What is there about the element of gathering around a fire for conversation? Since I was little, I grew up with cozy fires in the fireplace that always encouraged a feeling of open conversation because in the darker lighting with the shadows dancing, everyone felt a bit safer to open up and share. Later in life after living in France briefly, I learned about the 18th century concept of “the salon” where people gathered for music, art and conversation in the home. Great (respectful) debates and learning took place at the Salon.
I’ve always been a natural teacher and had a passion for inspiring others. I started to give thought to “how” people learn being just as important as the “what” they learn. In fact, I felt that creating an educational experience to savor, be entertained and also foster an environment where participants felt safe and settled -in enough to relax and really share candidly was also a way to build community (great networking) during the learning experience.
Fast forward to 5 years ago, I started my experiment with experiential educational events, having realized that traditional workshops and conferences felt a bit more stale and customers craved more personalization, authenticity, an opportunity for collaboration, and also a chance to build community and network while they were learning. I started my “Fireside Series” a series of intimate educational events that were capped at smaller numbers, featured various topics and all centered around comfortable seating around … you guessed it… a fire. The results were higher engagement, fabulous collaboration and networking that happened organically and participants had a unique experience that helped maintain the value of the content presented.
We are preparing to take this concept to a hybrid of virtual events and also live events, as safety and protocol allow – and one of our most exciting challenges is to show the world our design for a fireside experience for 100-200 guests, and still preserve the intimate feel and opportunities to network and collaborate. Stay tuned!
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Author Kerry Lee Doehr is the Founder/Lead Consultant of Engaging Inspiration, a consultancy for the special events and hospitality industry specializing in leadership, customer experience and communications and is developing her career segue over to full time work with the Disney brand. The Engaging Inspiration consultancy is a sister division of one of Santa Barbara’s most long-standing event planning companies Santa Barbara Wine Country Weddings & Eventswhere Kerry Lee was Founder and CEO for 20 years.
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