Community Creators with Shana Lynn
Aug 25, 2026 · 9 min · 5 segments
https://www.retainguide.com/ - Get Instant Access to The Membership Retention Roadmap: 5 Systems You Need to Keep More Members Creating an unforgettable event…
Phil MershonGuest
Shana LynnHost
If you've ever hosted an event, you know how important it is to make sure that your attendees connect.

So how can you leverage pre-event activities to make sure that your members not only show up to the event, but they also feel more connected during the event? Well, when I interviewed Phil Mershon, who is an event experience expert, we talked about this.

So I wanted to pull this piece out for a little highlight for you to emphasize some simple things that you can do to make sure that you have an incredible event experience.

I do wanna make sure that we have time to talk about the pre-event stuff, because you can craft a really amazing event, and honestly, the show up rate can be terrible because people second-guess the value, they second-guess whether they should come, whether it's worth their time, or the introvert in them decides, "Oh, maybe I really can't do this." And the level of connection that can happen at an event, I think is 100% related to the connection work that's done before.

Your pre-launch, whatever you're doing during your launch, should be helping with culture, connecting people.

They should feel like they're a part of the community before they ever hit the checkout button.

So for you, that gap is really from the time they say, "Yes, I'm coming," and "I've purchased my ticket," to actually stepping foot on the steps of the event.

So what's happening in that timeframe to help make connection and community easier at the event itself?
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If you've ever hosted an event, you know how important it is to make sure that your attendees connect.

So how can you leverage pre-event activities to make sure that your members not only show up to the event, but they also feel more connected during the event? Well, when I interviewed Phil Mershon, who is an event experience expert, we talked about this.

So I wanted to pull this piece out for a little highlight for you to emphasize some simple things that you can do to make sure that you have an incredible event experience.

I do wanna make sure that we have time to talk about the pre-event stuff, because you can craft a really amazing event, and honestly, the show up rate can be terrible because people second-guess the value, they second-guess whether they should come, whether it's worth their time, or the introvert in them decides, "Oh, maybe I really can't do this." And the level of connection that can happen at an event, I think is 100% related to the connection work that's done before.

Your pre-launch, whatever you're doing during your launch, should be helping with culture, connecting people.

They should feel like they're a part of the community before they ever hit the checkout button.

So for you, that gap is really from the time they say, "Yes, I'm coming," and "I've purchased my ticket," to actually stepping foot on the steps of the event.

So what's happening in that timeframe to help make connection and community easier at the event itself?