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Those are the words of our friend Jessica Kupferman. With the first-ever She Podcasts Live Conference in the books we reached out to the co-organizer of the event for her analysis of how the show went, feedback she’s been getting and what plans she and Elsie have for next year.
PBJ: How do you think the show went? Jessica: I think it went better than I ever thought it could, and that’s completely due to a trustworthy team and dedicated community members. The people involved, including the attendees, really helped to make things smooth.
PBJ: How did the venue work out? Jessica: I think asking me questions like ‘was it good’ is sort of not helpful, because I’m incredibly biased. I have something in me that always wants more and better. People loved the venue, it was unique and interesting and had a very cool WOW factor. I wanted something special and it really was, the food was excellent at every turn and the service was incredible. For me as an event planner, I thought it was a bit dark with not enough natural lighting. A lot of the photography came out shadowy, and it was unavoidable. The carpet and walls are a bit dark and I was inside the hotel from Monday-Monday with the exception of one small event, and I had no idea what the weather was like for 7 days straight.
PBJ: Did you accomplish everything you wanted to with speakers, panels, etc.? Jessica: I can never accomplish everything. I would say yes, with what Elsie and I wanted to accomplish, we did that. We wanted diversity, unique stories, inspiration, motivation, and the attendees got that and then some. We had everything we wanted. Now that we’ve achieved that, I’m wondering…how can it be bigger and better?
PBJ: Tell us about the feeback you’ve been receiving Jessica: Here are a few comments we received:
“It didn’t feel hierarchical. Even people who I have followed and admired from afar for years, who I feel are way ahead of me on their path, like @tara_mcmullin , @racheal.cook , @dawnfraser and even the organizers @jesskupferman and @theelsieescobar felt approachable, generous and present. I realized that’s why I feel like I belong here. That’s the magic of the culture of podcasting. Thank you to @shepodcasts for illuminating that for me.”
“I’m still over the moon about the amazingness that was She Podcasts Live conference! @shepodcasts? Always on the lookout for joy, and noticing when it shows up, my assistant producer, Mallory and I were blown away by the amount of joy, care, inclusion, altruism, and authenticity that we found at She Podcasts Live earlier this month.”
“I saw talented and passionate women fill the room, I heard excited chatter about this being the first conference of its kind, I smelled a mix of lovely perfumes with a dash of inspiration, I tasted fresh coffee from one of our sponsors, and I touched my lanyard with disbelief that I was privileged enough to be at this conference!! This memory is LOCKED.”
PBJ: What surprised you the most? Jessica: I think I’m most surprised by the closeness that our community feels with one another, even upon meeting for the first time. It was over 600 people but felt like an intimate space, felt like old friends, felt like a room full of family. I hope it always retains that feeling no matter how large it gets.
PBJ: What do you hope to do different next year to make it bigger and better? Jessica: Oh, my, so many things. We’d like to add some tracks to the “start, refine, grow, accomplish, community.” We’d like to have some leisure activities built into the program so that people who are ONLY there to connect can do so together, in our created space. We’d like brands to create activations that are meaningful. I’d like more pampering, more how-to sessions, more special touches.
PBJ: If you had a chance to say something to all of the attendees what would you tell them all right now? Jessica: This is only the beginning. Wait ’til we get going.
Get your copy of The Podcast Business Journal print issue with Elsie and Jessica on the cover HERE