Do you want to host a big event soon?
Watch the video above with Zach Hawtof and I!
We discussed the Community-Led Growth conference that we cohosted on Friday March 13th.
While the video and podcast episode is likely better, here are some ideas and learnings for you!
What happened:
70+ community builders gathered for a full-day conference that had no speakers on Friday March 13th 2026. The conference was sold out and had a 90%+ attendance rate.
What Seemed To Work Well:
The event format. People loved the “there are no speakers” as the conference’s premise when registering and in actuality too
The brand new Malin event space in Chelsea was the ideal venue. It had the size, vibes, and functionality that we wanted. Securing this space was a big breakthrough for us to launch the conference. Thank you to Michelle and Renee with The Malin, and Maria for helping make CLG possible
pre-conference community building. We hosted an event in Jan, Feb, and a Welcome Mixer the night before as a way to build community in advance. We hoped that these events would help with connection and conversation at the conference
overlapping skillsets and networks among Zach and I. This really allowed us to create something beautiful together. It was a classic example of 1 + 1 = 3 (or more)!
Zach and I had a shared and similar understanding on the kind of gathering we wanted to host. He had attended some of my prior C3 mini-conferences and events, and vice versa
we had fun! While it was lot of work, Zach and I had fun along the way and at the conference. It seemed like attendees felt and appreciated this too
attendee directory. We shared an attendee directory 18 (!) days before the conference. Often times, one (if at all) is shared a few days before a conference. The earlier, the better for sparking conversations among attendees
leaned into existing relationships for partnerships as the photo below shows. We created “Slack Slacks” with the Slack community team
Some things I learned:
a non-speaker led conference was new and novel for people
there is a market for high-touch, community-centered conferences
cohosting a conference is fun and generative
working on this kind of project looks a logical next step project for me now looking back. In 2024, I hosted four C3 mini-conferences for community builders and creators. CLG was a production quality level-up from C3. Thankfully, some people from C3 came to CLG as well. I am excited for you to take your next step.
In addition to the video above, you can listen to the podcast episode here!
This was a big project for me. Thank you to everyone who was part of it!
Thank you to Zach for believing in me and partnering with me!
Thank you our partners for helping make it possible like Gainsight, Higher Logic, the Slack community team, The Malin, and our volunteers like Exa, Caitlyn, Jeanette, and Lauren!
Want to learn more about CLG?
Zach and I are cohosting a Tightknit Tuesday AMA this Tuesday 3/24 at 3PM EST! You can register here!
NYC Gatherings
Here is my updated list of some upcoming events in NYC!
This Thursday, I am hosting a Chief of Staff event! Learn more here if you are a Chief of Staff!
To your next big event,
David Nebinski who also wanted to thank Alex Pavlou and 28th&Park for hosting this podcast conversation with Zach and I!
PS: what is top of mind for you these days? Reply back and let me know!
