Event Hosting

When to Use

Founder wants to host a meetup, workshop, demo day, or community event
Founder wants to use events to build pipeline, recruit, or establish thought leadership
Founder wants to create a Luma event page with compelling copy
Founder wants to plan a recurring event series to build community around their product or space

Context Required

Event goal (lead generation, community building, recruiting, brand awareness, product feedback)
Target audience (developers, founders, enterprise buyers, designers, etc.)
Format (in-person, virtual, hybrid)
Topic/theme and any confirmed speakers
Capacity and venue (or virtual platform)
Budget (many founder-hosted events are $0-500)

Workflow

Define the event concept — clarify:
- Goal: what success looks like (X attendees, Y leads, Z brand impressions)
- Format: panel, workshop, demo night, fireside chat, networking, hackathon
- Audience: who should attend and why they'd show up
- Value prop for attendees: what they'll learn, who they'll meet, or what they'll get
Write the event page — create copy for Luma (lu.ma) or similar platform:
- Title: specific and compelling (not "Tech Meetup #4" — instead "How 5 YC Founders Got Their First 100 Customers")
- Description: problem/hook → what you'll cover → who should attend → speaker bios → logistics
- Image/banner: recommend dimensions and style (Luma: 1600x900px)
Plan the run of show — minute-by-minute agenda:
- Doors/login open (15 min buffer)
- Welcome and context (5 min — who you are, why this event exists)
- Main content (30-45 min — talks, panels, demos)
- Q&A or discussion (15 min)
- Networking / unstructured time (30 min for in-person)
- Close and next steps
Build the promotion plan — how to fill seats:
- Post on relevant communities (use
```
community-discovery
```
  )
- Personal outreach to 20-30 "anchor attendees" who make the event worth attending
- Cross-promotion with speakers' audiences
- LinkedIn/X posts from founder personal account
- Luma's built-in invite and reminder features
Prepare follow-up — plan what happens after the event:
- Thank-you message to attendees (same day)
- Share recording/slides (if applicable)
- Connect with high-value attendees individually
- Announce next event (if recurring)

Output Format

markdown

## Event Plan: [Event Title]

### Concept
- **Goal:** [what success looks like]
- **Format:** [panel / workshop / demo night / etc.]
- **Audience:** [who and why they'd come]
- **Date/Time:** [proposed]
- **Capacity:** [number]
- **Platform:** [Luma link / venue]

### Luma Event Page Copy

**Title:** [title]

**Description:**
[Full event description — 150-300 words, structured as hook → content → audience → speakers → logistics]

**Tags:** [relevant Luma tags]

### Run of Show
| Time | Segment | Owner | Notes |
|------|---------|-------|-------|
| 6:00 PM | Doors open | — | Networking, food/drinks |
| 6:15 PM | Welcome | [Founder] | Context, housekeeping |
| 6:20 PM | Talk 1 | [Speaker] | [Topic] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Promotion Plan
| Channel | Action | Timeline |
|---------|--------|----------|
| Luma | Publish event page | 3 weeks before |
| LinkedIn | Founder post + speaker reshares | 2 weeks before |
| Communities | Post in [specific communities] | 2 weeks before |
| Direct outreach | Personal invite to 20 anchor attendees | 2 weeks before |
| Reminder | Luma auto-reminder + personal note | 1 day before |

### Follow-Up Plan
- [ ] Same-day thank you email with key takeaways
- [ ] Share recording/slides within 48 hours
- [ ] Personal follow-up with [N] high-value attendees
- [ ] Announce next event date

Frameworks & Best Practices

Event formats that work for startups:

Format	Best For	Typical Size	Effort
Fireside chat	Thought leadership, intimate discussion	20-50	Low
Panel	Diverse perspectives, networking draw	30-100	Medium
Workshop	Teaching, product education, lead gen	15-30	Medium
Demo night	Showcasing products, community building	30-80	Medium
Hackathon	Developer community, product feedback	20-100	High
Dinner / small gathering	Investor/executive networking	8-15	Low (but high cost)

Luma-specific tips:

Use the "Require Approval" feature to curate attendees (quality > quantity)
Enable "Ask a Question" during registration to qualify attendees
Set up co-hosts so speakers can also invite their networks
Use Luma's calendar subscription feature for recurring events
Luma's built-in reminder emails have high open rates — don't duplicate with external email

The 40% rule: Expect 40-60% of RSVPs to actually attend for free events. For paid events, expect 80-90%. Overbook accordingly.

Making events a growth channel:

Host monthly, not "whenever" — consistency builds an audience that returns
Each event should have a natural next step (join our community, try the product, attend the next event)
Record everything — one event becomes 5-10 pieces of content
The best events are conversations, not presentations — leave 30%+ of time unstructured

Common mistakes:

Making it about your product instead of your audience's interests
Inviting everyone instead of curating for quality
No follow-up after the event (the event is the beginning, not the end)
Over-programming — leave room for serendipity and networking
Not starting the series until everything is "perfect" — first event can be 15 people in a coffee shop

Related Skills

```
community-discovery
```
— find the right communities to promote your event
```
founder-thought-leadership
```
— events are a powerful thought leadership channel
```
content-strategy
```
— repurpose event content into blog posts, social, and newsletters
```
employer-brand
```
— hosting events signals culture and attracts talent

Examples

Prompt: "Help me create a Luma event for a monthly AI founders meetup in SF."

Good output includes: Event page copy with a compelling title and description, run of show for a 2-hour evening event, promotion plan targeting AI-focused communities, and a follow-up template.

Prompt: "I want to host a virtual workshop teaching developers how to use our API."

Good output includes: Workshop structure with live coding segments, Luma event page optimized for developer audience, promotion through developer communities (from community-discovery), and a lead capture strategy.

event-hosting

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content