← Social Media Decoded
Social Media Decoded
How to Pack Out Your Next Event: Real Strategies, Speaker Secrets & My No-Fluff Playbook for 2025
00:11:11
In this episode, Michelle Thames pulls back the curtain on how she plans and fills Elevate & Empower LIVE—sharing actionable strategies, behind-the-scenes insights, and an introduction to her powerhouse speaker lineup for 2025. If you want to learn what it really takes to launch a high-impact women’s event (with no fluff), this is your blueprint.
Loading summary
Transcript3 lines
- [00:00]
A
As a designer, you know clients want it all. A stunning site that runs their business and scales with their success. But tight deadlines shouldn't mean compromising your vision. WIX Studio is built for designers like you. Plan sites in seconds with AI powered site mapping, then design starting in Figma or in the WIX Studio Editor with precise layout tools. Then bring your vision to life with no code, animations, AI tools and one click responsive design. Design smoother and deliver sooner. Go to wix studio.com on WhatsApp no.
- [00:33]
B
One can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, you your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else. Not even us. WhatsApp message privately, I'm your host Michelle Thames, and today I'm pulling back the curtain and letting you into the real behind the scenes of my annual live event, Elevate and empower live 2025. If you're an entrepreneur, founder or leader who dreams of not just hosting an event, but packing it out with the right people, creating mo momentum for your brand and connecting with powerhouse women who actually get it, go ahead and grab your notebook. We're talking real strategies, a dose of radical honesty, and a sneak peek of my all star speaker lineup this year. So you already know how I get down. Let's dive right in. I want to share why I host events and why mine are different. Let me be real. I didn't just start hosting events because I thought it would be easy or glamorous or because I wanted my face on a fly flyer. Although, hey, we do love a good flyer around here. I started Elevate and Empower Live because I saw too many women entrepreneurs stuck on the sidelines, consuming, overthinking, waiting for one more tip before they launched or scaled. I wanted to create a room where you walk in as a dreamer and walk out with a playbook, connections and confidence to execute. I've been to those events where you leave with cute selfies but no plan, no contacts, no roi. I said let's flip the script. So my events are intentionally curated. No fluff, no gatekeeping, and no generic panel talks. You get some amazing speakers, hot seats, frameworks you can copy and direct access to women who are already building empires, not just thinking about it. This year is our third year doing elevating Empower Live and Trust me, the energy is on a whole new level. I want to share what actually goes into a standout event. The real playbook. Let's talk logistics, because events don't just happen. Here's what's really involved. Whether you're hosting a retreat, a summit, or a conference like mine, the first thing is research and audience alignment. You have to know your audience. I survey my list, I polled my Facebook community, I polled my social media dm, my community on Instagram and all places for months before I even chose the topics and the format of this event. I want to know and I wanted to know what keeps you stuck, what are you tired of seeing at other events and what would make you actually invest in the room. Then comes the outreach and community building. The minute you announce an event, you have to start building buzz. I reached out to former attendees, new faces and power connectors. I did warm dms, personalized emails and actually getting on the phone. None of that link in bio strategy because that doesn't work. The people who are coming to this event have been curated. We have had conversations and true connections. Nobody who's bought a ticket so far which is 16amazing women as I sit here and talk to you recording this episode In August of 2025, 16amazing women have already said yes to elevated Empower Live November 2025. And for that I am so grateful. But it was all intentional outreach. Yes, I've shared on social media, but really have been super intentional about curating this room. Sponsorship Pitching Sponsors are looking for return on investment too. And so I crafted a custom sponsor deck in Canva because Canva is amazing but I intentionally crafted this deck. I've pitched in person to people and I've leaned in on my network and what makes our event attractive to partners? High level women, no fluff and real relationship building. I've also built a promotion calendar in my content process. You cannot just post once and hope for a sellout. My promotional calendar, as you can see, is starting well in advance six months out. I started with save the date teasers earlier this year. Now I'm working on speaker reveals, ticket urgency and I've been sharing behind the scenes every single week. Okay, I track my ticket sales daily. I've been adjusting things. I've added events onto this whole conference weekend. On Friday we having a VIP dinner. We're having the event on November 1 from 9 to 4 and then one of my sponsors now wants to host a networking bingo night following the event on November 1st. So from 7 to 9 we're hosting a networking event that is open to everyone as well and so I'm really excited about that. Don't sleep on personal invites. My Action Takers board is legendary and it is amazing and I'm so excited. Now if you want the full promo plan or my event outreach scripts, you can download my free event promo pack. More on that later. Okay, now let's get into what I am super duper excited about meeting the speakers and why this lineup is unmatched. All right, let's get into the part that really sets this year apart is my speakers. These women aren't just famous on Instagram, they are living proof that execution wins over intention every single time. So I want to start with Jordan Gill. A super OG OG in the game system saved me and she is the queen of operational clarity. She's built a business helping service providers and coaches scale with systems without burning out. At Elevate and Empower Live, she will show you exactly how to map out your business back in for profit and peace of mind. No more chaos. No more I'm so busy. If you want your business to run without you working 24 7, Jordan is your go to girl. Next up is my girl Taylor Smith from Power Table Live. So you may have listened to the previous episodes about how I met Taylor on threads and I attended her event and spoke at powertable Live in Florida this year. And I'm so excited that Taylor is coming to Chicago. She is not just a leader, she's a movement creator. Do you hear me? She is the founder of Power Table Live and she's built a brand around authentic community. Taylor's session is Community is the new currency. And listen, this isn't about networking. She's going to teach us how to build community that converts collaborations that pay and how to leverage the room that you're in so that you never have to start from scratch. Taylor will be breaking down practical ways to monetize your community, grow your audience, and build a network that works for you 24 7. And last but not least, my girl Candace Janae from Epic Fab Girl. Candice is a marketing strategist and founder of Epic Fab Girl, a brand that's all about helping ambitious women entrepreneurs build visible, profitable businesses. She's not here for the post every Day and Hope method. No, no, no. She's giving the receipts and tactical marketing playbooks that you can use right now. Candice will show us how to craft our offers, attract our dream clients, and create a marketing system that sells in our sleep. No more guesswork, just results and this experience. What happens in the room? Imagine this. You walk into a beautiful space on Chicago's north side. It's not crowded, just 40ambitious women who invested in themselves ready to go deeper. You're greeted with a luxe welcome bag. You grab your workbook and immediately connect with someone who gets your journey. There's no panel of experts talking in circles. Instead you're working in real time. There's going to be live workshops to bring your laptops, bring your notebooks, bring your iPads. We will have hot seats and implementation in real time. There will be networking that leads to referrals, friendships and collaborations. We're having a luxe VIP dinner on October 31st and in after hours power moves bingo night for those who want more. And yes, there's time for pictures, fun and all of that. I did it feeling okay. But the main takeaway is the strategy that you actually use on the following Monday. Okay, so let's talk about how to fill any event. Here's my four step framework. Okay, you know that I'm giving you nothing but gems here on this podcast, so let me give you some value. Whether you host a retreat, a mastermind, or a conference, here's the four step mini framework I use for filling my retreats and that my clients use too. The first is curate the room. Right? Do not just chase numbers. Invite people who actually want what you're offering and are willing to invest. I personally reach out to 30 to 50 women a day. I know that whoever chooses to come will be the right fit. And I also reached out to people before I even opened my link to the public so that they got an opportunity to purchase tickets. Urgency and exclusivity make it clear that the room is limited but intentional. I had early bird pricing weightless and very limited VIP experiences work because they're true. I share our action takers board on social media again every single week. Multichannel promotion. I've been promoting on email, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn threads, podcast episodes and direct messages. You need at least five to seven touch points before someone buys. Do not get lazy. Every single platform every week that you can keep up with. Okay? Deliver value before the event. Host a free webinar, share behind the scenes Instagram Live or send out a tip series. When people get value before they buy, your event will sell itself. Now get in the room. Okay? I want you to experience what happens when you get in the right room with the right strategy and the right people. Elevate and empower. Live isn't just an event, it's A launch pad for your next level. Now if you want more behind the scenes details, scripts and my proven event promo package, go ahead and send me a DM on Instagram Michelle L. Thames with the word Event Promo Pack. I know exactly what you're talking about. Let me know you listen to the episode and that you want this. No Manny Chat, it's me delivering this to you. Okay, so send me a DM or head to the link in the show notes to get your free event promo pack and be the first to know when all the things that I have going on are happening. Okay, so if you want that event promo pack, you can either send me a DM over on Instagram at Michelle L. Thames with the word words Event Promo Pack. Okay, this is your year to step out of the background and to take a seat at the table. If you love this episode screenshot it, tag me on Instagram Ichelle Themes and at Social Media Decoded pod and tell me your biggest takeaway. And again, if you're ready to be in the room, DM me the word elevate for a special bonus link that gets you access to something special. Okay, thank you for listening to Social Media Decoded. See you next week and hopefully in Chicago this November. Talk to you in the next one. Peace.
- [12:13]
A
These days, clients want it all. A slick looking site that can run their business and scale with their success. The good news? That's exactly what WIX Studio is built for. Plan out your client's whole site in seconds with AI powered site mapping and wireframing. Then when everyone's on the same page, jump into the creative starting off in Figma and exporting it in a click. Or in the WIX Studio editor with precise layouting tools like Grid Stack and Flexbox. Go above and beyond the brief with no code, animations, custom CSS and built in business solutions. And make your whole vision responsive in a click. And there's zero need to break a sweat when clients grow fast. A dynamic CMS with global design settings and reusable assets lets you turn one page into hundreds, design smoother and deliver Sooner. Go to wickstudio.com for the ones who get it done. The most important part is the one you need now and the best partner is the one who can deliver. That's why millions of maintenance and repair pros trust Grainger because we have professional grade supplies for every industry, even hard to find products. And we have same day pickup and next day delivery on most orders. But most importantly, we have an unwavering commitment to help keep you up and running, call clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.