In her keynote at SMF on July 25, Grace Clapham, founder and director of Designing Communities, said an event creates a moment, but a community can create movements.
“Your goal should be to transform fleeting gatherings into enduring connections that drive growth, innovation and lasting effect,” she said.
In a business events context, a community can be a group of like-minded professionals or individuals who share common interests, goals and experiences. They are initially brought together by an event but are sustained by ongoing interaction and value exchange.
Clapham outlined three phases for these communities to thrive: clear purpose and identity; commitment, consistency and curation; and continuous engagement and co-creation.
She advised communicating the intent clearly before and during the event.
“Define what your community stands for, develop a clear mission statement and set of values that resonate with members,” she said.
“Be clear about expectations and benefits of community membership.”
Clapham recommended a community-centric platform over an event-centric one, paying attention to type of content and format. There should be a plan for the community’s first six to 12 months after the initial event.
Urging continuous engagement, she suggested “community manager” as a new field, and advised building content that keeps the conversation going, such as through storytelling and featuring community members.
“Provide opportunities to co-create and allow members to shape the future event experience,” she said, to increase the sense of connection and create ongoing connection opportunities.
Events are touchpoints, but communities are lifelines, concluded Clapham.
“By building thriving communities around your events, you’re not just filling seats – you’re fostering relationships, cultivating loyalty and creating value that extends beyond the conference room walls.”
In the panel discussion, Vivian Lim, lead curator of TEDxSingapore and co-founder of The Idea Co., affirmed the value of harnessing the right crowd and brands. TEDxSingapore has a pool of regular volunteers and it has tapped like-minded brands to build together and bring in affiliates.
Navin Suri, curator of The Founders Peak Community at Elevandi, emphasised the art of storytelling. He revealed that start-up founders receive many hours of training for their 10-minute talk on their journey at the Singapore FinTech Festival.
Panellists said that while still seeking commercial viability, event organisers should also look beyond transactional connections and nurture vibrant, engaged communities. Find what is most valuable to participants, experiment and adapt.
And “consider the power of pull versus the power of push”.
