B2C Virtual Summits: A Values-Driven Summit for a Budget-Conscious Audience with Bryson Tarbet
No matter what audience your business serves, you've probably run into questions around whether or not a summit is a good idea or would work for your specific niche.
Will they like what I created? Will they be mad that I'm trying to make money while I help them? Will they buy my all-access pass?
For more budget-conscious audiences, these questions can be enough to make you wonder whether a summit is even the right move for your business.
That's why I'm excited to introduce you to Bryson Tarbet, an elementary music teacher, educator, and host of the Elementary Music Summit. He’s also one of my clients who I had the pleasure of working with in the Launch with a Summit Accelerator.
Bryson went into the summit planning process with a lot of very valid questions about how his event would be received by his audience. In the end, he blew past every goal he set and hosted a values-driven event that made a lasting impact on his audience of teachers and his speakers. But he had questions and doubts to work through along the way.
I had to have Bryson come and share his story on the Summit Host Hangout Podcast because so often I see people come into the summit hosting process being fully convinced that a summit isn’t going to work for the niche they serve. They’re certain that their audience won't pay for an all-access pass or won't allow them to host a successful event for one reason or another. And teachers are one of those audiences that I hear brought up the most.
If you’ve ever worried that a summit wouldn’t work for your specific niche, especially if you serve a budget-conscious audience, you’ll be so inspired by Bryson’s story! In this episode, you'll learn:
- How Bryson was able to host a successful summit while working full time, completing a master’s degree, and getting COVID during his summit planning.
- The concerns he had about hosting a summit for his budget-conscious teacher audience.
- How he was able to navigate those valid concerns and go on to host an amazing values-driven event that benefited him, his speakers, and his attendees.
Listen to the episode
Download the episode transcript here.
Episode at a glance:
[01:47] Bryson accidentally started his business, That Music Teacher, alongside his full-time job as an elementary music teacher as a way to provide resources that were lacking in his industry to an underserved audience.
[4:22] Bryson went into his summit planning with the goal of serving his audience well and providing amazing value, but he had concerns about how they would receive his summit.
“Teachers are historically underpaid, and we feel like we should be helping each other, so I was concerned about how it would be perceived when I create an event that’s going to make me money?”
[5:38] It felt so much better to go into the summit focusing on making the free event as amazing and valuable as possible, so even if people weren’t able to purchase the all-access pass, they were still being served no matter what.
[6:46] It was equally important for Bryson to make the summit beneficial for his speakers as well as his attendees.
“Being able to send affiliate payments to the speakers, many of whom are also teachers, and impact not only their business, but their families and their classrooms was something that was truly beneficial and making my heart so full”
[8:59] Getting sick right before the summit actually ended up being a good thing, because it forced Bryson to bring in a virtual assistant. Having someone to help him run the event was an absolute lifeline during the summit week.
[11:11] Elementary music teachers are often overlooked when it comes to professional development for teachers, so it was amazing to host a live event for this audience to bring them all together and provide training and education that is seriously lacking for this audience.
[12:40] The results completely blew his mind and set a new precedent for his industry.
“I knew that there was a need for this PD for elementary music teachers, I didn't think that I would be the one to do it. Even as I'm doing this, It never even it never even crossed my mind that I'd be the one to make this type of impact.”
[14:15] Bryson was also able to land sponsors for the very first round of his summit! He shares what it was like pitching sponsors and how he presented it as a worthwhile opportunity without numbers from a previous summit to share.
[16:55] Even though he was offering a ton of value for free through his summit, Bryson had a lot of concerns when it came to pricing his all-access pass. He didn’t want to undervalue the amazing resources that were included, but he was also concerned about getting pushback if the price was too high.
“My speakers submitted really cool bonuses, so I was able to talk about them authentically and share how I was really excited to use them in my classroom…but I was also perfectly clear that if people wanted to just get the PD for free, I support that.”
[20:12] One of the most surprising benefits of hosting a summit was the community! The energy inside the Facebook group was amazing, people were so supportive of each other, and they were very thankful for the experience and value they received from the event.
[21:59] Making this a positive and impactful experience for speakers was a big priority when planning this event, and it paid off!
“Above all, we’re a little bit more of a community now… One of my values as a person and as a company is that a rising tide is going to raise all ships. It would be so easy in such a specific niche of elementary music teachers if we were against each other and battling each other, but I truly believe that whenever we work together, we're going to benefit everyone.”
[24:02] Bryson’s biggest tips for a first-time summit host: don’t underestimate the time it takes to put together a summit, and make sure that what you’re doing and the decisions you’re making throughout the process are in alignment with your values.
About Bryson
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