559
Like, there's just so many things like running in the back of my head that um it's hard to fully be present.
00:29:52.640 --> 00:30:02.880
But what I love seeing in the room for me, the biggest green flag is women there, present and being themselves, having fun, being authentic.
00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:06.160
I love when people wear like crazy wacky outfits.
00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:07.359
That's one of my favorite things.
00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:12.799
I'm like, you felt so safe to be yourself, to wear whatever, even to the last one.
00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:15.119
I wore this like fur coat, and somebody was like, Awesome.
00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:16.240
That fur coat is great.
00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:18.880
Such an obnoxious fur coat, like so annoying.
00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:21.200
And somebody was like, I love how you guys don't make this about you.
00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:23.359
And I'm like, even in this fur coat, I'm like not making it.
00:30:25.119 --> 00:30:30.799
But just they have permission to be themselves, and so when I see that, that is one of the most meaningful things to me.
00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:38.799
When they're hugging, when they're laughing, when they're not no one's on their phones, they're present, they're being themselves and just celebrating each other being themselves.
00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.119
We're like, we have an online community again.
00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:56.000
We've had over a thousand women join us where we're confident there are still people that call us Katrina and Marissa, like and and they have no idea that they're and they'll do it with confidence, and it's to as such a testament that it's really not about us, and that's actually a huge green flag.
00:30:56.079 --> 00:31:03.920
Like, other people would be offended by that, but you know, we have both been there where people have been like, Oh, like, do you know anyone who's like running this event, like who can help me with this?
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:05.440
And we're like, Yeah, us.
00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:12.240
Like, but like it's just for us, like, we don't want it to be about us, and so we're very particular with the marketing around that.
00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:15.680
We're not seeing like tons of pictures of me and Maria everywhere all the time.
00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:17.200
Like, there's a few, unfortunately.
00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:26.400
We gotta do what we gotta do out here, but I think there is just like such a beauty to the fact that the community is actually about the community, and I think that that is a huge green flag for us.
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.880
Over you can include me in that uh name mashup as well.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:46.000
Um, I I feel like there's a few, like sounds kind of funny, but the first green flag for me is someone walks into the chill space, like period, you know, and and it's really cool because over time it's like first time I ever did it.
00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:48.319
I kind of like waited, is anyone gonna come?
00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:49.119
I don't know.
00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:57.279
At the last high vibe women, people came in before the event even started and was like, Is this space ready for me?
00:31:57.440 --> 00:32:00.240
And I was like, Oh my gosh, like this is crazy.
00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:04.480
Um, we're not even ready, but like, sure, come in, you know, have a seat.
00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:06.160
Yeah, exactly.
00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:11.279
So it's it's first that because you know, the space is there to be used.
00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:15.519
And in my mind, I'm always going, Does anybody even want this?
00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:17.279
Like, does anyone even care?
00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:29.599
And so the first green flag is someone actually comes in, and then you know, the second green flag that I think is so cool is you can physically see people relax, right?
00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:40.000
Shoulders drop, sit down, slouch into a couch or a chair, and just like completely melt into the moment is a huge green flag for me.
00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:49.519
It's like, okay, not only did they come in, but now they're using the space and it's doing what it's supposed to, seeing someone put on the headphones and totally disconnect.
00:32:49.759 --> 00:33:10.079
My like gold standard is for someone to fall asleep, and which has happened actually twice at like two different events, both high-vive women, actually, which is very cool that people actually feel safe and feel comfortable to close their eyes at a public event and relax enough to like take a little nap.
00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:11.519
That's pretty cool.
00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:15.440
Um, so those those kind of things become the things that I'm looking for.
00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:17.359
Like, are people coming in?
00:33:17.599 --> 00:33:18.720
Are they using it?
00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:22.079
And are they actually relaxed and enjoying it?
00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:24.799
And those visible cues are obvious.
00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:29.680
I love that all of you hit on this idea of this is not about you at all.
00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:37.599
My friend Sarah Khan, she had something on her social media a couple weeks ago, and it was talking about communities and some of like the masterminds and groups that she and I have been in.
00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:50.000
And I'm gonna paraphrase what she said, but it was something along the lines of if you're looking to join a community and everybody only ever talks to you about the people leading it, that's not a community.
00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:51.359
It's probably a cult.
00:33:51.519 --> 00:34:00.000
It's gonna feel clickish because everything is centered around that person and how awesome they are, and you are paying to bask in their presence.
00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:00.799
I love you all.
00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:02.799
I'm not paying to bask in your energy.
00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:04.880
That's a nice little happy side project, I guess.
00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:10.320
But because it's not about you, you're the facilitators, you're the designers, you're the architects of the community.
00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:18.400
But what I love about all of the collabs that you three have done and the events that I've been to is it's never really about you ever.
00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.440
It's about the space.
00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:25.679
So when I recommend the events to people, I don't ever say, Oh my god, you need to go to Christina Maria's event and Jeanette does this thing.
00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:28.239
I'm like, you need to go to High Vibe Women and check out the chill space.
00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:30.239
Like, I don't use your name.
00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:34.800
So, you know, Marissa and Caitlin and Janine.
00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:40.559
Like, okay, that's never the thing, which I think is something just really impactful, it's a measurement of success.
00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:50.559
It's not necessarily we could sell it and scale it because it's not reliant on us, but it's more like you're there to create the conditions under which everybody in the room can thrive.
00:34:51.119 --> 00:34:52.480
That's your job at the end of the day.
00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:56.159
And that I think is that's a selling feature that's attractive.
00:34:56.400 --> 00:35:01.920
I'm not gonna walk into a room full of like mean girls who worship at the altar of these like cool women.
00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:06.719
No, we honestly something that we're always shocked by is that people take photos with us at the end.
00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:10.480
And every time someone approaches us, I give the same spiel.
00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:15.360
I go, We can be in these photos, but if you'd like a photo on the stage, like feel free.
00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:17.440
And they're always like, No, we want the photo with you.
00:35:17.679 --> 00:35:19.360
We're like, okay, thank you.
00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:30.559
And like it's like it feels like such a weird thing for us, even for and we have we've had to create like some strategy around it, which feels like Beyonce level, but it's like for us, it's like really like not, you know, about us.
00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:38.639
And I have on many occasions, Nikki, like I can think I went to a mastermind in Miami and I was sitting next to a girl and she's like, You look so familiar, I cannot figure out where you're from.
00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:40.719
I'm like, Oh, I'm from Toronto, she's like, Me too.
00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:46.239
We're like, you know, and so I'm talking about the social snippet, our marketing agency, like, you know, this we have 85 clients, like, this is what we're doing.
00:35:46.320 --> 00:35:47.119
She's like amazing.
00:35:47.360 --> 00:35:50.960
And then I go, oh, and then I I do this other thing, like it's it's called high vibe women.
00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:55.920
She's like, Yes, high vibe women, like I've seen you before, like in the stories.
00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:57.440
And I was like, Yeah, yeah.
00:35:57.599 --> 00:35:59.440
And she's like, Why didn't you lead with that?
00:35:59.840 --> 00:36:06.239
And I was like, I just like I don't identify with like leading it that way, like where it's like, I it's like I love to talk about it.
00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:09.440
I think what we do is like, you know, like amazing.
00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:21.039
I'm so proud of the women who are in the community and all that they've accomplished and how they pour into each other, but like it's like such a big piece of our identity, but it's it's just such a different thing than I think we're not using it for like fame and fortune, you know?
00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:27.679
And I think that's what I think makes it so special, and having people like Uniquey be a part of it and and really pour into the other women.
00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:29.039
Like, that's what we love to talk about.
00:36:29.280 --> 00:36:30.960
I love to talk about the women in the community.
00:36:31.119 --> 00:36:37.440
This was one of the first podcasts we've ever done where we've gotten into the nitty-gritty of running the events that isn't like our podcast, you know?
00:36:37.599 --> 00:36:40.800
So it's like I think we really like try to lean into that.
00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:41.440
I like that.
00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:47.440
And I I always get photos with you guys at the end because I'm like, look at these women, they're probably exhausted and won't remember this tomorrow.
00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:50.000
But I love that you said you didn't get into this for fame and fortune.
00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:53.760
Anybody who tries to get into events for fortune, y'all, please try something else.
00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:58.719
You know how much a black tablecloth costs compared to a white tablecloth with a hotel venue?
00:36:58.800 --> 00:36:59.920
It's fucking ridiculous.
00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:08.159
Uh you just paid for something for the VIP night that is extremely optional and it will only last one hour and it's$700.
00:37:08.639 --> 00:37:11.039
I'm like, I'm in the wrong effing business.
00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:12.320
I'm in the wrong business.
00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:13.199
Stay tuned.
00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:18.079
I would just love to be a fly on the wall for y'all's calls with Stacey or C to be like, it's a write-off.
00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:22.079
You're like, so about these spray tans.
00:37:22.320 --> 00:37:27.440
The kind of question I want to use to take us into the close is you know, we're talking about community, we're talking about the people in the room.
00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:37.840
How much of the experience that you create is something you build versus how much of that is created by the people who end up in the room.
00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:41.920
Oh, I think it's so much created by the people that end up in the room.
00:37:42.239 --> 00:37:48.239
It was funny when we started this because we're like, hopefully, we don't have to kick out any low-bag women, you know.
00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:57.360
And every single event we run, I leave like absolutely blown away at the quality of the women in the room.
00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:05.679
And I think it is important that you do all these things we talked about, like keep the customer in mind, design the experience to make it good for them.
00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:20.320
Um, but I actually think so much more of it is about doing your own personal development, being on your own spiritual journey, showing up in that fun, authentic energy and being yourself, staying humble because that's how you attract the people in the room.
00:38:20.639 --> 00:38:22.320
For me, two things.
00:38:22.400 --> 00:38:28.079
Like, one, when it comes to our retreats that we collaborate on, it is a hundred percent the people in the room.
00:38:28.239 --> 00:38:39.440
Like, yes, we put a lot of time, effort, and and energy into creating the experience, but once that's done, it literally is like who's in the room and and what are they pouring into each other?
00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:42.159
How are they showing up for themselves and for each other?
00:38:42.400 --> 00:38:43.760
That's massive, right?
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:53.360
And so, especially when we're on a smaller scale with that really intentional group of people, who those 12 people are is so important to the end experience.
00:38:53.519 --> 00:39:12.000
And you know, we could bring any 12 people together, but if it's not like kind of a bit of a curated group where we actually think these people would mesh well together, they would provide value for each other, they actually can help push each other personally and professionally forward.
00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:16.480
That's super important, and that's like way more important than what we build.
00:39:16.719 --> 00:39:24.719
The chill space is a little bit different because I think the way that the environment is curated is the whole thing.
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:37.119
So the build is really, really important because what's included in that space, what it looks like, how it feels, the sensory elements of that experience are the whole experience.
00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:49.119
And so it does matter who comes into the space in a sense, if, for example, they just didn't get it or like they didn't respect it and then maybe treated it differently.
00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:57.199
But ultimately, I think that the environment that's built creates the experience, and then the people kind of act accordingly from that.
00:39:57.280 --> 00:39:59.519
So a little bit different for each one.
00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:04.559
Before we go into the final question of what y'all would recommend this week, where can people find you?
00:40:04.719 --> 00:40:05.840
How can they connect with you?
00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:07.039
What would you like to plug?
00:40:07.199 --> 00:40:13.360
Ah, for Maria and I, um, we have our next high vibe event, which will be on October 22nd.
00:40:13.519 --> 00:40:16.880
Uh, you will see Jeanette there with the chill space, Nikki there.
00:40:17.039 --> 00:40:19.119
Um, and we are uh so thrilled.
00:40:19.199 --> 00:40:22.960
We have about at while we're we're talking about this, we have about less than 40 tickets left.
00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:24.400
So um we're really excited.
00:40:25.199 --> 00:40:26.159
I know nuts.
00:40:26.239 --> 00:40:28.719
Um, we're really excited about the women who are gonna be in the room.
00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:32.559
Um, if you would like to join us, you can use the code uh high vibe50.
00:40:32.639 --> 00:40:33.760
We'd love to have you.
00:40:34.079 --> 00:40:39.519
I'm also really excited that I just recently launched the online version of the Chill Space.
00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:44.400
And so it's a free community, it is a very low-lift community.
00:40:44.559 --> 00:40:52.880
Um, we have open hours in there, some co-working time, some body doubling time, and then we also have a monthly guest expert experience.
00:40:53.039 --> 00:41:00.719
So if you would like to join the Chill Space online community, then you can also DM me directly on Instagram and I will send you the link for that.
00:41:01.039 --> 00:41:11.119
I will also say for y'all listening, if you are looking to just support some amazing women, highly recommend connecting with these folks about sponsorship opportunities, activation opportunities.
00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:24.239
Hand to God, it's probably some of the best events I've been able to support in the last couple of years, not just in like, you know, financial ROI, but just the cool ass people you get to work with, you get to meet, and the experiences that you get to cultivate.
00:41:24.400 --> 00:41:26.559
10 out of 10, I would recommend that.
00:41:26.880 --> 00:41:28.000
So go for it.
00:41:28.239 --> 00:41:30.000
That's a high recommendation from the host.
00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:31.039
I'll take it.
00:41:31.920 --> 00:41:36.000
All right, let's get into the question that I ask everybody at the end of every episode.
00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:39.760
Thinking back to some of the best experiences you have ever had as a customer.
00:41:40.079 --> 00:41:42.159
What do you recommend?
00:41:42.800 --> 00:41:45.039
And we'll start with Maria.
00:41:46.400 --> 00:41:56.000
Okay, I'm challenging myself to choose a product for this recommendation because I'm so not materialistic that I essentially don't care about any products really.
00:41:56.159 --> 00:41:58.239
And I was like, what products do I care about?
00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:02.719
And one came to mind, and that is my purchase from Hush Blankets.
00:42:03.199 --> 00:42:07.840
I think what makes the product so good is the quality of it.
00:42:08.079 --> 00:42:14.000
But what I love about the customer experience is one, the simplicity, everything functions well.
00:42:14.159 --> 00:42:15.920
There aren't a million choices to make.
00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:27.360
It's like we did this one thing, we did it really well, and they had a money back guarantee where it was like sleep on these sheets for a hundred nights, and if you hate them, send them back and we'll give you your money back.
00:42:27.760 --> 00:42:29.599
And I'm never sending these sheets back.
00:42:30.559 --> 00:42:32.480
You will have to pry them for my cold dead fingers.
00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:33.760
These are my sheets.
00:42:34.079 --> 00:42:35.199
These are my sheets.
00:42:35.360 --> 00:42:35.840
I love that.
00:42:35.920 --> 00:42:36.800
Okay, I'm gonna make a note.
00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:37.760
I need new sheets.
00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:39.280
They're the cooling sheets.
00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:40.800
Would recommend 10 out of 10.
00:42:40.880 --> 00:42:41.760
Oh, there you go.
00:42:43.280 --> 00:42:44.800
Christina, what about you?
00:42:45.039 --> 00:42:54.880
Okay, well, you have had her on the podcast, and so in thinking about amazing, amazing folks who have been members of the high vibe woman community or someone who always pour into the community.
00:42:55.039 --> 00:43:00.159
I always keep an eye out for people who like sing your name in rooms that you're not in.
00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:07.119
And so I do want to give a plug to Victoria May, who I know you just said you had on the pod before we got on, but she is a fabulous photographer.
00:43:07.199 --> 00:43:11.440
We've worked with her on many occasions at retreats, some of our larger events.
00:43:11.599 --> 00:43:16.400
Um, and one of the things I'm obsessed with about her is that she really practices what she preaches.
00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:20.719
Not only is her stuff so beautiful, but um, I made an incredible connection yesterday.
00:43:20.800 --> 00:43:24.639
She went to an event and told somebody that they needed to be part of High Bye Women, like a sponsor.
00:43:24.800 --> 00:43:29.360
And now there's like an amazing potential partnership happening with a really cool brand the women are gonna love.
00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:35.440
And Victoria just did that out of like the goodness of her heart, and I think that that shows um really the reciprocity of an amazing community.
00:43:35.599 --> 00:43:37.280
So love some Victoria.
00:43:37.519 --> 00:43:39.760
Yeah, you're just gonna make her freaking day with that one.
00:43:39.920 --> 00:43:40.960
Jeanette, what about you?
00:43:41.039 --> 00:43:42.320
What do you recommend?
00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:43.920
You know what I love?
00:43:44.400 --> 00:43:45.920
Loyalty programs.
00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:50.800
You know you know why I love them, Christina.
00:43:51.280 --> 00:43:55.920
Because she's introduced me to so many, but I was never a part of any.
00:43:56.079 --> 00:44:02.559
Like, I would refuse to sign up for loyalty programs, like, even if it was like Hey, join this and you get these discounts or whatever.
00:44:02.800 --> 00:44:05.840
I'd be like, no, you don't get my personal information.
00:44:06.000 --> 00:44:06.320
Okay.
00:44:06.800 --> 00:44:18.559
But now I do so much traveling, I go so many places that getting involved in loyalty programs, I've actually seen how much better of an experience I can have.
00:44:18.719 --> 00:44:25.679
So it's not just about like the perks and the benefits that I get, but my favorite one as an example is Marriott Bonvoy.
00:44:25.760 --> 00:44:25.920
Okay.
00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:27.760
I'm obsessed with Bonvoy.
00:44:28.079 --> 00:44:30.239
She was laughing because she got me on it.
00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:32.159
Um, but I'm obsessed with it.
00:44:32.239 --> 00:44:36.159
And now I will only book a Marriott hotel everywhere I go.
00:44:36.400 --> 00:44:46.239
I love getting the loyalty points and going after the status, but it's really because of the experience that I have as a Bonvoy member when I go to the hotel.
00:44:46.480 --> 00:44:48.880
They are treating me really, really well.
00:44:49.039 --> 00:44:51.599
They always have things ready for me at the desk.
00:44:51.760 --> 00:44:53.679
They go above and beyond on my room.
00:44:53.840 --> 00:44:59.039
They'll upgrade automatically, all because of my loyalty and staying with them, right?
00:44:59.280 --> 00:45:01.440
So going above and beyond.
00:45:01.679 --> 00:45:07.760
And yes, of course, I'm giving them money by staying there and booking, but you also get the nights back.
00:45:07.920 --> 00:45:11.440
I 10 out of 10 recommend joining a loyalty program.
00:45:11.760 --> 00:45:13.599
Go go for Marriott Bon Boy.
00:45:13.679 --> 00:45:16.639
And if you need a code, both Christina and I have one.
00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:21.440
I love that you talk about Bon Boy the last um Marriott, like Bonvoy I stayed at.
00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:25.599
When I checked in, they're like, Oh, we've already sent your favorite tea up to your room.
00:45:25.679 --> 00:45:27.519
We've upgraded you to a junior suite.
00:45:27.599 --> 00:45:29.679
And by the way, you have concierge service.
00:45:29.840 --> 00:45:31.199
So if you need anything, just let us know.
00:45:31.280 --> 00:45:32.639
And I was like, actually, I do need things.
00:45:32.719 --> 00:45:33.679
They're like, absolutely.
00:45:33.840 --> 00:45:35.280
They brought things to my room every day.
00:45:35.360 --> 00:45:37.519
I was like, this is the most bougie thing ever.
00:45:37.679 --> 00:45:38.800
And I was a huge fan.
00:45:38.880 --> 00:45:40.079
So I love it.
00:45:40.239 --> 00:45:46.559
And they have an app if you're feeling introverted and you want to text them and be like, hey, can you bring me those things?
00:45:46.719 --> 00:45:48.960
Then they'll just text you back and be like, yes.
00:45:49.119 --> 00:45:51.199
So you don't even have to talk to anyone if you don't want to.
00:45:51.440 --> 00:45:51.760
I love it.
00:45:51.840 --> 00:46:00.480
Yeah, and if they make even the smallest error, like the smallest, smallest error, they act like they need to give you one of their organs.
00:46:00.559 --> 00:46:01.280
It's insane.
00:46:01.440 --> 00:46:04.880
I'm like, I'm I'm always like, it's okay, it's okay, it's fine, it's okay.
00:46:05.039 --> 00:46:06.239
And they're like, it's not okay.
00:46:06.400 --> 00:46:07.360
Here's a free night.
00:46:07.440 --> 00:46:09.679
Uh here's dinner on us.
00:46:09.840 --> 00:46:11.199
It's like, it's actually crazy.
00:46:11.360 --> 00:46:13.519
So yeah, um, good one, Jeanette.
00:46:13.760 --> 00:46:15.440
That's the standard we all need to uphold too.
00:46:15.599 --> 00:46:18.320
Would these people give you an organ if you asked?
00:46:18.480 --> 00:46:20.400
Well, that's one way to measure it.
00:46:20.880 --> 00:46:21.519
Amazing.
00:46:21.679 --> 00:46:22.480
Thank you so much, y'all.
00:46:22.559 --> 00:46:23.840
This was delightful.
00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:24.639
I just want to know.
00:46:25.119 --> 00:46:25.760
This is so fun.
00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:26.239
Thank you.
00:46:26.480 --> 00:46:27.920
This is me basking in your energy.
00:46:28.000 --> 00:46:28.639
I will do it here.
00:46:28.719 --> 00:46:30.000
I will do it nowhere else.
00:46:32.960 --> 00:46:33.440
All right.
00:46:33.519 --> 00:46:35.840
It is time for the Would Recommend after show.
00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:42.719
It's just me, Nikki, here, to pull out a few things from that conversation because yes, we talked about events.
00:46:42.960 --> 00:46:55.199
We talked about in-person experiences, but ultimately, like everything I hope to bring you with Would Recommend, what we're talking about is not exclusive to just in-person events.
00:46:55.519 --> 00:47:03.920
The day after we recorded this, I went to an event that High Vibe Women did in partnership with Holt Renfrew and with TD.
00:47:04.320 --> 00:47:07.360
And I got to hang out with Maria and Christina that day again.
00:47:07.519 --> 00:47:20.880
And it's just like when you're in a space where people have thought about what it is like for the people coming into that room, there it does so much.
00:47:21.039 --> 00:47:26.320
For as much as I am a theater kid and I carry big theater kid energy, I am fairly introverted.
00:47:26.639 --> 00:47:30.400
And it's always a challenge for me to go into event spaces.
00:47:30.480 --> 00:47:31.920
I'm always kind of nervous and kind of scared.
00:47:32.000 --> 00:47:35.920
Oh, I really wish I had a designated extroverted best friend to come with me to this.
00:47:36.719 --> 00:47:45.519
But I think when when you find spaces that really match your energy or your vibes, if you will, that is where you are gonna want to stay.
00:47:45.679 --> 00:47:50.559
So the first thing I want to pull out for you is the thoughtfulness thing that Jeanette named.
00:47:50.639 --> 00:47:55.440
And she talked about the chill space, not just as a quiet room, but as a question.
00:47:55.679 --> 00:47:59.280
Who is actually walking into the room and what what does each of them need?
00:47:59.440 --> 00:48:03.519
And it's not one person because not everyone shows up the same way.
00:48:03.760 --> 00:48:13.280
Some people want the loud, hype, dance party energy, and some people, aka hi, it's me, um, need 20 minutes away from the noise or they're gonna quietly combust.
00:48:13.679 --> 00:48:23.920
So the point with Jeanette and creating the chill space at the high vibe events or you know, in the different ways that she does it, the point is not the couch or the cute beverages.
00:48:24.079 --> 00:48:30.880
The point is that someone thought about the person who needs to step away before that person had to ask.
00:48:31.119 --> 00:48:33.280
And in your business, the equivalent is simple.
00:48:33.519 --> 00:48:40.480
Are you designing only for the client who's easy to picture, the loud raving fan, the easy to please one?
00:48:40.719 --> 00:48:43.360
Or are you thinking about the quieter one too?
00:48:43.519 --> 00:48:48.400
The one who's never gonna tell you they were overwhelmed, the one who's not really going to share preferences.
00:48:48.480 --> 00:48:51.280
And honestly, if you ask them, they'd probably say, it's fine.
00:48:52.400 --> 00:48:53.840
Are you thinking about them?
00:48:54.639 --> 00:49:00.159
Because real thoughtfulness is noticing the person who isn't asking for anything.
00:49:01.440 --> 00:49:03.280
And how are you considering them?
00:49:04.639 --> 00:49:11.920
The second thing I want to pull out is what Christine and Maria said about scale, and I think this is such an interesting one to sit with, especially with my background in events.
00:49:12.159 --> 00:49:17.679
Um, there is a level where adding more people makes more money, but it also breaks the experience at the same time.
00:49:18.159 --> 00:49:23.519
So when we think about Maria and Christina with High Vibe Women, the VIP night sells out months early.
00:49:23.679 --> 00:49:28.320
Like the fact that people are attempting to bribe them with paying double is bonkers to me.
00:49:28.400 --> 00:49:35.199
And they say no, because in Christina's word, um, it's not VIP if everyone can do it.
00:49:35.440 --> 00:49:46.239
They've decided that 12 people is the ceiling at a retreat, not just not because 12 is profitable, but because 13 is the moment that the pouring into people stops being real.
00:49:47.039 --> 00:49:57.119
So you can look at it as a scaling decision, a capacity decision, but ultimately at the end of the day, it's it's about people and the service and the standard that we want to deliver at.
00:49:57.280 --> 00:50:04.960
And most of us have a number that, you know, call it your capacity number, call it like what's your maximum roster size, like what have you.
00:50:05.119 --> 00:50:06.960
And most of us probably have a number like that.
00:50:07.119 --> 00:50:11.920
And it's not just in terms of the money you want to make, but your capacity.
00:50:12.559 --> 00:50:17.440
Can you actually fit physically take on more clients, more people?
00:50:17.599 --> 00:50:22.719
Give everybody the type of attention that you want them to have if there's more of them.
00:50:23.039 --> 00:50:25.440
It's more clients, it's more seats, more yes.
00:50:25.519 --> 00:50:30.559
And then the experience that made us worth recommending is gonna quietly thin out.
00:50:30.719 --> 00:50:33.199
And we can't figure out why the referrals slow down.
00:50:33.280 --> 00:50:37.119
But ultimately, the truth was the growth was the thing causing the leak.
00:50:37.760 --> 00:50:51.199
Sometimes protecting the experience means leaving money on the table on purpose and trusting the re-sign-up rate, the referral rate, the would recommend rate to pay you back.
00:50:51.840 --> 00:50:54.320
And I think they gave a great example of how theirs does.
00:50:54.480 --> 00:50:57.119
Most of their retreats are filled with people who have already been.
00:50:58.559 --> 00:51:06.639
The third thing to pull out is something I love doing, and I would consider it maybe the most stealable here is the research.
00:51:07.039 --> 00:51:17.599
The reason these three are so good at what they do is that they go to other people's events constantly as guests with their judgment switched off and their notebook open.
00:51:17.840 --> 00:51:21.280
They're not there to critique, they're there to feel it.
00:51:21.519 --> 00:51:27.599
What made me want to stay, what made me high in the bathroom, what made me Uber Eats a coffee to myself because nobody fed me.
00:51:27.760 --> 00:51:29.440
And then they take that home.
00:51:29.760 --> 00:51:31.519
So here's your homework, whatever you do.
00:51:31.599 --> 00:51:33.119
If you run events, go to events.
00:51:33.199 --> 00:51:39.440
If you're in hospitality, go eat somewhere with service you've never had and pay attention to how it makes you feel.
00:51:39.599 --> 00:51:44.960
If you do skincare, go be a brand new customer at a company you know nothing about.
00:51:45.360 --> 00:52:02.480
Because becoming a stranger in someone else's experience and noticing every single thing, the good, the bad, etc., is only going to help you get better because you can't design a great experience if the only one you've ever studied from is yours.
00:52:03.039 --> 00:52:08.320
The fastest way to get better at your craft is to become someone else's customer.
00:52:09.440 --> 00:52:14.800
And no, that's not just an excuse for you to spend more money on events, although I've definitely been doing that.
00:52:14.960 --> 00:52:19.119
Uh, and the last one ties it together because this is where the research really does pay off.
00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:27.280
Um, the three of them talked about how they they sat through an event with maybe the best speakers they'd ever seen and they couldn't absorb a word because nobody fed them.
00:52:27.440 --> 00:52:32.400
They were so hungry, they skipped the meet and greets with people they'd normally line up to talk to.
00:52:32.719 --> 00:52:36.079
11 out of 10 speakers, zero retention because of a snack.
00:52:36.400 --> 00:52:41.920
And that's that's an example of a moment of truth that organizers or hosts might not even clock.
00:52:42.400 --> 00:52:52.800
And it connects back to what Jeanette was saying about um some of the additional power of the chill space is that when there's no downtime and no permission to step away, people don't push through.
00:52:52.880 --> 00:52:55.039
They're going to invent the break themselves.
00:52:55.199 --> 00:52:58.320
They vanish to the bathroom, they go outside, they can't psych themselves back up.
00:52:58.559 --> 00:53:03.920
So this disappearing isn't a people problem, it's a design question.
00:53:04.719 --> 00:53:12.239
What would it be like if you gave people a real place to exhale, like the chill space, and they stay engaged instead of escaping?
00:53:12.639 --> 00:53:17.840
So food breaks, a quiet corner, these things are all gonna read like logistics, but ultimately they're retention.
00:53:18.159 --> 00:53:29.599
If your clients keep checking out part way through your experience, don't assume they're not interested, but instead maybe ask where you forgot to build the exhale.
00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:43.920
Where could you use a breath, a beat, a moment, a pause, a little side room to help them reset, feel better, and get excited about going back to doing the work.
00:53:44.159 --> 00:53:58.320
Because I think that's the through line about everything today is all of these decisions is someone choosing the person in front of them over a potentially easier, potentially more scalable, potentially more profitable version of the thing.
00:53:58.559 --> 00:54:01.440
And that in itself is their strategy.
00:54:01.599 --> 00:54:02.719
And that is it for this week.
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Thank you so much for listening.
00:54:03.840 --> 00:54:07.840
If you'd like to support the show, please rate, review, and subscribe on your podcast for Rite of Choice.
00:54:07.920 --> 00:54:10.159
It genuinely helps more founders find it.
00:54:10.400 --> 00:54:23.119
If you think you have a business bestie that needs to hear about this live event, either experiences or the way that we do research, then by all means, please send them this episode and say, hey, I would recommend you listen to Would Recommend.
00:54:23.360 --> 00:54:29.599
If you want a framework for building a client experience worth talking about, you can grab the Would Recommend standard at the link in the show notes.
00:54:29.679 --> 00:54:34.800
It is free, and it's five principles that come back to you every single time when I think about customer experience.
00:54:35.039 --> 00:54:40.400
And if something we talked about today has you thinking about your own client experience, I'd love to dig into it with you.
00:54:40.480 --> 00:54:45.199
And you can book a spark session at the link in the show notes as well.
00:54:45.679 --> 00:54:48.880
Next week I'm back with yet another business worth talking about.
00:54:49.039 --> 00:54:54.480
I am Nikki, yours in Quiet Corners in High Vibes, and we will see you next time.