Our heads are still swirling with stats, strategies, and inspiration from TalentConnect. We joined 4,600 members of the global talent community in Dallas, Texas, in pursuit of our shared goals of building winning teams and changing people’s lives.

LinkedIn won our hearts with the Texas-sized welcome (and personalized bandanas), and the presenters moved our hearts and minds on topics from authentic DEI like Beyonce to negotiating tactics from a former FBI agent. Also, there was Michelle Obama. (Did we mention Michelle Obama?!)

Here are our top 5 takeaways from the 10th annual LinkedIn TalentConnect conference:

1. New rules for the new world of work

• Flexibility: As a mom to two small boys, flexibility is a job requirement that I’m unwilling (and unable!) to compromise on—and I’m not alone. We heard time and again from speakers that supporting flexible work environments that allow people to balance their work with their lives is key to successful retention.
• Remote opportunities: Remote work has grown 91% in the past 10 years, yet we’re still just scratching the surface of what it takes to enable and engage a remote workforce. If you haven’t already, it’s time to take the first step toward letting your people do the work they love—how and wherever they love to do it.
• Authenticity: As Mariana Atencio (MSNBC & NBC News national correspondent) so eloquently shared: being perfectly you makes your team better. She shared how she felt the first time she dared to drop the Americanized version and proudly say her name, Venezuelan accent and all, on national television. And how her native tongue enabled her to share the raw, heart wrenching stories of mothers torn from their children—reporting that earned her and her team a Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism.

At Simplicity, the new world of work is also a new way of thinking about work and teams. It’s about on-demand, project-based work and the ability to quickly build and assemble the right team at the right time for the right work. The full-time employee (FTE) model is quickly shifting to teams with a capital T: a collection of FTEs, consultants, vendors, and agencies that flex with the speed of business.

2. People, people, people—always

As a [mostly F-bomb-free] Gary Vaynerchuk said in his keynote, until the robots take over and kill us all (which, let’s be honest, they might), it’s people—always people.

Both when it comes to employment marketing & recruiting ….

• Use data to drive personalized recruitment marketing: Visa’s Celinda Appleby encouraged us to dig deeper than top-line demographics to understand our target audiences. She gave the example of her twin boys who, on paper, are identical: male, Hispanic, pre-teen. Yet, if you wanted to market to her boys, you’d reach her budding coder and her die-hard athlete in two very different places.
• Make your company the catalyst, not the hero: Chris Malin of Google flipped the script on recruitment marketing, urging us to focus on them, not us. Not why our company, but why me? He spoke of the value of allowing talent to see themselves with us by telling stories where the company is the catalyst … but never the hero.

… and retaining & engaging top talent

• Let your people be the humans you hired, said Dean Carter (CHRO at Patagonia). Which, by the way, translates to 4% turnover at Patagonia.
• Work happiness isn’t just possible, it’s essential: We heard from Glint co-founder Jim Barnett on the importance of listening to your people—and, more importantly, acting on their feedback—to continuously improve their happiness.
• Reframe engagement: Turnover has gone up 88% in 8 years (!!!) and the cost of turnover can range from 30 to 200% of an employee’s annual salary (HR Digest, via WorkJoy CEO Tina Robinson). Employee engagement isn’t free beer and a dog-friendly office: It’s ensuring that your people are in their sweet spot where their purpose, passions, and power are aligned. And if they’re not, it’s working with them to make a change.

Live your values

Patagonia’s Dean Carter really struck a chord.

He defined values as those things that you value beyond the bottom line. Patagonia’s foundational value? They’re in business to save our home planet.

Carter preached a regenerative approach toward our planet … and our people:

• By letting them surf & live ridiculously
• By building community and looking for culture add, not culture fit
• By thinking regeneratively and not just thinking about what we extract from them, but what we add, too

Michelle, we love you

And then there was First Lady Michelle Obama.

She echoed many of the same themes we’d heard this week—our shared obligation to expand our networks and the importance of flexibility, authenticity, and regularly communicating with our people on a personal level—and shared other gems:

• Authenticity starts with liking yourself … which is much easier when you see yourself in the culture
• Great leaders are great team builders … and recognize that they need a team, while recognizing their teams’ accomplishments
• Embrace the swerve. The plan is just a template. Have a plan, but let life happen along the way
• Her greatest point of pride? That she learned the lesson of reaching back to help others up

The network gap has to go

If you read nothing else, read this:

It’s no secret that there is a gap in access to equal opportunities, but the numbers are still staggering:

Those who come from wealthy neighborhoods, attend top schools, and work for top companies are 12x (TWELVE TIMES!) more likely to have a strong network. And referrals are 9x more likely to get hired.

That delta in access—what LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner calls the network gap—is what LinkedIn is striving bridge with its goal of providing equal access to opportunity.

Which brings us to the #PlusOnePledge.

It's an intention to share your time, talent, or connections with people outside your network who may not have access to the same resources you do. By taking the Plus One Pledge, you’ll help others and strengthen your own network.

It doesn’t mean not taking care of people in our networks, but it means being intentional about not precluding people outside of our networks.

Weiner asked all 4,600 of us to join him in taking the plus one pledge. To pay it forward for someone without the same access that we have. To reach back and help someone else up.

Jeff, we’ll join you.

And you, dear reader: Will you join us?

Please note Team Simplicity on the keynote screen (center bottom): (L to R) Amanda Swahn, Carrie Morris, and Stephanie Chacharon.

Events are essential to an effective marketing strategy. Nearly 90% of execs plan to grow their event budgets in the next year, and 30% of marketers believe that events are the most important marketing channel. Whether online (webinar, virtual summit, live stream, etc) or physical (conference, tradeshow, seminar, workshop, or breakfast/lunch/dinner), events drive brand awareness, lead generation, customer engagement, and education.

But delivering a compelling, impactful event experience requires planning, strategy, and a mix of the right skills and experience. Here’s how to build the team you need to successfully bring your event to life.

Event marketing resource types & considerations

The ideal event marketing team consists of a combination of resources, including full-time employees (FTEs), consultants/contractors/freelancers, agencies, and vendors. Consider the following when weighing what type of resources to engage:

Employee or not

Do you need an FTE or an on-demand resource (such as a consultant, agency, or vendor)? Consider how long you'll need each specific resource, how integrated each role will be with your core event team, and whether there are skills gaps on your existing team.

Consultant/freelancer vs agency

Do you want to assemble a SWAT team of experts with specific skills (project-based and on-demand) or go with an agency team (retainer model)? Do you value building relationships with specific experts or working with a team that may not provide full visibility into its members or process?

Logistics

Full-time or part time? Year-round or seasonal? Onsite or remote? Not all event marketing roles demand year-round, on-site resources. Consider what’s right for each component of your event support team. For example, a graphic designer may work remotely for 10-20 hours a week in the months leading up to the event, while it makes sense for a project marketing manager to work onsite year-round to manage the many moving pieces of an event series.

Strategy or execution

Do you need someone who can set the strategic direction or a doer to execute against that event strategy—or someone who can do both?

Experience level

In that same vein, can a bright, but relatively inexperienced resource get the job done or do you need a seasoned event pro? For example, a social media manager with a few years of experience could do a stellar job managing the event’s social presence, while a presentation coach would benefit from past hands-on experience working with speakers on a range of topics and presentation formats.

Historic or institutional knowledge vs specific skillset

Does your event require historic or institutional knowledge of the event, industry, or company? Or is it more important to have experts around specific skillsets, such as social media, event branding, event management, and so on? Is past experience with your type of event (format, size, audience) a need-to-have or nice-to-have?

Event marketing dream team

Effectively marketing an event requires a coordinated effort before, during, and after. While events vary wildly in scale and type, here’s our dream event marketing team:

Event marketing project manager

All successful events have one thing in common: incredible organization. A project manager(s) can wrangle all the many details surrounding an event, from planning (things like topic tracks & speaker CFCs, venue & registration details, branding & strategy development) and development (tracking digital and creative assets and managing things like stakeholder communications, speaker submissions, and agencies and vendors) to execution (coordinating on-site resources, managing timelines, handling last-minute changes). Whether an employee or a consultant, the ideal project manager for your event is a hyper-organized, excellent communicator and multi-tasker, who thrives on making order out of event chaos.

Event marketing strategist

You’ll want an event and marketing pro to help set your event’s marketing strategy, including identifying who your target audiences are and how to reach them and building an event brand that reflects your goals and speaks your attendees’ language. Depending on the size and reach of your event and how integrated it is with other elements of your business, this could be a FTE or an on-demand resource who sets your event marketing plan before handing it off to specialists to execute.

Graphic designer(s)

A good graphic designer (or team!) can truly set your event marketing apart. They understand your event brand and audience inside and out and create the print and digital assets you need to market your event, including website assets, ad creative, digital banners, social media assets, printed agendas, banners and signage, presentation decks, and more. Identify the full scope of your event marketing BoM and the complexity of the design before weighing whether to engage a consultant (or few) or a creative agency.

Writer & content creator(s)

From event messaging and PR promos to digital & print content, email campaigns, interview briefs, and speaker talking points, you need talented storytellers who can craft your event narrative and clearly communicate the essence of your event.

Social media manager(s)

Before, during, and after your event, you need an expert (or a team of experts) to plan, create, and post content from your brand/event account. Hashtags, platforms, creative assets, and social listening—they'll help you drum up and sustain interest leading up to your event; identify and engage with thought leaders and influencers; and create and amplify real-time event hot takes.

Presentation coach(es)

Public speaking—especially compelling, persuasive public speaker—is an art form that takes practice to master. Presentation coaches help your subject matter experts (SMEs) and speakers turn their expertise into a polished, interesting presentation that works for your event, audience, and session format (keynote, workshop, panel, etc). Ideally, a coach will also work with presenters on creating or ideating any companion content such as slides, hand outs, or activities.

Video production team

Whether conducting on-site interviews, live-streaming keynote presentations, recording sessions, or filming promo B-roll, an experienced video production team can capture your event experience and extend its reach far beyond the actual event.

Hire an on-demand event marketing expert

Our event marketing experts bring event experiences to life. Here’s how we can help:

Communications

• Event branding – strategy, messaging, and management
• Communications strategy
• Storytelling
• Speechwriting & keynotes
• Speaker advisory & coaching
• Speaker briefing docs, coordination, and prep
• Writing & editing
• Presentation content & strategy

Marketing

• Event strategy & readiness
• Social media & community management
• Email marketing
• Graphic design (digital & print)
• Presentation design
• Video production

Business operations

• Program management
• Project management
• Event scheduling & logistics
• Agency & vendor management
• Budget management
• Stakeholder management & comms
• Reporting & analytics

To learn more, contact hello@simplicityci.com.