At Live Your Legend, we believe that doing work you
love is a right. We are all meant to have an impact, and with the right approach, effort and surround- ings, we can fnd and do work that excites us and embodies who we are. We can leverage our talents, strengths and passions to help people and actually make a difference. We believe that when we begin doing the work that matters to us, it begins to matter to the rest of the world as well. That creates a ripple effect that can change the world. We believe that change is already happening, thanks to you. Without your support, this revolution and movement would not exist. As Living Legends, it is our responsibility to create an environment that inspires this possibility not just for us, but for everyone around us. The people around you create who you are. If they in- spire you, youll be inspired. If they depress you, youll be depressed. You are the average of your surround- ings. Choose wisely. This feld kit is designed to give you all the tools necessary to create the surroundings that make the impossible not only possible, but probable. We cant wait to see what you do with them... Thank you for being the change, Scott Dinsmore & the Live Your Legend Team i FIELD KIT RESOURCE LIST THI S FI ELD KI T CONTAI NS THE FOLLOWI NG I TEMS: ii 5. Event Checklist: The specifc things you want to be sure you have on the big day. 6. LYL Creed Poster: A high-resolution image that you could print for the event. You could even print multiple hand-out copies if you wanted. 7. LYL Logo Banner: A high-resolution printable LYL sign to let people know theyre in the right place! 1. The Quick Start Guide: What youre reading right now. General guidance for hosting successful events. 2. Core Values to Guide Your Event 3. Live Event Detailed Agenda & Guide: More specifc step-by-step guidance on agenda ideas, talking points and just about everything else you could imagine. 4. Email Templates: Specifc scripts for getting the word out and building excitement for your event. Quicksart GUIDE LIVE YOUR LEGEND Live E V E NT F I E L D KI T TABLE OF CONTENTS Wel come & How to Get the Most Out of Thi s Gui de...................1 Uber Si mpl e Steps to Hosti ng Your own Event or MeetUp.......3 Core Val ues to Gui de Your Event...........4 Step 1: Defi ni ng Purpose & Why Host a Li ve Your Legend Meetup?.........5 Step 2: Fi ndi ng the Ideal Locati on & Venue.................................8 Step 3: What to Tal k About...................9 Step 4: Make i t Personal .....................11 Step 5: Getti ng the Word Out...............12
Step 6: Create a Ti mel i ne for Pl anni ng........................................15 Step 7: Show Grati tude & Fol l ow-Up...........................................1 Bonus Step: Turn Your Meetup Into a Cl ub or Routi ne Gatheri ng...................17 Step 8: Share What Youve Learned.....18 Step 9: Cel ebrate & Congratul ati ons!..................................19 iv L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 1 WELCOME. CONGRATS & THANK YOU! First off, I want to say congratulations for taking the action to bring people together on a cause you deeply believe in. Thank you not only for continuing to spread and promote the message of doing the work that makes us come alive, but also for the people you are about to touch and the ones you already have. Thank you for the impact you are about to have on the people who attend your event. The great news is that no matter what you do together at your event, it will be a success. Because as far as I see it, the pri- mary goal is to bring people together who share the same fre, focus and beliefs, and offer them a chance to connect, help and inspire each other in the fesh. After realizing that powerful possibility, hope- fully you all feel nothing but excitement for whats to come and perhaps a tad bit of nerves, which is only normal when having the impact you are. HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS FIELD KIT (AND YOUR EVENT) This guide is intended to give you the tools to host your very own in-person meetup in your hometown or anywhere in the world. This could mean just you and one other person or it could mean going all out and making an event of it. Invite one or invite thou- sands; it is up to you. Most important is that you help bring passionate people together; you decide how involved you want it to be. Our goal with this feld kit is to make the process of hosting a meetup as easy L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 2 and fun as possible. We are here to support you any way possible. Just say the word by writing a note to events@liveyourlegend.net. THIS IS YOUR EVENT THE ONLY RULE IS THAT YOU CARE ABOUT BRINGING PASSIONATE PEOPLE TOGETHER. This material offers my suggestions (and those of some amazing LYL community members who have hosted events in the past) based on my success and failure with communities and live events. By no means am I asking you to follow this guide to the letter. You dont even have to use the Live Your Legend name if you dont want to! I just provide this as a way to help in any way I can, because more than any- thing, I want your event to be a success, no matter how you conduct it. I know we both believe in the same things that we are meant to spend our time doing the work that makes us come alive and that helps the people around us in a unique way. Doing this will change the world. We already are. To that end, I hope this guide is helpful. Please feel free to copy or build upon it as you see ft. Or use none of it. Its your call. When passionate people with shared beliefs come to- gether in the real world, something magical happens. Youre about to fnd out what were talking about, and we couldnt be more honored or excited to have you in our corner. Thank you for being such a meaningful part of this movement. This is YOUR event. Have fun! L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 3 THE UBER-SIMPLE STEPS To Hosing Your Own Event or MetUp Lets not over think this. All that matters is you bring people together to share passions and ideas, support each other and have some fun. Weve provided plenty of details in this Field Kit, but very simply, heres all you need to do: 1. Decide on a location and time (ideally 1-2 or more weeks from today) 2. Create an EventBrite event 3. Tell us your plan: Send an email to Scott and the LYL team with the event link and and other fun event details/goals to events@liveyourlegend.net - Well be happy to send an email out to the portion of the LYL community of over 35,000 that live near your event :) 4. Get the world out in your own way 5. Be the host: Show up, have fun and do whatever you can to make your event a positive and powerful experience 6. Follow up and share your experience with the LYL community! Thats is it! Now lets get into some details. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 4 CORE VALUES TO GUIDE YOUR EVENT You are welcome and encouraged to conduct your event in any way youd like. All we ask is that you follow our only offcial rule of providing a welcom- ing and safe environment for connecting passionate, like-minded people. We hope these core values help you develop and think through how you want your event to unfold. Please see the separate Core Values document for a detailed description of each.
WELCOME EVERYONE; SEE THEM AS FRIENDS EMBRACE VULNERABILITY; BE YOU ENCOURAGE GENUINE CONNECTION BE HELPFUL LIVE WITH PASSION INSPIRE POSSIBILITY HAVE FUN & SMILE L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 5 STEP 1: DEFINING PURPOSE Why Hos a Live Your Legend Metup? Hosting a Live your Legend meetup is all about facili- tating positive human connection; to bring people together, to get them out from behind their comput- ers and to allow them to feel at home as they real- ize there are people around who are a lot like them. Nothing beats the magic when you meet in person. We often take for granted the supportive and under- standing people we have around us on a day-to-day basis. Many people do not have that. In fact, its pos- sible that for many of your attendees, this will be the frst time they experience that. By surrounding yourself with passionate people, you are standing tall in who you are and showing your- self that you can begin to do the impossible. Once we realize this, our purpose and priorities for hosting an event become pretty clear PRIORITY #1 Bringing people together in a safe, comfortable, open, energetic and supportive environment. PRIORITY #2 Allow people to connect and share their stories and ideas and give them people who they can follow up with in the future. This should be seen as the frst of L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 6 many more interactions for people who attend the meetup. It does not end at the end of the event. It begins. PRIORITY #3 Inspire the group and show them that it is indeed possible to spend your time doing work you love as long as youre intentional and you surround yourself with the people who show you its possible. A NOTE ABOUT VULNERABILITY: Whenever you can, reinforce the importance of being vulnerable and being who you are. That is how every- one will get the most out of this event. People want to connect with real people, not someone trying to puff out their chest and act like theyre someone theyre not. Genuine connections start with being genuinely you. As Bren Brown says: Your experience here can not exceed your willingness to be vulnerable. When an event embodies the above ideas, the impact can be profound. Have a look at some of the experi- ences from past event organizers and participants: For someone like me who never attends meetups It has made me feel so much more committed to pursuing my passion, and getting a lot out of this course also because THIS is important, connecting with like-mind- ed people is so valuable, and so important to me. Stacey M Brown, Sydney, Australia Hosting a Live Your Legend event was life-changing and a heap of fun! I was totally blown away by the en- ergy and the passion in the room. For me, the highlight was the speed dating it allowed people to break the ice and talk about their passions. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 7 Playing a part in bringing together like-minded people was more powerful than I realized. Since the event, one attendee set a date to launch her own business, while for another it kick-started their journey to fnd their passion. We are already talking about the next meetup and I cant wait! Leah Hynes, Brisbane, Australia Holding our very own LYL meetup in Sydney was a dream come true. Reality would say it was a room flled with strangers. Being there, I can tell you it was a room flled with long-lost friends. It is amazing what can happen when you join together a bunch of people who believe in the possibility of life. This is when magic is created! Nazrin Murphie, Sydney, Australia
Organizing the LYL meetup in Sydney with two other beautiful ladies was a game changer for me. It bought home to me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and that the energy a group of like-minded people can create is just off the charts! It doesnt matter if its 2 people or 200. One big takeaway for me was to focus on being in the moment and let it inspire you. Melanie Baseden, Canberra, Australia L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 8 STEP 2: FINDING THE IDEAL LOCATION The location needs to be contained enough to provide you with an intimate, relaxed setting that allows you to talk (i.e. not too noisy!). Some suggestions: Parks Pubs Cafes Restaurants Hotel conference room Bookstores Beachside Harborside If you are having an event for more than 20 people, try to book a private room or area where you wont be interrupted by the general public. As long as you order food and drinks, some venues do not charge a room rental fee. Tell the venue the purpose of your event and see if you can get them on board with the vision, they will often be happy to make special ar- rangements if they know its for a good cause. Most importantly, pick a place where people feel comfort- able being open and connecting. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 9 STEP 3: WHAT TO TALK ABOUT Converation Topics 101 When frst thinking about hosting an event, whether its for two people or 100, its easy to get caught up thinking you dont know what to say during the meetup. The good news is that this is a totally un- founded concern. The key to genuinely connecting with others and having fun conversation is fnding something in common - and the more passionate you are about that common interest, the deeper the connection becomes. And thats the best part! Remember that everyone at your meetup already has something huge in com- mon. We believe in fnding and doing work you love and having an impact. If you are meeting other members of the LYL community, or just people who see the world in a similar way, youll never run out of things to talk about. But if youre still looking for ideas, these are easy places to start: What frst got you interested in Live Your Legend? How do you want to make a difference? What are you working right now? How can I help with what youre working on? L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 10 Also, in our Detailed Agenda & Guide we have a spe- cifc set of activities we suggest for breaking the ice and getting to know each other. Some of the ques- tions we suggest include: Whats your dream career? What is the biggest fear holding you back from doing whats important to you? What is one way you can help people around you one thing youre good at that you can offer to others? Another way to look at it what do people thank you for? Where do you most need help right now? What is the biggest excuse you give about why you arent doing what you could be doing? What do you want to be known for? What impact would you like to have? What are you least proud of in your situation/ what are you most proud of? These came from The 27 Questions to Find Your Pas- sion, which you can download for free here. I assure you that once you get people with similar passions in the same place, you will have enough to talk about to fll much more than the time available during your event. This community has so much in common. Trust in that and let that lead the conver- sations. All that matters is you have fun, listen and engage with the person or people youre with. The rest is magic! L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 11 STEP 4: MAKE IT PERSONAL How Are You Living Your Legend? When you are organizing your event, think about whether there is something personal you have achieved in Living Your Legend that you can celebrate at the event. Have you launched a blog, started a business, changed careers, reconnected with your passion, changed someones life? Anything goes. Show people how you are Living Your Legend and the difference it has made in your life and to others. The more per- sonal you make it, the more people will connect with the event. This is all about celebrating! Ask your attendees to think about something they can celebrate too, and raise a glass to each person show them how much you value community and support and link it back to why they are there. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 12 STEP 5: GETTING THE WORD OUT Once you have decided how many people you would like to invite and where you are going to host the event, you will need to get the word out. This is one of THE most important steps. Without people, there will be no meetup.
Promotion Step #1: Create an event invitation The frst thing you can do is let the LYL team know the details of the event. At Live Your Legend, we can flter our members by geographic location, so just draft up the email with a link to your online invita- tion and send it across. Wed be happy to share it with the right group. We are also happy to link to your event at the end of a blog post a week or two be- fore the event. These go out to over 35,000 members via email, so be sure to get us the event info as early as possible! Create an invitation on Eventbrite. It is free to use and easy to set up. Useful Tip: You could also consider charging a small entry fee to ensure people are committed to attend- ing, and let people know that this money will be re- invested into the costs of hosting a memorable event. Even charging as little as $5 can make a huge differ- ence in your attendance rate. In everything you do leading up to the event, you always want to be com- municating a compelling reason for people to follow through, show up and be a part of the movement. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 13 Promotion Step #2: Promote, promote, promote Promote your event everywhere that you can in the weeks leading up to the event. It is crucial to build excitement and anticipation. This could include: On your blog or website (if you have one) Directly contact everyone you know check out the email templates document in the Field Kit folder Post to social media including Facebook (personal and LYL Group) and Twitter. You can also create an event in the LYL FB group and provide a link to your Eventbrite page in the event description to be sure your FB friends get the memo. If youre part of the How to Connect With Anyone community post in the forums/announce your event/update your status If youre part of any existing online or in-person meetup groups let them know too! The sky is the limit when it comes to getting the word out: Feel free to talk to local coffee shops, tea houses or restaurants, post a fyer, post an event on Meetup.com or even Craigslist. Its your world! Be sure to leverage your existing communi- ties. Think about what existing organizations or groups you are already a part of if youre in school see if you can leverage that existing community (weve had events put on by college, graduate and PhD students - and even had some L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 14 high school students involved!). Same goes for sports groups, volunteer groups or any group of people who already gather for a certain purpose. This will often turn out to be your best resource! Promotion Step #3: Build excitement & anticipation Send out an email a day or two before to get people excited to attend! Confrm the time and convey how excited you are. Also ask them to think about some- thing specifc to get them ready for the event. A really powerful question is something along the lines of, Whats one way you can uniquely help the people around you? What is one of your strengths, talents or superpowers that people thank you for? Also, be sure to communicate how important it is to show up on time. Since they registered and reserved one of the limited spaces, you want to be sure they actually come. Its nice for them to feel some respon- sibility to show up, just in case other things come up, theyll be likely to still attend. [check out the email templates document in the Field Kit folder] You could also send a short survey on Google Docs to learn about the audience. For example, heres a link to the one we used. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 15 STEP 6: CREATE A TIMELINE FOR PLANNING The only thing you really need is yourself, one other person and a location and youre all set.
However, if you decide to go all out and make a party of it, view the next page for an event planning time- line to make it a party to remember. Of course, the timing can be fexible, but the key is to not wait until the last minute.
TIMING ACTIVITY 8 WEEKS OUT Choose a venue (book it, if required) 7-8 WEEKS OUT Send email to infuential connec- tors and friends to get support (i.e. Scott & LYL is a great place to start!) 6 WEEKS OUT Publish invitation on Eventbrite 2 WEEKS OUT Create and rehearse your pre- sentation and talking points (if required) best to give yourself at least a couple of weeks to come up with a fun theme and event fow. UP UNTIL EVENT Publish and promote the event as much as you can. Reply to all enquiries from attendees. 7 DAYS OUT Send a reminder email to regis- tered attendees L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 16 TIMING ACTIVITY 6 DAYS OUT Ensure you have all the required equipment (name tags, signs, tables, etc.) 5 DAYS OUT Contact venue and confrm all details and requirements 4-5 DAYS OUT Finalize and rehearse your presentation and talking points (if required) 2 OR 3 DAYS OUT Send email to registered at- tendees to continue to build momentum. 3 HOURS OUT Ensure audio and video links are working (if required) 1 HOUR OUT Arrive at the venue and set up 5 MINUTES OUT Stop. Breathe. Be present and congratulate yourself. You are about to have an amazing im- pact on other peoples lives! L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 17 STEP 7: SHOW GRATITUDE & FOLLOW-UP First of all, congratulate yourself for having changed lives, because after the event is over, that will surely be the case. Follow up with a thank-you note or email and links to pictures 1-2 days after the event to everyone who attended and/or helped out. Ideally, make it personal by mentioning something specifc to that person and ask a follow-up question such as: What is one thing you will start doing differently since our meetup? Create a way for people to stay in touch after the event a private Facebook group can be great for this these are free and easy to create. Important Note #1: Be sure to bring a camera! Ide- ally, have someone whos dedicated to taking pictures and some video. The more video and pictures, the better. You will be SO glad you did this! Bonus points for asking people about the event, living their legend and getting it on flm. We will be happy to promote links to the video/camera work of a generous event volunteer via follow-up posts on LYL. ;) Important Note #2: Also please be sure to upload your event pictures to our LYL Facebook Group to showcase the impact youve had, keep the buzz going and hopefully inspire other members to host their
L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 18 own event. You can link to this page in your follow- up email. (See email templates document in the Field Kit folder) After event you could also: Send a card to the venue saying thank you Send thank-you cards to your volunteers / helpers L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 19 BONUS STEP: RINSE & REPEAT Turn Your Metup Into a Routine Gathering This is how you can take one life-changing day of passion, connection and thinking big, and turn into something that continues to impact peoples lives, including your own, forever. Decide on a time every couple weeks or monthly that you will meet on an ongoing basis. These future meetups could be more like mastermind meetings and would not have to involve all the planning and prep of the frst event. We even had one PhD student create his own Live Your Legend club at his univer- sity. The ongoing connection and accountability is huge (not to mention the fun!). You could meet for meals, brainstorms, workouts, you name it. Think about how you could turn this into a regular part of the lives of at least a few of the attendees, and youll take things to a totally different level. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 20 STEP 8: PLEASE SHARE WHAT YOUVE LEARNED Everything we do at Live Your Legend (and in life) is an experiment and chance to learn. Hosting a live event is no different. We are dedicated to doing all we can to continuously make these events (and the preparation and hosting of them) as fun and impact- ful for our community as possible. YOU are now the expert. Please take a few minutes to email us your experience. Positive and negative, what you wish you had help with, what worked really well, what didnt and any suggestions for upcoming events we want to hear it all. Please send an email with the subject LYL Live Event Feedback to events@liveyourlegend.net. I guarantee your feedback will make our next event better. L I V E E V E NT F I E L D KI T / / QUI CKS TA RT GUI DE 21 STEP 9: CELEBRATE Congrats on Hosing Your Firt LYL Metup! Thank you again for having the passion and energy to make the impact you are having on the world. Please take at least a few minutes (or days or weeks) to congratulate yourself and celebrate the difference youre making. It means more than you realize. You are why this revolution is taking shape and building the momentum that it is. And to think, we are still just getting started! Youre an amazing part of all that were building. None of this would exist without the community that makes it possible. Were here to help however we can! Scott and the LYL Live Event Team.