On this week’s episode of “I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?” I wanted to talk get-togethers.

Gatherings, meetings, soirées, coffee-klatches, even dinner parties! Don’t they all sound so quaint and positively luscious right now!?

We have certainly experienced a TON of change over the past almost five months or so.

COVID-19 has been incredibly disruptive to our lives. It threatened our health - physical, emotional, and mental, and pushed our economy into a coma.

An Ode to the Art of Gathering

One of the biggest disruptions, however, has been to how we gather. How we connect. Back in the “good old days” *laughs* - whether for business or pleasure, get-togethers were controlled, ritualized events. You set the time, place, subject matter, guest list.

And voila!

Until, that is, Covid-19 came along and disrupted our notion of gathering.

Recently, my virtual dinner party - Elevated Conversations - connected another amazing small group of businessowners and members of the Self Made Nation. Called “An Ode to Gathering,” we explored this new normal of virtual networking, attending conferences, even just, as I was doing, hosting a dinner party!

And we decided that fundamentally, the basics - the “art” if you will - haven’t changed. Whether five or 1,500 people are logging into their favourite video platform to connect with you, your gathering requires the same amount of preparation and thought as it would if it was being held face-to-face. 

What You Need for a Stellar Virtual Business Meeting (or Dance Party!)

The best gatherings don’t tend to occur organically. There is an art to a good get-together, and the best ones are well thought out – from the location to the subject matter to the guests to the flow of conversation.

So, what do you need to include to plan and execute a flawless online gathering?

• Purpose – Who should attend? What needs to be accomplished?
• Uniqueness – Why is this gathering different? What is it that other meetings aren’t?
• Disputable – Good conversation can be potentially controversial conversation. Allow for people to “be real” and be prepared to shift gears should a fiery (yet smart and respectful) debate head in another direction.

Where Will We Be Five Years from Now?

It was a fascinating and fiery conversation – and it’s not surprising that we ended up thinking and talking about “what’s next.” What if there were no more in-person conferences? Ever again!? Let’s face it – virtual events open endless doors from around the world – people who can attend your event without flying from Europe, for example. Entrepreneurs in Canada, meeting and building relationships with potential partners or investors they might never have met were it not for the “online format” of X event? Would we even miss the old-school conference?

We are definitely in a time of disruption. A time of vision. A time of immense creativity when it comes to how people connect and do business. And no matter how this pandemic shakes down, human beings are going to continue to meet in some way. It’s written in our evolutionary DNA to be social.

We are hard wired to gather. Big or small. People coming together to share ideas, disseminate information, to inspire and to motivate, and even to protest. That is powerful.

Next week, we’re continuing the series of bringing back some of my favorite guests to tell us how they have pivoted during COVID-19.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes and have a listen to the podcast itself. And whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to exit, or perhaps a business or start-up owner who has already exited, or an entrepreneur at the helm of a thriving business, I would love to talk with you about your stories! You can drop me a line here.

Plus, if you are craving like-minded conversation with growth-oriented business owners, consider joining me and eight other business owners, investors and entrepreneurs for our next two editions of Elevated Conversations are coming up in September – watch this space for more details!

“I’m a Millionaire. So Now What?” is brought to you by Double to Sell - Canada's Premier Invitation-ONLY workshop for business owners wanting a cash-rich exit in 10 years or less. For more information, or to register, please visit the “Double to Sell” website.