Creating a leading in-person conference as a solo creator
Thu Mar 06 2025
This guy bootstrapped a global community conference out of his own pocket. And it worked.Francisco Opazo is stubborn—his words, not mine. And thank goodness for that, because his relentless drive has taken a one-man newsletter and turned it into a global movement for community professionals.In this episode, I take you inside the madness that is Community Week / Community-led World Summit - in-person and online gatherings for community professionals around the world. This is the story of Francisco and how he built it from scratch, fueled by sheer determination, volunteer power, and a whole lot of goodwill.Resources:- Join Community Week: https://www.community-week.com/- Join Led By Community: https://www.ledby.community/- Follow Francisco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankopazo/- Follow Nityesh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nityeshaga/- Magic sauce of more such community creators: https://beginnermaps.com/This episode is brought to you by Curated Connections - the self-driving community software for busy creators. It allows you to run automated networking programs, gamification challenges and member-led events. Check it out at https://curatedconnections.io/Chapters:00:00 Intro02:54 The Journey of Lead by Community04:34 From Digital Agency to BuddyBoss10:38 Joining Circle and Expanding Horizons18:41 Launching the online summit21:52 Challenges and Triumphs of Organizing a Conference32:13 Securing venue for conference34:58 #1 Strategy to build an attendee list40:20 Marketing strategy46:51 Building a Volunteer Team47:55 Conference Structure and Tracks49:54 Budgeting and Financial Challenges51:10 Community Support and Ecosystem01:00:25 Sponsor pitch deck walkthrough01:12:06 Tools01:16:39 The Future: Community Week
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This guy bootstrapped a global community conference out of his own pocket. And it worked.Francisco Opazo is stubborn—his words, not mine. And thank goodness for that, because his relentless drive has taken a one-man newsletter and turned it into a global movement for community professionals.In this episode, I take you inside the madness that is Community Week / Community-led World Summit - in-person and online gatherings for community professionals around the world. This is the story of Francisco and how he built it from scratch, fueled by sheer determination, volunteer power, and a whole lot of goodwill.Resources:- Join Community Week: https://www.community-week.com/- Join Led By Community: https://www.ledby.community/- Follow Francisco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankopazo/- Follow Nityesh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nityeshaga/- Magic sauce of more such community creators: https://beginnermaps.com/This episode is brought to you by Curated Connections - the self-driving community software for busy creators. It allows you to run automated networking programs, gamification challenges and member-led events. Check it out at https://curatedconnections.io/Chapters:00:00 Intro02:54 The Journey of Lead by Community04:34 From Digital Agency to BuddyBoss10:38 Joining Circle and Expanding Horizons18:41 Launching the online summit21:52 Challenges and Triumphs of Organizing a Conference32:13 Securing venue for conference34:58 #1 Strategy to build an attendee list40:20 Marketing strategy46:51 Building a Volunteer Team47:55 Conference Structure and Tracks49:54 Budgeting and Financial Challenges51:10 Community Support and Ecosystem01:00:25 Sponsor pitch deck walkthrough01:12:06 Tools01:16:39 The Future: Community Week