Hello team TF-23
This is a blanket message to all the team, both individual presenters, luncheon guest speakers, and panels.
Here are some things to remember that should help us all have a great event.
Event Link
The event link for April 1, Saturday. https://www.crowdcast.io/c/thinkingfunny23-v2
Spread the Word
Do mention us on your feeds and any newsletters. The event is live, but people can still purchase it after the fact for viewing.
Our Schedule
Here’s the schedule if you don’t recall your time. https://www.thinkingfunny.com/2023-event-schedule/
You are free to come early or stay late if anything here interests you. Please arrive early. It’s best to log in 10-15 min before your session so we can “see you in the crowd” and be ready to invite you on screen at the top of the hour.
A Few Tech Reminders
Remember that you will be interacting in “real time” with the host and any other panelists, but the audience will see this some 30 seconds later. So, the chat will lag a bit when it comes to asking questions of you related to topics being discussed. It’s best to use headphones to allow you to hear and not get feedback from your computer. Also, if you can go to www.CrowdCast.io a bit early and edit your profile so that your name appears, hat is helpful. Otherwise you show up as an anonymous user, and it’s hard to pick you out of the crowd. Another thing that will help us find you is, once you have gained access to the event, is to go to the chat tool and put a quick “Hello. This is (your name here 🙂 ) and I’m ready. This allows us to click on that entry and bring you right on stage… allowing for that 30 second lag. Think of it as being beamed aboard the Starship Enterprise. Welcome aboard!
Q&A
Several of you have fact-packed sessions with tons of material to cover. I appreciate value of your advice and expertise. That’s why you’re here! That said, you may want to allow at least 5 min to answer questions. Panel sessions typically have 10-15 min, depending on how many attendees are actually online. I expect to have 25-30 people in each session. We’re up to about 55 for the event, but it is often the case that people focus on a session or two, or just watch later. I’m inviting attendees to submit their questions in advance. And as many of you know, questions can pivot into sales or gigs. So, it may be that the best course is to just use those last few moments to share contact info, even putting up a slide. That’s up to you. If I do get questions from attendees, then I’ll pass them along for you to mull over. But don’t feel obligated to overhaul your presentations.
Our Community
One of the reasons we do this event is to build a community. If you’d like to meet any of the other presenters or attendees, do drop in and reach out in chat. If this isn’t possible, then let me know and I’ll send them word that you’d like their email address. My default is to be protective of email addresses, with one noted exception below. Also, we’re setting up public and private forums. I know many prefer Facebook, and we have a place there, too. But the ThinkingFunny.com website is an option and something to remember in the face of unpredictable changes in the policies and “personality” of various social media. https://www.thinkingfunny.com/tf23-presenter-bios/
Your Introduction
I’ll be using the first few sentences from your bio to introduce you. Let me know if you’d rather have something different, and you are free to augment your entry on stage with additional remarks.
Sharing Material
Let me know if you have PDFs you want to share, either before the event to better prepare attendees or later. These can be supplements to your presentation and/or promotional material. Note that our website supports private and password protected docs. So, if you want to share but not hang it out on the open web, please let me know and I’ll act accordingly. This includes PDF, eBooks, and media materials such as short video clips. Of course, you also can make this open to all on the web, which may be the case with your promotional materials.
Your Talking points
It helps me emcee to know what you’d like to cover. I trust you all as professionals to share, given our tight time, what you think most helpful. Give me some hints or beats in your narrative, if you can. That said, it’s nice at times to have some unscripted friendly banter and chat. Let me know if there are any questions you’d like me to ask. My standard questions, to get to know you or fill a lull, are along the lines of: How did you get into this? What’s the most helpful advice you’ve been given? What do you know now that you wish you’d know at the outset? Who do you admire in your industry and why? How can newbies get started? NOTE: You do NOT need to set time aside for these or “cover” them. Often, your presentations answer them or you can engage interested fans/clients with these in your own interactions. I just want you all to get a feel for how I roll. It’s a friendly vibe, and one that’s respectful and fun and how I will fill and cover.
Panels
I will soon be sending emails that openly cc each person on your panel. This is a chance for you to chat among yourselves and talk about what you’d like to talk about or questions you’d like to ask if we need to reboot the conversation. If you’d rather I NOT give your email to your fellow panelists–and I’m not talking about the entire event, even the other presenters, then please let me know soon.
Fun
Whew, what a lot to say. I do hope you were able to look at the above and get a sense that this is a gathering of people who want to impart helpful information to people who aspire to create humor, and do better tomorrow than today. It’s also a chance to make personal and professional contacts. And, like many, ah “intimate activities”, if we’re doing in right in should be fun.
Thanks again for helping us have fun.
Robb Lightfoot
robb@thinkingfunny.com