#89: How to Build an HR Conference People Actually Want to Attend

Anna Morgan (00:00.098)
The first year I lost about $3,000. It's messy, it's scrappy, it's personal. I don't see content necessarily as marketing. I see it as like expanding the memory and the momentum of what happened in the event. And I said, if not now, when? I've moved out of corporate, I've bet on myself.

Rhona Pierce (00:18.888)
the original spark that made you want to build the room rather than just be in it?

Anna Morgan (00:25.262)
something to say. I am a really good recruiter and I want to share more of how I do things. I started applying to speak at these big conferences and I never got an acceptance honestly. I've got some executive dinners coming up this spring and summer. We are launching

Rhona Pierce (00:39.604)
next for Evolve.

Rhona Pierce (00:47.702)
Most creators build an audience and hope it becomes a community. Anna Morgan built the community first and then built the rooms where it could actually show up. From LinkedIn audio events to executive dinners to a full-scale HR conference, she's created an ecosystem where the community is the content. Today, we're going behind the scenes of Evolve, how she designs experiences people actually want to return to and why the room itself became the brand.

Anna, welcome back to Workfluencer.

Anna Morgan (01:19.47)
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to dig in today and pull back the curtain and share about this evolution and journey from being a talent leader to now an event creator and all the wonderful lessons and surprises that have come through this transformation. So thank you again for having me.

Rhona Pierce (01:46.03)
Of course, and a lot has happened since you were last here. Yes. And in case anyone isn't familiar with you, can you share like the Anna Morgan story in 30 seconds?

Anna Morgan (01:57.206)
Yes. So I, like many people, fell into recruiting, had a very successful career in a full cycle recruiting agency world to Fortune 500 corporate to then RPO to then deciding to be a corporate dropout. And the one common thread through it all is that I've always been very curious about humans and how businesses work and

most importantly about creating belonging. And those things have really been the accelerator to get me to where I am today. And I am a talent leader. I have a passion for elevating the industry, whether it's through placements, community, or just being a career BFF and mentor to those coming up in the industry.

Rhona Pierce (02:47.488)
Amazing and you've built this entire ecosystem around HR and talent professional like the dinners, the conference, the learning communities. What was the original spark that made you want to build the room rather than just be in it?

Anna Morgan (03:04.078)
I I feel like the spark came from the ripple effect of building belonging in different capacities from Job Connection Tuesday to the Job Search Hotline to the Job Search Angels on Clubhouse to almost three years of audio events. And that's where I really found that those were the sparks that really facilitated

the creation and desire to want to build that physical space to really expand the depth and that belonging and the shared learning that happens in those spaces.

Rhona Pierce (03:47.142)
Hey, have you subscribed? Let's fix that. It's the easiest way to support this show. Why IRL? Why physical? Most people would make the jump from audio to maybe like video events. What? Why physical?

Anna Morgan (04:03.554)
I mean, I think a lot of events are built for information, right? And my focus, again, goes back to belonging and building spaces for our nervous system. And that are a little bit off the beaten path, maybe a little out of the box, innovative. I love what our industry does, but I think there is an opportunity for more.

and that's why I'm building this ecosystem to have something from an in-person space because we have a massive mental health issue around loneliness. and so many of our community members have been sharing that, along their own journey, whether it's in corporate or as an entrepreneur. And I have a strong opinion that in-person events, whether a flagship conference or a curated executive dinner are some of the biggest.

accelerators to solve that problem in addition to accelerating trust and career opportunity and business opportunity.

Rhona Pierce (05:09.998)
And I think I want to back up a little because I have been seeing you build Evolve since the beginning. So I might know a little more than I'm like, wait, maybe the listeners don't know the story behind Evolve. And it's such an amazing story. So can you take us back to, I think it was what, 2024 when you decided to launch Evolve. Just like talk to us about the first Evolve.

Anna Morgan (05:37.832)
Yeah. So, I mean, I was introduced to the conference scene, I would say, probably just after COVID, once everyone started getting back out in the world and I couldn't get enough. And then I was like, I have something to say. I am a really good recruiter and I want to share more of how I do things and what's important from everything from getting sober and recruiting to...

candidate experience to, you know, managing stakeholders and candidate experience, you know, the whole nine yards. And so I started applying to speak at these big conferences and I never got an acceptance, honestly. And it was at that point where I was reaching a big milestone in my life. I was turning 50 and

I had built this community online through my recruiter, BFFs through Ask a Recruiter and just through the conferencing. And I just had this download right before Thanksgiving at the end of 24. And I said, if not now, when? Like just freaking go for it. I've moved out of corporate, I've bet on myself. Now this is like the next iteration. And if it doesn't work, at least I can go to bed.

saying I tried, right? And so I took fast action. I found a location. I put the event together in 69 days with 16 speakers, 10 sponsors, and we had about 75 attendees. And the feedback was outstanding. I was just so full and grateful that I had spent time building these relationships and community. So when I was ready to launch something like this,

I had earned the right to say, Rona, I need you to be my speaker or Kyle, I need you to come in and speak or Trent, can you talk about AI and the way my community surrounded me and they became a part of the event. And that's where, when I built these spaces where I focus on people that, does it help them feel seen and heard and understood and less alone than

Anna Morgan (08:01.166)
You know, I've done my job, but the magic was seeing those that were a part of the event really take ownership and, you know, be a part of my team and building what is now the evolve ecosystem. So it was just bet on myself, go for it. And then, you know, I said, wow, this is what I want to do at this season in my career.

And so I've made some drastic changes in my business and I'm just so excited about the future and how I'm able to take my years of expertise as a talent leader and recruiter, a job search coach for our industry, as well as someone who just loves hosting a table and different spaces to be able to keep building this with,

the North Star of there is enough to go around and we're all better when we're together and that we just pull back the curtain and collaborate versus compete in this space.

Rhona Pierce (09:06.254)
Exactly. And just as you were talking about this, I was remembering, and this is something you probably don't know, but I remember because I was one of the speakers at the first Evolve and it was for Anna's birthday and all of this. Yeah. And everything that you're mentioning. So Anna had an email thread with us, you know, just like, this is what we're doing, blah, blah, just getting everyone together. We had a whole separate email thread where you could just

see and feel the love that everyone that there has for Anna. And then when we went and we were in person and we met, was like, like you said, we all felt like, no, we're, this is part, we're doing this. This is like,

Anna Morgan (09:50.574)
I mean, it was incredible. I mean, again, like the ripple effect of like, once people saw what I was doing, like the gentleman, the shark guy had me on his show. The job father had me on his show. Brandon Jeffs reached out and had me and he did the same the following year. And so just the way people showed up, know, pause and that crew, you know, shouted me out on purple acorn.

You know, Brian Fink mentioned it on different lives. mean, it it's just been, you know, these pinch me moments where I've had to pause even in my own growth and healing and been like, do I deserve this? it's possible. for anyone listening who, you know, feels like what they're building isn't making momentum. I just encourage them to trust the process and trust.

Rhona Pierce (10:33.4)
Yes, you do.

Anna Morgan (10:45.206)
What I've learned about myself is my intuition and like that alignment and that ease and flow and building something like this is so important. And I had a very big like download and reminder about this right now with this like new version of what I'm building. And I had to just bring myself back to like my heart and my intuition around what makes sense because it can get so loud out there with

the opinions and what to do and all the things. So for those that are listening, just keep going. It's like Dory and the, just keep swimming. And the miracles that happen that come from just putting your head down and be willing to turn down the noise and build something that feels very aligned and igniting and fun.

that the rewards will come. But it ain't easy.

Rhona Pierce (11:46.478)
Yeah, it's definitely not. And we'll get into a little bit of the behind the scenes now. So like, how do you think about designing an event experience? Like what's actually happening in that room that makes it work?

Anna Morgan (12:00.184)
I mean, designing really comes down to nervous system. I would say that it comes down to really being curated and not crowded. Minimizing expo chaos, no forced networking. Really, I try to focus on more of that mastermind workshop feel where...

everyone has a voice in the room instead of just the rah rah, we're speaking at you kind of bobble head experience. And so I really try to focus on conversations and containers that provide depth and that are really human first and not agenda first, right? And it's a delicate dance to think about all those moving parts and

You know, as a recruiter now, event host, you know, I've certainly had some humble lessons and continue, you know, to push myself to, you know, learn from those that are ahead of me in this space. And I'm so grateful, for those that have built successful spaces, you know, similar, in our industry today.

Rhona Pierce (13:14.402)
What's the biggest lesson that you've learned so far?

Anna Morgan (13:18.766)
I mean, there's two things. One, part of the entrepreneurial journey is just being OK with the pivots and rolling with those pivots based on timing and momentum and timing in the space is really everything because the months and the weeks don't start stop and you have to be ready for what you're building 12 months from now or 16 months from now.

The second is based on this year is be willing to pick up the phone and ask for help sooner. Whether that's from my partner Amanda, who is the guru truly around catering and events to picking up the phone and bouncing something off of you as my media partner to really leveraging some of my team in a more efficient way.

asking for help and if I had to go back, I probably would have invested in some more foundational operational systems so that I wouldn't be in such like single operator, know, scrappy mode. But I tend to do well in that space anyway.

Rhona Pierce (14:41.262)
And I think like when you say scrappy mode and if for anyone watching we'll add like visuals of this evolve 2.0 was so amazing like

Anna Morgan (14:56.398)
It was really like a 10x from what we pulled together year one. And I am so proud of that. And I'm also proud of, again, just being like, I'm going to go for it and see what I can do and take the lessons and then reiterate from there. Again, I've been reflecting a lot about some of the partners in the space from ERE that's coming to Atlanta soon to

TA week to transform and unleash and, you know, just paying attention as I have the last several years of what they've built, you know, just massive hat tip to all of them. That respect is so much deeper now that I have two of these flagship events under my belt.

Rhona Pierce (15:47.512)
So most event organizers are focused on what happens in the room, but you've been intentional about what happens after the room closes. Like, how do you think about content and media as part of the evolve experience?

Anna Morgan (16:03.406)
I mean, I don't see content necessarily as marketing. I see it as like expanding the memory and the momentum of what happened in the event. And so you asked about the spark of starting evolve. And so like, I feel like content is the spark from the event. And I'm sorry, the event is the spark and then content is what really helps kind of keep the knowledge burning and allows it to continue to live on.

Rhona Pierce (16:34.094)
What is the capturing of the content and just thinking about that? How does that actually look like on the ground during the event?

Anna Morgan (16:44.556)
Well, I partner with amazing partners like you to help capture it. while as an event organizer, it's a big commitment, the ROI of it has been exponential. the storytelling and depth that comes from what is captured from the content is everything. And so not only do we capture

the actual content, but it's the energy, it's the vibe, it's, you know, really those things then go into podcast conversations, what we're building for Evolve on Demand, the learning library, to those social clips that we're sharing continuously so that Evolve stays top of mind and people, you know, feel like they're on this journey with us, which I think is so important.

And it's just easy to forget who impacted you when you were there, who you wanted to follow up with. having a great amount of content really, again, just keeps that knowledge burning and out there top of mind and sparks new collaborations and reminders of, you know, like, I definitely wanted to invite that person on my podcast because they

saw an old clip of Christy Honeycutt or something like that, you know.

Rhona Pierce (18:15.242)
Yeah, and also, yes, definitely having a media partner like us and we were so honored and grateful that you trusted us to do that.

Anna Morgan (18:25.528)
loved it too. I I see now more when people walk in an event, the disclaimer that you know, your image and likeliness will be captured. That is definitely the case at Evolve and you and the team were fantastic where you're like, be prepared, we are going to put the mic in front of you. But I remember you telling me a story that just, you know, absolutely humbled me where

people were coming up to you at the end of the events saying, do I give a testimonial? And I mean, that still blows my mind. And I...

Rhona Pierce (19:03.086)
wild. never like people usually run from the camera and I was having people coming up to me and the team and saying, I'm about I have to leave early. Where can I give a testimonial? I want to make sure people know about how great this is. I was like, sure, I kept like turning on it. Like as we're looking through the footage.

The post-production team is probably like, what were they doing? Because everything is on a different camera. But it was literally because people were stopping me and I was with one camera doing one thing and people are stopping me for an interview. I'm like, okay, I guess we're turning this into a street interview camera.

Anna Morgan (19:40.279)
but we're gonna figure it out.

Rhona Pierce (19:42.742)
We will do this and it's like changing the settings on the fly right there to go from horizontal to vertical or to whatever lighting.

Anna Morgan (19:51.692)
And I mean, such respect for you and the team from a production standpoint and anyone that's listening, that's looking for a partner for smaller events or bigger events evolve. The way that you had it organized, the people that you hired to the deliverables have just been exceptional. I probably wouldn't be this far along. I know I absolutely would not be this far along without

your partnership and support and obviously friendship as well.

Rhona Pierce (20:24.394)
And I don't want to make this about work once a media day.

Anna Morgan (20:27.886)
You know, listen, it is what it is. And it's a huge part of this ecosystem of what we're building. So shut up and receive the compliment, my friend.

Rhona Pierce (20:40.322)
I will. Another thing that really stood out is in Anna's design of the event, there were so many natural opportunities for people, not the professional media team, to create their own content. There was a step and repeat where people were taking photos and then people naturally share that. There was professional headshots. my gosh, those headshots were amazing that people keep sharing.

This is what I'm talking about in the design of the event. You're thinking about all these things that aren't necessarily, I know you're not thinking about like, the content we'll get. You're thinking about the experience for the people. But we live in 2026 in a world where when people experience cool things, they want to capture it because they have that phone.

Anna Morgan (21:29.742)
And you never know where things are going. I mean, I am so lucky to have a great headshot photographer who's local, who is just so naturally good. And that's something that I hope won't change. And I do pay attention to the little nooks and crannies for other podcasters and welcomed, you know, those that were speakers if they wanted to set up a station they could, you know, making sure that there were outlets available.

good lighting, all of that is important. More things I would like to do is more social media gamification, more fun inspired networking that is almost like a, gamification component that is not hokey and cheesy or forced, but that people who enjoy those things can take part in that activation.

You know, next year I hope to have some yoga sessions, have a true like tranquility or reset space for the neurodiverse community. And I'm partnering with Culture City this year to really help me, you know, curate those safe and intentional spaces. And, you know, I'm always paying attention and curious of what and where people are going, especially out of the industry.

That's something that I've tried to do to, you know, going to different masterminds to off the beaten path experiences like Running Man. It was an outdoor festival to really just spark ideas and things that might be a little bit different, but fun and, you know, leave people feeling ignited with content and ideas that they can execute and

community that they want to continue conversations with.

Rhona Pierce (23:28.17)
Yes. So let's talk about the part of conferences that I mean, I'm so curious to know, right? A lot of people want to speak at conferences as the event organizer. You are responsible for curating the content for your audience. Walk me through your decision framework. Like what makes you say yes to one topic and absolutely hell no to another.

Anna Morgan (23:53.422)
Well, you know, coming from the structured engineer brain that you are, am, you know, feeling very honored that you think I have a very sophisticated process. But many people know me that I work a lot of energy and alignment and intuition. And again, my community has just provided. And so I was

dumbfounded with the amount of inbound people in even today that want to speak at Evolve. And so I kind of had first right of refusal. knew that, you know, but basically I don't book speakers or topics based on, you know, the information that they're sending me. A lot of it has built from my lived experience, like my emotional resonance, how I connect with the topic in the person.

and intuitively, do I feel like they have the content and are able to move a room? And again, that's a hard thing to decipher. And we have a application process now. So they'll, you know, we'll be a questionnaire, potential interview, and then an onboarding process. You know, I struggled with my own people pleasing character defect of

having such a passion to hand the mic to new people and bring new topics in, whether it be about breath work or movement or parenting Gen Z and Gen Alpha. But I really have just kind of trusted the universe to provide the right people that were supposed to be in that room and then curated and kind of backed into it based on the topics that I had.

And I like to focus on humanity first over AI, know, those conversations, really authentic, humble, inclusive leadership in a modern day world of work. then anything that has to do with employer, personal and personal branding, because that has been, you know, just a game changing evolution in my own career and growth. so.

Anna Morgan (26:11.904)
If I have an opportunity to help unlock that for my community, then I want to have more of those conversations. I don't think, I think some of the best sessions at Evolve weren't, you know, the perfect experienced speaker. They were the ones that said yes to doing something new and that were honest and raw and not perfectly curated. And that's a lot of kind of how I have showed up and that

I want to create spaces for people to be able to do the same.

Rhona Pierce (26:46.55)
I love that. And one of my favorite, favorite parts of hosting this workfluencer podcast is when I ask people, Hey, so what's the strategy? What's the framework behind it?

Everyone says, there's no strategy, blah, blah. And then they proceed to tell me one of the most structured things ever. I love it because yes, there is intention. Maybe you don't write it down and you are not like, okay, A for this, B for this. But there is intention behind what you're doing. And I loved how you explained everything because it's true. It's so obvious when you see it. This might not be the most experienced speaker that you're seeing at every other conference, but this is someone who's on the ground.

doing the work and they have the ability to share it like this is who we want to know from. We don't want to hear from the people that have practiced it and haven't done it in forever.

Anna Morgan (27:41.366)
And I think there's a delicate balance. Like I hear a lot of like, we have to have only practitioner speakers. And, know, I have a strong opinion on that because not only like my own lived experience have I been in the trenches and now I'm making this transition. But just like we would market a candidate for a role that has transferable skills like I don't think just because someone is a fractional consultant or a learning provider.

you know, facilitator or, you know, an IC that they are not deserving of an opportunity to share their process, how they've improved systems, how they have solved some of the problems that they've been faced with as they have navigated the roles and the ways that they're hiring and leading people.

Rhona Pierce (28:37.09)
Yes, and yeah, I love that. Yeah, it's definitely true on the balance of practitioner because everyone likes to define practitioner as someone who's working in a traditional HR or TA role. But when I say practitioner, when I say doing the work, mean, whatever you're talking about is something that you have firsthand experience with and you know it. So it doesn't have to look like the traditional or what we

define as a practitioner. No, you were you're practicing what you're preaching. Right. Literally what we mean.

Anna Morgan (29:12.598)
And, you know, just the people that attend Evolve are people that are willing to have an open mind and that I would say are curious, they're hungry for learning, they know the power of being in person. And I think they think in that mindset, like it only takes one person to open that door or to make that introduction.

Rhona Pierce (29:40.34)
So everyone sees the polished evolve experience. Take me behind the curtain. Like what's the closest you've come to having to cancel or like completely pivot?

Anna Morgan (29:52.43)
Oh, that's going to be a book one day. I mean, listen, it's messy. It's scrappy. It's personal. is. I bootstrap this and I did it through, you know, funding it through my recruiting. did on the side, my coaching I did on the side, my partnerships and really belief that I could I can do this. And, you know, it has required a lot of resilience. Some late nights

some hard conversations around finances. The first year I lost about $3,000. The second year was quite a bit more. And the way I have looked at that is I found the clarity and the North Star between Evolve 25 and 26. And now I'm taking that momentum and those investments.

to really build this whole ecosystem where it all works together from the IRL conference, which will be in April of 27, to evolve On Demand, where we are launching later this summer, a digital On Demand version of all the sessions we've recorded in 26, which is 25 hours of learning. It's gonna be amazing. And then...

The executive tables, are curated smaller networking opportunities, morning and lunch, as well as executive dinners locally, Atlanta and Nashville, but also for the conference scene when our vendors need a curated fringe dinner. That would be something that we can do. And then the podcast, which is going to be kind of like what I see as the communication hub.

where we're having conversations about the world of work, but specifically around how community and events are elevating and helping to solve the challenges that we're faced from interviewing leaders within organizations that attend events to speakers, to attendees, to partners. So more on that coming soon.

Anna Morgan (32:10.542)
But I think every part of it feeds the other. now that I have two years under my belt and success with Fringe Events and other dinners that now it's just continuing to accelerate and build that momentum through the rest of 26 and into 27.

Rhona Pierce (32:33.695)
Yes. Has there on the flip side been a moment in this journey so far where you like sat back and thought like, this is exactly what I was trying to build?

Anna Morgan (32:45.582)
Yeah, I mean, many times, like after I got through Evolve 26, mean, going back to your question before, know, were there times where you wanted to shut it all down? And, you know, absolutely. But I'm so stubborn and competitive and I love our community too much to, you know, just be like, nah, I'm good. But yes, it it really has and

I would say those moments came in in between and oftentimes in those late nights where I was just like, I freaking love this. my God, I can do this and I can do this and this is what I want to do. And then being like, wait, I can't afford that. So how am I going to like reverse engineer that and still accomplish that goal? like, you know, bootstrap it and do it in my creative, you know,

I don't know, it feels like a crafty way almost, but that's part of my DNA, how I was raised, hosting parties and people and community. And it was in those moments where the hours just went by and I didn't even know that that time had passed. And not in a ADD time blindness place, just that I was...

Just so in flow and alignment with what I was doing, that was when I had those downloads. I'm like, bam, this is it. This is Anna Morgan's fourth quarter career. This is what I want to build. And I've got the right people in place. And, you know, now it's just to see how we can continue evolving and reiterating this experience to make our community even better. And

it more sustainable too, which I think is a big question that our community has around what is going to happen in the future with what we're doing.

Rhona Pierce (34:50.712)
So let's switch gears a little bit and talk about the other side of the room, the sponsors, right? A lot of HR events feel transactional for them. Pay for the booth, scan some badges, hope for some leads. What's different about how Evolve thinks about vendor partnerships?

Anna Morgan (35:11.022)
Vendor partnerships. just a reminder to everyone listening, know, how conferences are funded is through our partnerships and our vendors. And those that are hosting these spaces rely on these vendors, you know, as the way to really help us bring people together. And so I would say executing that delicate dance of

building packages that are aligned with what those vendors want. Please chime in vendors, what do you want? You know, I think the biggest thing that I try to focus on for vendors is really just the human to human connection and making sure that they have a seat at the table. For example, first of all, everyone had to sign seats the first half of the day. And that included my partners because

I want them at the table hearing what practitioners and partners and attendees are facing and doing in their world of work. I don't want them selling at the tables. I want them listening and asking curious questions. Those are trust accelerators to all types of business. So I build those spaces for my sponsors so that they can be better when they leave, not just my attendees being better. And then they have depth.

and a little bit of that more human connection versus just being a person standing at a table being like, I've got some cool chapstick, come over here. So trying to build spaces where they don't have to be pitching and they're focusing on nourishing. So, I feel like a lot of these spaces you get logos and booths.

I provide access and integration opportunities is really my focus. Where I'm leading conversations from experiences like the executive tables, which is really leaning into a huge strength of mine, which I've realized that I am a great host for connecting people in a deeper way, in addition to being able to pull back and see opportunities for

Anna Morgan (37:32.878)
additional connection by making small changes and then just making sure everyone participates in that room as well. Kind of always going back to my goal of building belonging.

Rhona Pierce (37:46.934)
Yes, I love that. So if someone listening is thinking about launching their own event, what's the one piece of advice that you'd give them that goes against conventional wisdom?

Anna Morgan (38:01.218)
I mean, I would say like, don't start with the event, but start with the problem that people are quietly struggling with. And that could be your own lived experience. I couldn't get a yes to get on a stage. And I felt like with the audio events, job seekers just weren't getting real information out on the LinkedIn streets about best practices in job search. So I brought recruiters who were doing the work.

to demystify some of that friction and then just taking fast action and not making it, mean, build a small room first, start with five or 10 people and then just focus on spaces where you can build connection and then scale and amplify from there is really my advice. I'm trying to think,

Again, for people that are considering this, start small, focus on leading with care and not like clout and I have to do this because everybody else is doing it. And then just really focus on designing the experience and not the agenda. Really focusing on engineering back into what are the ways that we know people feel seen, heard and understood.

and really paying attention to that. Because I don't feel like I need to build stages for influence. It's really about just whether it's a stage or a dinner table or a breakout room that just builds trust. And that is a huge, huge priority in all that I do. make sure that, you know, start small, focus on the experience and, you know,

the outcome of building trust and community, really.

Rhona Pierce (40:01.198)
What's next for Evolve? Like, what room are you building next?

Anna Morgan (40:07.062)
Well, I'm building all the rooms. So I've got some executive dinners coming up this spring and summer. are launching Evolve on demand, the learning library, which is we've taken the 25 sessions from the 26 conference and are building a digital library. So that's coming soon. We're either going to launch a couple episodes at a time or

we are going to announce and launch and then things will be available later this summer. So that's really exciting. And what I love about that is it's going to live on those that attended evolve in person. They're going to get to see the other sessions that they weren't able to make it to. All of you that had FOMO from not being able to make evolve IRL 26 will get to see all of the sessions and then

I love it for the sponsors and the speakers that their content lives on. And it'll be available for 12 months from the day we launch. you know, I just, for those that like the slow, you know, pace yourself as you like to consume the content, this is going to be an amazing space and something that I see us continuing to do because when I look back about

building Evolve and trying to consider a virtual component, this is my solution to that. And again, because I have just a strong opinion about in-person and what it does, I'm probably not going to offer a simultaneously virtual offer again. And this will be kind of the process that we do moving forward. So there'll be a lot of like perks that come with that. You know, those of you that are listening definitely, you know,

make sure that you're following, that you're subscribed to the newsletter because there are going to be some definite perks from a founding member rate that you want to capitalize on. And then really just getting ready for the fall. We've got some great stuff coming for other conferences between RecFest and HR Tech and definitely just doing a ton of stuff behind the scenes. But the biggest thing is

Anna Morgan (42:31.182)
the Evolve on-demand product and then I'll be sharing more about how I'm selecting space for next year. I've been touring different spaces here in Atlanta and excited to share where Evolve 27 is going to be hosted.

Rhona Pierce (42:49.198)
amazing. And I will link all of that in the show notes. But I can tell you guys as someone who has been reviewing the virtual offering the on demand, it is amazing. Like, I'm reviewing it as the creative director, and I'm having to take notes for my team. But I'm also like, I have two notebooks, I have notes on the side of like what I'm actually learning from the talk that I missed. I'm like, Ooh, that's interesting. So yeah.

It is amazing.

Anna Morgan (43:19.884)
Me too. I've been taking time to try to watch some of those as well, because as the host there, I've made it to hardly any of them. So this has been so amazing for me. Thanks, John Baldino for making me cry. In his session, you all have to check that out. And it just again, like going back and seeing just the profound knowledge and energy and love that

has come from the speakers that are part of this community has been amazing. And I'm just excited to amplify their voices even more through this virtual product because it's important and the people that I had on stage were supposed to be there. now this is part of my why to keep spreading their message to elevate the world of work.

Rhona Pierce (44:11.342)
amazing. So I always enjoy conversations with you. This one has been amazing. But I'm not letting you off the hook without a segment. You know, it's work fluency or style. So it's time to say it louder. I'm going to ask you to drop the polite takes and get real about what's working, what's not, and what needs to change in our industry. Are you ready?

Anna Morgan (44:36.694)
Okay, we'll just let my intuition speak and not apologize.

Rhona Pierce (44:44.29)
All right, what's a mistake you see sponsors make at every event that you wish you could ban for good?

Anna Morgan (44:54.528)
not letting me run their fringe dinners. Yes. Yes. And I will say that just because I came back from 10 nights in Vegas and I saw at two conferences, vendors running around and desperately like trying to recruit people to come to their dinner or their fringe event. And that's why I'm excited about this component of Evolve is that I would love to be able to curate those experiences and give the vendors

the chance to really focus on their team, on their business development, on running their booth and booking demos and other appointments and knowing that the right people are going to be at that event so they can continue on. I would say, well, I'll just stop there.

Rhona Pierce (45:40.974)
I 100 % agree with you there and I'll chime in as someone who has also goes to these events and not because I am Anna's friend. I'm saying this. Anna's events are 100%. You're like, you can tell the sponsor is getting their money's worth because the right people are in the room. It's not this random compilation. We've gone to dinners where we're like, why am I here?

And yes, that's not what you should be thinking.

Anna Morgan (46:11.946)
The simple thing again that I feel like part of sponsors miss is, you know, assuming people know what they do one. I mean, there's so many things, but it and then I could just go on a tangent here. So I'm trying to be focused. But yes, knowing why they're there, having name tags, having a little bit of structure. But that's why I see the value of having.

a partner like the Evolve team that can curate and host the dinner or a table without it being, you know, like a structured B &I networking group. Because if you watch the show, I'm going to go down a tangent here called Below Deck, right? It's with the yachts and the captain and the team.

you know, have a portfolio and they're like, okay, Rona is gluten free and doesn't drink and this person has this personality and they love dogs and they're allergic to cats and you know, whatever it may be. That is how my little beautiful squirrel brain works organically. So it's like when I meet you and I start to gather information about you, you're in my little portfolio. And then if I'm hosting the dinner, I have added quite a bit to that portfolio.

And I step in as really the conversation starter or the kind of spark maker. But the knowledge I use is something that accelerates trust. And when you're in those spaces, not only does it accelerate trust, but I'm also asking conversational, curious questions that are giving the partner market research without it being weird.

Rhona Pierce (47:57.492)
Yes. Yes. Without it being weird. Important. Very important piece of it.

Anna Morgan (48:03.096)
Many people behind the booths are weird. Like I think my other side business could be coaching people on how to be more approachable at their booth.

Rhona Pierce (48:15.694)
All right, last one. What's the most overhyped buzzword you're tired of seeing plastered across conference agendas?

Anna Morgan (48:24.622)
I mean, I think everyone's trying to bring the AI and humanity piece together. And I still feel like a lot of the conversations are just AI will fix everything. And so I can't think of the exact phrases. I I'm already personally just getting burnt out and overwhelmed from all the AI content, but...

You know, I'm forcing myself to continue to be in those spaces from a relevancy and, you know, just staying on top of the knowledge standpoint. that's the biggest thing I would say. You know, I'm tired of seeing. And. Yeah, I mean, it's you can say that you're putting the human first, but does that agenda and actual conversations convert to really prioritizing the human?

in the day to day.

Rhona Pierce (49:25.738)
Amazing. Well, thank you. Thank you so much for joining me on the show. Where can folks connect with you?

Anna Morgan (49:33.494)
LinkedIn is the best place to find me and definitely check out our new Evolve Instagram page. We're putting out some great content there. If you want to see just the wild world of Anna Morgan every day, follow my personal or my Anna Morgan career BFF on Instagram. But staying here on LinkedIn, the business page and my personal page is really where you'll get

the most recent and relevant information on what's happening and how you can evolve with us.

Rhona Pierce (50:08.8)
Amazing. And all of that will be linked in the show notes. Thanks again. Thanks. If you're enjoying the Workfluencer pod, share it with someone who's changing how we talk about work or who should be. And hey, if this episode gave you ideas or inspiration, leave us a five-star review. Reviews help other listeners find us. And honestly, it makes my day. This show is produced by Workfluencer Media. Visit workfluencermedia.com.

Anna Morgan (50:13.88)
Thank you.

Rhona Pierce (50:36.76)
to learn how we help companies build video first content systems that attract, engage and retain qualified talent. That's WorkfluencerMedia.com. Thanks for listening and I'll chat with you next week.