I’ve organized free and low-cost drop-in classes and events for numerous languages since 2017.
There are three reasons for this:
I derive satisfaction from bringing people together
I love the feeling of being generous and helping people for free, with no strings attached. I don’t organize free classes/events as a gateway to “hoodwink” you into buying something from me.
I believe generosity is a smart business strategy
In the early days, very few people attended my events/classes. Over time, the attendance numbers grew and hundreds of people a month went to the events I organized locally in Calgary.
During the pandemic, I switched to offering drop-in classes online. I used platforms such as Eventbrite and Meetup to advertise. The most successful platform for me was Duolingo Events, which unfortunately has been shut down.
While I enjoy running these classes and events, it’s also a source of anxiety and stress.
I’ve never shared this with anyone before. I feel this way because:
I want the number of new attendees to increase steadily and,
I want the number of regular attendees to increase steadily
I have been not been as successful as I’d like with these two goals. I’m dissatisfied with the:
Attendee turnover. People come for a while, but then they stop coming.
Inconsistent attendance. Some events are very well attended while others are not. I would like there to be consistent attendance that increases over time. There have been too many ups and downs for my liking.
I struggle to find the motivation to organize events if both new and regular attendee numbers are not increasing.
I believe it’s my fault that I’m falling short on the two goals above.
I don’t promote my free classes and events enough. I don’t design interesting graphics or videos to catch people’s interest. I don’t put enough thought into the venue, visual theme and aesthetics of each event, and the program to ensure everyone has a good time. I don’t organize fun themed events around important holidays (Christmas, New Years, Halloween, etc.) I sometimes don’t spend enough time preparing for the events I’m hosting or classes I’m teaching.
The reason, quite simply, is that I have a full plate. I tried to do too much by myself without outside help.
This is why I want to hire an Event Planner (EP) to be in charge of planning, promoting, and possibly even hosting events and drop-in classes.
I would want the Event Planner to organize online events/classes as well as in-person ones in Calgary. I would hire someone in an instant if I:
Feel confident in the person’s abilities to steadily grow attendance numbers
Feel confident that I’m able to generate enough revenue from the events/classes to break even on cost of hiring an Event Planner, while still ensuring the event cost is low enough as to not be a barrier to entry
Am able to run different events that cater to a wide audience
It would bring me joy to see people come together, make new friends, and maybe even find a meaningful romantic relationship.
I imagine the events the EP and I organize being a tool to spread positivity.
I imagine people smiling and laughing, whether it be at a smaller, more introvert-friendly event with only a few people or a larger event with hundreds of people.
I imagine people flocking to the events the EP and I organize.
I imagine people deriving positive meaning in their lives as a result of attending the events EP and I organize.
I imagine there being numerous events every week, that cater to a wide audience such as:
Weekly, low-cost or free recurring events to attract a wide variety of people with different interests (e.g., board game evenings, pub nights, karaoke, a Foodie Club, dance events.)
Occasional elegant events with a more refined dress code
A few large annual events, likely revolving around major holidays (e.g., Christmas party, New Years party)
Even though these have nothing to do with language learning, why can’t my business, the Calgary Language Nerds, host fun events for non-language-learners?
I do, of course, want to continue offering drop-in language classes, but with a different vision.
I’d like to create a central hub for language learners. I picture the following:
A weekly event modelled after Mundo Lingo
Weekly, structured group classes for all languages offered at the CLN. I would want some classes to be online and others to be in-person.
The EP would be responsible for organizing, helping to promote, and coordinating with the instructors for these classes and events.
This journal entry was a long way to say that I’m hiring :) If you are interested in discussing working together with me a an Event Planner, email me. Without outside help, I won’t be able to bring the vision outlined in this journal entry to life.
very good!!