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As the questions about The Creative Educator Conference continued to roll in over the last few weeks, it was time to do an Ask Me Anything Conference style podcast episode! In this episode, I’m exploring a part two of recapping the conference based on submitted questions by all of you!

What almost held you back from hosting the conference and why did you do it anyway?

There were two main things that were initially holding me back from hosting a conference: imposter syndrome and the monetary risk.

We talk a lot about imposter syndrome here on the podcast and even with my students, but that’s because it’s not something we ever overcome fully. I was held back by that little voice whispering, “Who are you to do this? What makes you qualified?” Thankfully I had so many in my community who pushed me to do this and highlight how this will impact others.

The other thing that almost held me back was the monetary risk. In almost everything I’d done up to that point had a low barrier to entry and low financial investment risk. When hosting a conference, it means committing large amounts of money before you’re sure of how well it will do. This was so intimidating. Once I decided to simply take the risk and was in a place that I could afford the risk, I moved forward.

Ultimately, it did pay off and I was able to move beyond those thoughts and barriers to host the conference.

Was there anything you did in business that helped build experience to host a conference?

I’ve been hosting in-person events for years—from workshops to retreats, they each equipped me in specific ways for the conference. The retreats were the thing that helped prep the most of those two.

Beyond that, the thing that equipped me the best overall was my previous career as a teacher and drill team director. I’d built a skillset through fundraising in that career as I hosted big events. That skillset translated really well for a conference host to manage a budget, creating an incredible experience, and do it to where everyone’s needs are met.

Do you have any regrets from your time at the conference?

While I stray away from having regrets, I do have things that I will change moving forward. First, it was difficult to juggle wearing all of the hats as the host during the week of the event. I wanted to be the host, but also be accessible to each attendee. For the next event, I would hand off more of the responsibilities and stress to others.

Were ticket sales stressful? How did you manage sales and marketing?

Anytime you launch something, it can be extremely unpredictable. Like with all of my other launches, I went in with no expectations because I’d committed to it. For the Creative Educator Conference, ticket sales were a roller coaster—we had sales immediately on launch day and I was so excited and set high expectations, then within a week, it slowed down.

The roller coaster started—as the speakers were announced, sales went up. Then again, they went down and stayed there for a while. But as I wrote each name down, I stopped looking at the numbers and started looking at the people.

On Black Friday, I did a quick push and sale—that’s when we sold out. As you go through those ebbs and flows, remember who you’re doing each launch for and the attendees or students you’ll impact.

How can I be involved in the next conference?

Come join us as an attendee and get on the waitlist! You’ll get the most out of the experience when you attend! If you’re interested in speaking, apply to be a speaker! Or apply to be a volunteer!

If you’re wanting to grab your ticket to the next Creative Educator Conference, make sure you’re on the waitlist!

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