Blair Dodson’s Post

CURRENT STATUS: Curating events for this week in Melbourne (classic), but, private rather than public is the M.O. HOWEVER… I wouldn’t mind opening RSVP’s up a bit if: You’re keen to be in touch with one of Aotearoa’s most prominent investors in high-growth companies (Rowan Simpson) who is in town. You’re a music-tech founder wanting to get right in touch with one of Australia/ the worlds most prominent Music Industry figures in Jaddan Comerford. You’re a revenue-generating founder keen to meet the Tractor Ventures founders and workshop how you would use debt and equity funding in tandem. You’re a founder that is curious to see the Linktree headquarters in operation, especially after their big news of hitting 50million users this past week. You’re a founder interested in mingling with a bunch of leading Aus VC’s all in the same room at once. Spoiler alert THEY’RE. ALL. THE. SAME. EVENT. If you’re a founder in a serious growth frame of mind, I think you’ll get the most out of this one, but the views over Melbourne city from Linktree HQ are a serious bonus. DM’s open. 👋 🚜

I'm often asked my top 5 tips for a successful event, so here you go! 1: Do not have people on stage if they are not doing something. Only bring panellists or chairs up to speak and then find a graceful way to bring them back down! 2: Give people a chance to take it all in! Don't pack too much into your schedule and allow time for breaks and chatting. People need time to process, eat, use the bathroom etc. Sometimes our enthusiasm for the content makes us forget we are dealing with biological humans who have physiological needs! 3: Use as little video as possible and try to use it for dramatic effect rather than to give information. People are at a live event - they want to see real life people talking. 4: Allow panellists at least 10 minutes of time each plus q+a. They've travelled and prepared for this thing - let them make their points! 5: If you are designing an event, speak to a professional MC or events expert *early on* about your programme because once you've started booking things in, it can be often be tricky to walk them back. If you'd like to talk about how to get the most out of your next event, get in touch for a free pre-event consultation at www.whipsmartmedia.com I'll be at the Technology Industry Alliance's annual #TIATechfest tomorrow, (they do all of the above, btw), and it makes it for a really engaging day that's paced just right. Hope to see you tomorrow! https://lnkd.in/dZc9Ngs3

seeing a lot of bad takes that founders aren't serious if they attend conferences like Tech Week. yes, aimlessly attending tons of events is stupid and suggests your priorities aren't in the right place. but not taking advantage of thousands of potential investors, hires and customers flooding into a city looking to network is also stupid. I attended 2 events for Tech Week: - 1 where I caught up with my most important investors and founder friends from out of town. - 1 we hosted where we collected 800+ warm leads and demo'd our product to hundreds of people. it was also a very meaningful milestone and bonding moment for my team it was so successful that we're already planning on another event (and perhaps even launching publicly) at the next Tech Week. humans love to reject things that others view as high status as a means of asserting their own status (look up sprezzatura). say you find Balenciaga distasteful and suddenly you're a taste maker. attending exclusive conference events with top investors and founders is high status, so saying it's cringe suggests you're even higher status, even more important. my recommendation is for founders to ignore what people think and focus on doing whatever will make your company successful. sometimes that's slapping a name tag on and showing up at a "cringe" conference event. other times that's declining an invitation so you can get some coding done.

Wanna be involved in Tech Fest ? Please make an expression of interest to speak or run a session see all the details below

Techweek is fast approaching and we at Canterbury Tech are seeking out speakers with a message for our local community. Have you been thinking about a topic you feel others would also be interested in hearing about? Or do you want to run an interactive session that will help your audience with a common problem? This could be the ideal place to do that! Check out the links in the post below and sing out if you have any questions

The latest AdvisorTech Expo was different than the others, because of this big lesson: It’s not just WHAT you know … It’s what you know HOW TO DO with it. Implementation was a major focus for the Expo this year. How to put the latest tech innovations to good use. How to use them in real-life situations in your practice. How other advisors use tech for growth, efficiency & client service. Practical lessons and hard-won experience is what we used to back this up. While that’s always been a focus for the Expo — this was the FOURTH annual event, if you can believe it — this year we really cranked it up a notch. We did this based on YOUR feedback. (So if you received a feedback form recently, take it seriously!) In addition to live Q&As, access to innovators, breakout rooms and more — here’s how we did it: → ADVISOR’S PANEL >> How to leverage Social Media Marketing << Lisa Guo, CFA, Sam Lichtman, Zael Miransky, CFP, President, CEO, Aravind Sithamparapillai and Mark McGrath, CFP®, CIM®, CLU® were brilliant in this one. Really good, experience-grounded advice for how they got started (and kept going) to become successful #financialplanning voices social media. → EXPERT SESSION >> Implementing Estate Planning into your Practice << Estate planning is a niche expertise that’s only getting more and more important. Advisors and planners who can provide this specialization quickly start to stand out. We were lucky to have a session and Q&A with Jordan Atin. Estate planning nerds like us 🤓 were gobsmacked at being able to get Jordan for this one — he teaches this topic at Osgoode Hall and is one of the top-rated lawyers in the country when it comes to estate planning. → ADVISOR SESSION >> Implementing Technology to Manage your Team << FPAC’s own Christian Battistelli CFP® led this one, and it was a masterclass. He gave a demo of four low-cost tech platforms from outside the #FinTech world. Why? Because they have driven incredible efficiency at his firm. Literally HUNDREDS of hours (and dollars) saved. Seriously Want to know the tips, tricks and secrets shared at these and other practical sessions on tech implementation? Starting to regret that you missed out? Well, if you registered by last week’s event deadline, we’ve got good news for you … All these videos are still available for you to watch. And you can even earn CE credits too. Follow your Expo login instructions to find out how. P.S. Thanks again everyone for a great Expo!

💥 Just 4 weeks to go! 💥 Wales Tech Week 2023 is approaching at lightning speed, and the anticipation is gathering incredible momentum. The magnitude of what we're going to experience is incredible - a week that will redefine the future of tech, one idea, one connection, and one innovation at a time. I can't emphasise enough the opportunities that await you at Wales Tech Week. From inspiring sessions to cutting-edge exhibitions, this is where some of the world's tech leaders, innovators, business professionals, entrepreneurs and investors converge. It's the pulse of innovation, a hub of knowledge, and a springboard for unparalleled growth. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. Every moment counts, every conversation matters, and every idea has the potential to shape the future. Join us, because missing out is simply not an option. Secure your spot now: www.walestechweek.com See you there! 🚀🌟 #WalesTechWeek #WelshTech #TechCommunity

How are you to participate in Canterbury Tech popular week of all things technology at “Techfest”? Click the link to see the daily themes and what’s being planned.