I can't believe that you're looking at episode 200 of the Summit Host Hangout Podcast. Thank you so much for being here! I wanted to do something special to celebrate, so in this episode, I'm taking you behind-the-scenes of the journey of Summit in a Box. I'll talk about everything from the initial idea for this company and how it grew, how our offers have evolved, balancing work and kids, my family's understanding of what I do, and more. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/200

I'm so excited to announce that Sell with a Summit: Course Creator Edition is back! This time for intermediate to advanced course creators who want to use a high-converting summit to scale their course sales. In this episode, I'll share a behind-the-scenes look at how this event came to be and its journey of it as well as some details of the event. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/199

Every once in a while we have an opportunity to adopt a strategy that is ultra-effective before everyone else catches on. Right now, we have that opportunity with chatbots - especially as far as virtual summits are concerned. Join Nadine Anderson and I as we talk through her 3-part chatbot marketing strategy for virtual summits. In addition, we'll cover how chatbots work, how to keep from being spammy, and a couple of Nadine's favorite ways to use bots outside of summits. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/198

Have you heard the claim that free virtual summits attract "low-quality leads" or "freebie seekers"? Or maybe you've even believed it yourself? In this sass-filled episode, I'm breaking down why you'll hear some influencers make this claim, whether it's true, and how to make sure it's not the case for your virtual summit so you can see both short-term and long-term results from hosting your event. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/197

After running 6 in-person conferences, Dominique Falla from the Typism Lettering Community made the decision to take her event online. With that change, what she was used to with other types of events, and the results she'd seen us talk about here at Summit in a Box, there came some uncertainty around whether she'd be able to get anyone besides her speakers signed up and whether certain strategies would work out. Despite that uncertainty, she stayed the course, followed our summit-hosting system, and crushed every single goal she set with her event. Tune in to this week's episode to get a behind-the-scenes look at her event and the results, hear about the keys to her success, and learn the biggest thing that surprised her about speaker promotion. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/196

"What's the difference between a free summit and paid conference?" This is a question I get asked a LOT and until recently, I didn't have a great answer. I was able to share guesses, but I wasn't comfortable saying too much since I didn't have results of my own to compare to. However, now that I've run my own paid conference, I'm excited to share what the differences are. In this episode, I'll give the short answer to the question, we'll break down the differences piece-by-piece, and talk about where each of these two strategies can fit into your business.

We had a lot of surprises come up as we put together our first paid event, but the thing that surprised us the most was how the marketing, positioning, and promotion of a paid conference felt way more like a launch of a high-ticket program than a free summit. The energy and thought process behind it was entirely different! Join Elli and I this week as we break this down and walk through each piece of what surprised us the most of putting on our first paid event. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/194

No matter your audience, you've probably run into questions around how your audience would receive a virtual summit. Will they like what I created? Will they be mad I'm trying to make money while I help them? Will they buy my all-access pass? For more budget-conscious audiences, these questions can be enough to make you wonder whether a summit is even the right move for you. That's why I'm excited to introduce you to Bryson Tarbet, host of the Elementary Music Summit. He went into the summit planning process with a lot of very valid questions about how his event would be received. He worked through those questions and hosted a values-driven event that made a lasting impact on his audience of teachers as well as his speakers, and blew past every goal he set. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/193

Since I teach about summits, people often assume that I don't deal with the normal mindset issues that come up for everyone else. But that is totally not the case. In this episode, I'm breaking down the 5 biggest fears I had before launching a premium course through a summit for the first time along with one fear I didn't worry about that I definitely should have. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/192

Hosting a virtual summit is a powerful way to connect with peers in a way that can lead to powerful collaborations, opportunities, and friendships down the road. However, it's easy to let those connections and relationships fade once the event is over and miss out on much of the opportunity that a summit can bring. In this episode, collaboration consultant Amelia Roberts is sharing how we can build on the relationships we have with our speakers in an organized way that won't zap all your energy. For show notes, head to https://summithosthangout.com/191