Mendel Kurland of GoDaddy and Camp Press joins us on this episode of LMScast with Chris Badgett of LifterLMS to talk about how to design events and leverage in-person Meetups for community building and training. Mendel shares his story of how he created Hiking with Geeks and Camp Press.

Hiking with Geeks is a Meetup for people who are in the technology space. People generally will meet at a hiking trail and hike for a few hours and network with one another. It is an inclusive, free activity that is meant to help people in the technology space bond and build relationships out of their normal context. Hiking with Geeks currently has around 17,000 members and roughly 10 to 50 people show up at each event.

Camp Press is another company Mendel started with the purpose of getting out from behind the computer and networking with other entrepreneurs. Camp Press is a longer excursion where a group of people go on a trip together for three or four days in a camping setting. Camp Press is usually a teamwork oriented bonding experience for the people involved.

Disconnecting from your normal life and routine can help to clear your mind and alleviate stress as well. Mendel specifically hosts Camp Press events at campgrounds where there is limited or no WiFi connection to force a focus on what is happening at the event. Mendel also creates a casual feel with the camps so you can kick a ball around, read a book, or relax around the fire. This also allows people to open up in the setting with their own interests.

Chris and Mendel discuss some tips for course creators, like how you should focus on your customer at every point in the development process, because they are the ones benefiting from the product so it is important to keep their best interest in mind at all times.

Mendel works at GoDaddy, and he is very passionate about GoDaddy’s products and services. You can check out what he and his team are working on at GoDaddy.com/pro.