Finding Your People: Why Community Matters for Event Leaders

Dec 23

One of the most important questions event professionals can ask is this: Who is your community?

Not your attendee list. Not your social followers. Not the people who recognize your name but do not understand your work.

Your real community is the group that challenges you, supports you and understands the complexity of leading events. In a field that moves fast and demands resilience, having those people around you is essential.

A Profession of Practitioners but Often Without Peers

Events are among the most visible outputs of any mission-driven organization. They are also among the most misunderstood. Event leaders balance logistics, strategy, politics, creative design and risk management at the same time. The workload is unique and so is the pressure.

Yet many event leaders do not have a true peer community. They have vendors and internal teams, but often lack peers who sit in the same seat and carry the same weight.

That absence of community leads to isolation, which research shows can increase stress and reduce professional confidence (Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008).

Leadership is hard enough. Doing it alone is even harder.

Audience and Community Are Not the Same

Audience listens.
Community participates.

Audience sees the outcome.
Community sees the process.

Audience cheers for your wins.
Community supports you through the work.

You can have a large audience and still feel alone.
You can have a small, trusted community and feel grounded, supported and seen.

Community is not about numbers. It is about connection.

Real Community Requires More Than Roundtables

Most networking structures in the events world do not produce real community. They produce contact lists. A true peer group requires shared experience, shared language and shared investment. It thrives on honesty, consistency and mutual accountability.

Supporting research backs this. Professional communities improve knowledge sharing, confidence and decision making (Wenger, 1998; McMillan & Chavis, 1986).

Community is not a convenience. It is a leadership tool.

Finding Your People

To build meaningful community, start with a few simple questions:

Who do I turn to when I am uncertain?
Who is in the room when I make big decisions?
Who gives honest feedback, not just validation?
Who helps me grow as a leader?

If the answer is “not many,” that is not failure. That is a gap worth filling.

Start small. Reach out to one peer. Join a group that prioritizes depth, not volume. Look for spaces where you can show up honestly without performing. The right community will challenge you, support you and expand your capacity as a leader.

The Final Word

Great leadership does not happen in isolation. It happens in community. The people around you shape your thinking, your resilience and your sense of possibility. If you do not yet have a circle that strengthens you, it might be time to build one.

Community is fuel. Find your people.

How We Can Help

Eventcraft Studios creates spaces where event leaders can learn, grow and build community with peers who understand their work. Through facilitation, coaching and strategic advisory support we help leaders develop the confidence and clarity they need to move forward.

References

Cacioppo, J. T., & Patrick, W. (2008). Loneliness: Human nature and the need for social connection. W. W. Norton.

McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge University Press.

event profscommunitynetworkingengagementevent leadership

Todd Helton

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