11 Tips on Planning a Successful Community Panel and Discussion

“At Bumble, we envision a world free of misogyny where all relationships are equal. As San Diego’s Community Marketing Manager, I’m responsible for building and supporting a community of individuals who live out our mission of kindness, respect, equality, and accountability in their everyday lives through hosting events and bringing Bumble to real life. I was so excited to work with Dames Collective on the ‘WHAT SHE SAID’ event. We wanted to create a safe space where women and male allies could learn about the different obstacles women can face in the beginning years of running a business. We also wanted to provide a physical space where the audience could cultivate professional connections. Rather than having men and women compete for seats at the table, we wanted to bring more to the table.”  – Madison Marchetti, Community Marketing Manager, Bumble San Diego

“We were excited to partner with Bumble Bizz on this event because it gave both of our respective communities the opportunity to merge virtual and face-to-face networking in one place. It was extremely important to us that the panel showcased a real, gritty focus. Our panel moderator and fellow Dames Collective San Diego member Jessie Donahue achieved this through asking the hard-hitting questions – we didn’t want any fluff or bullshit. We wanted the audience to walk away with genuine, real knowledge of what it’s like to run a business.”  –Chanel Sonego, Dames Collective Founder + CEO

“We wanted to market the event to those who would benefit the most from listening to the amazing stories discussed during the panel. We targeted local female founders, women in business, and those within my personal and professional network. I wanted to bring together a solid mix of women who were at different stages within their career: those who wanted to start a business, those who just launched a business, and women with established and successful businesses. I also utilized our various social media platforms and posted the event to local event calendars to help spread the word even further. Our incredible sponsors and panelists were able to tap into their network and market the event on their end as well.”  – Madison Marchetti, Community Marketing Manager, Bumble San Diego

“Our community in San Diego has been growing since we launched in September 2017 and so we made sure to market the event to the Dames Collective San Diego members, followers and all of those who have supported us along the way. Our community ranges from female founders, executives, side-hustlers, and women that want to see their fellow females succeed! Instagram, Facebook, e-mail marketing and word of mouth are our most successful advertising streams, so we made sure to hit those as much as we could. At the end of the day, our community is beyond loyal and supportive, and we were thrilled with the event turnout.” –Chanel Sonego, Dames Collective Founder + CEO

“As Dames Collective has grown, we’ve made it a point to  immerse ourselves in the San Diego community and really get to know local entrepreneurs and females that are killing it in their field. We are invested in their success and so we’ve made it a point to work with them on events on a recurring basis. We have a great relationship with local PR powerhouse COVET PR so I reached out to see if any of their clients would be interested in participating in the event; luckily, we had an overwhelming response. Madison Marchetti was also reaching out to people left and right; she was able to secure a majority of the sponsorships. Since Bumble Bizz and Dames Collective are both mission-based organizations, we really wanted to focus on partnering with businesses that truly believed in what we were setting out to accomplish for the event. We also wanted to work with local businesses and those that were partially female founded and/or owned.” – Chanel Sonego, Dames Collective Founder + CEO

“Creating a photo moment not only provides a great opportunity for amazing selfies, but it’s also an optimal place for people to gather, let loose and get to know each other a little better. For this event, I worked with Bumble Bizz and Dames Collective to develop the theme and color palette for the event; ultimately, we wanted to create a fun and inviting atmosphere, so I played off of the branding colors for the two businesses to create a summertime sunset feel. I knew the stage needed a backdrop that made a statement, and I wanted to create something with a lot of visual interest, so I decided on an ombré background made up of orange and pink paper chains. Our amazing friends over at Happily Ever Etched provided the gorgeous acrylic signage, and the outcome was exactly what I hoped for!

Here are my tips for creating a stunning backdrop for your event:
• Know your message, theme, and color palette.
• Get crazy! Shoot for the moon with your concept.
• Practice with your materials and methods; sometimes, you have to find a plan B.
•Consider the practicalities - size, installation method, and transportation.
• Revel in your awesomeness and be proud of what you created!” – Jessica Stierl, Founder MAC+MINI Design 

“As this particular event focused on showcasing the struggle (and achievements!) of female entrepreneurs, we wanted to source the most successful female entrepreneurs in San Diego so that they could offer the best advice on starting a business. We wanted the panel to be useful for entrepreneurs in different industries, so we reached out to leaders in the marketing, PR, travel/publication, and retail industries to make it applicable across a number of fields.” –Madison Marchetti, Community Marketing Manager, Bumble San Diego

“We really wanted to choose a panel moderator who personally experienced the struggles of building a business so that they could ask the panelists powerful questions that would spark value-packed answers for the audience. As the event was mission-based, we also wanted to source someone who would align with our values. Jessie Donahue was our panel moderator, and she is also the co-founder of CTZN FEM, an active member of the Dames Collective, and a passionate supporter of all efforts that uplift female founders. Her company, CTZN FEM, is on a mission is to empower and inspire women with the tools to actively engage in the global economy, push limits and pursue financial freedom. We did a good job, don’t you think? CTZN FEM’s branding and social media marketing services as well as their digital courses are designed specifically for seed stage female founders or as they like to say “the rising woman.” Jessie has supported hundreds of female-owned businesses through launch and growth and was able to analyze each panelist’s experience and frame questions that shed light on how to overcome obstacles, master mindset and build a thriving business.” – Madison Marchetti, Community Marketing Manager, Bumble San Diego

“Jessie, our moderator, interviewed each of the panelists ahead of time, taking a deep dive into their personal stories, struggles and successes. Jessie had the intention of exposing the “real real” about what it takes to start a business and framed questions that gave the panelists an opportunity to openly share their wisdom and experience. The questions were chosen in the hopes that the responses would fuel and reassure budding female founders as they embark on the tumultuous journey of opening their own business.” – Madison Marchetti, Community Marketing Manager, Bumble San Diego

“We wanted to allow guests to mix and mingle at the beginning of the event, enjoy sips and light bites, and check out the interactive pop-ups to familiarize themselves with the companies being represented in the panel. Following the casual reception, guests were asked to be seated for the 45 minute panel. After the event, guests were encouraged to connect with one another and introduce themselves to other attendees. The photographer roamed around and snapped fun photos of the guests in front of the eye-catching backdrop, too. As the event came to a close, guests were given Bumble Bizz gift bags to remember the evening.” –Madison Marchetti, Community Marketing Manager, Bumble San Diego

“We host panel events every month and we find that this timeline example of our Morning MindFUEL events works the best. The event is held from 8am to 10:30am.

• 7:45AM - Panel speakers arrive / Get acquainted
• 8:00AM - Attendees arrive / Get Mimosa(s), mingle and find their seats
• 8:30AM - Panel begins
• 9:00AM - Q&A from Audience
• 9:30AM - Chapter announcements + Elevator pitches
• 10:00AM - Networking
• 10:30AM - Event ends  

It’s important to include a networking/mingle time slot at both the beginning and the end of a panel so that those who may not feel completely comfortable at the beginning don’t leave the event without a making a connection once they’ve relaxed and felt the welcoming atmosphere.” – Chanel Sonego, Dames Collective Founder + CEO