Kelsey Reidl

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Everything You Need to Know About Hosting an In-Person Retreat

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This blog will take you about 5 minutes to read through.

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Running an Online Business šŸ’»offers so many amazing opportunitiesā€” from being able to operate a business without physical storefronts, all the way to connecting with clients around the globe. Itā€™s such a gift to be able to work remotely, and do what I love from my laptop.

However, no matter how convenient the miracles of modern technology may be ā€” nothing compares with in-person connection!

The connectivity formed from face-to-face hang outs (and no, Iā€™m NOT referring to staring at someoneā€™s face through Zoom!) is truly irreplaceable, which is why I decided to host our 3rd official Visionary Meet Up at a restaurant called Planted In Hamilton and we had 16 amazing visionaries (past + present clients of mine, and students of our Visionary Courses) who came from all over!

  • Some of the attendees even commuted over 4+ hours to be there šŸš—,

  • Others came knowing NOBODY else in the room,

  • But all of them OPEN to the magic that happens when entrepreneurs connect šŸ˜Š.

Hereā€™s a quick snapshot of HOW everyone got to this roomā€¦

  • Some of the attendees I met through Instagram,

  • Others I met because I taught them their Business Course at The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition,

  • Some are people I reconnected with from my days studying at University šŸ« and others while working for Vega Plant-Based Nutrition

  • Some were listeners of the Podcast šŸŽ¤

  • And some found me through Google (gotta love the internet and how it gives us the opportunity to connect with amazing people)


In spite of coming from all different backgrounds, everyone connected instantaneously and without challenge.

See more of who is inside our community, right here >>

Agenda šŸ‘‡

After reading the book called ā€˜The Art of Gathering by Priya Parkerā€™, I have a pretty good idea of what makes for a meaningful gathering.

The experience I wanted to create for the attendees was intimate, structured and wouldnā€™t allow for anyone to feel left out or like they didnā€™t know what to do or where to be.

This was less of a conference or structured workshop, and more of a casual gathering where everyone could connect and relax on a Friday afternoon. However, I believe that in order for everyone to feel comfortable there should be an agenda that they can refer back to.

We followed this structure:

  • 11:00 - 11:15 Arrivals & Welcomes

  • 11:15 -12:00 Introductions (roundtable style)

  • 12:00 - 12:30 Breakout #1

  • 12:30 - 1:00 Group Lunch

  • 1:00 - 2:00 Breakout # 2

When to chat about this further, feel free to DM me. Iā€™d love to chat!

The Space

Some of the essential items to consider when youā€™re planning a gathering include:

  • Good atmosphere (we met at a vibey restaurant in Hamilton)

  • Food and drinks (ideally keeping it healthy and light - we had wraps, salad, sweet treats and coffee catered)

  • The right setup of tables so everyone feels included

  • Visual elements (the Visionary balloons)

  • Tangible items (I brought intention cards, stickers, and printed each person a workbook)

  • Music playing when everyone comes in - the background noise is helpful when only a few people have arrived

  • Easy entry (signage on the doors leading them to the space, name tags to fill out before entering, and having someone greet them upon arrival)


I like to think about how I can create moments that appeal to all senses, and that bring a sense of ease and coziness to the event

Success!

All I can say is that the Visionary Crew is truly the BEST group of humans. We had a great afternoon, and many of the attendees requested that we book our next Meet Up ASAP!

My only concern is that if this powerful group of entrepreneurs keeps hanging out, we might just formulate a plan to take over the world and solve the biggest issues on this planet! šŸ˜‰

Your business may start out digitized, but it can go much further when you return back to interacting with people face to face. Thereā€™s nothing quite like the exchange of a hug, eating lunch with a colleague and hearing about their favourite morning ritual, or gathering energy and inspiration from a room of awesome people.

Would you like to join our next Meet Up, send me a DM on Instagram so I can add you to the waitlist.


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šŸšØ Before You Go!

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