An XĂD event
The Agency Leaders’ Field Trip
Born out of the idea that everyone enjoys the happy hour after the conference more than the conference itself. Am I right?!
Join us (and a group of 30 of your new agency friends) on April 9-10th in New York City with a minimal schedule of casual conversations with agency leaders who simply want to get to know one another, talk shop, and build new relationships.
Hi đđ» my name is Chris (in the orange). And thatâs me with my buddy David.
How did this get started?
David and I were sitting at a conference together back in November, and we realized (like many agency folks before us) that we enjoyed the “between-session” time where we got to actually talk to people more than the actual conference itself. Everyone we ran into was excited for the post-conference hangout at the bar.
I know it’s true. You know it’s true.
So, why not just give people an excuse to hang out?
So, we made a list of our favorite ways to meet people.
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Some simple activity to have a shared experience with everyone
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Multiple places to go to hang out
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The ability to “get away” if we needed to answer emails or take a call without judgment
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Little to no cost (we would rather get the food we want)
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Space to have conversations
We came up with
XĂD: An Agency Leaders’ Field Trip
36 hours in New York City with a minimal schedule of casual conversations with up to 30 agency leaders who simply want to get to know one another, talk shop, and build new relationships.
What’s the plan?
Thursday
April 9th
Plan to be in Manhattan by around 3:00 or so.
Our welcome event will be at Lucky Strike Chelsea Pier. Come meet with your new agency friends, roll a ball down a lane, and start building some new friendships. Food is on us as well as two drink tickets per person.
Quality hang out. Good conversation.
The whole point ^
Friday
April 10th
Now, the Field Trip begins! We’re going to be hopping different restaurants throughout the day. Come join us at whichever ones you want!
Want to go to all of the places? Follow David and Chris around all day long. Or, feel free to stay at one place all day. Or, skip one. Doesn’t matter one bit. Use your day to grow relationships however you want to.
At the end of the day, we just want to create a space for quality conversations (and an excuse to move around New York)
Questions we haven’t answered
We want all the locations on Friday to be along a single subway line (if possible). Once we have every location confirmed, we’ll let you know via email where to look for a hotel.
Yes! The majority of Thursday night is on us (we’ll have food and drink tickets). Everything on Friday is on you. If you want to grab expensive drinks and food everywhere we go, that’s entirely your call. Our goal is to provide a structure for a hangout around New York.
Personally, I’ve felt it easier to get back-and-forth from LaGuardia, but that’s merely a personal preference (this is Chris, the guy from Atlanta co-hosting this)
As late as you want. Our last stop will be a bar, so you can stay there as long as you please. I think most people will either: (a) leave Saturday morning, or (b) use this as a good excuse for a long-weekend in New York and stay for a few more days.
Both David and I know agency folks from a plethora of different industries. We’ll be inviting people who are a part of agencies with 200+ employees and do “all the marketing things” under one roof, as well as the solo-specialist who has been perfecting her craft for 15 years.
Every good event that has co-hosts has to have an “umbrella name,” right? When David and I were planning this, I had mentioned to David: “You exude confidence.” From that moment forward, “exude” was the phrase of the trip.
We decided to use it as our name because we want people to leave with their cup overflowing. We want to create a space where people can exude joy and confidence while being surrounded by others.
The short answer is that we are open to it. Here are our criteria:
1. This isn’t an “event sponsorship” with signage, swag, and forced discussions that no one wants to hear.
2. Sponsorships have to come from OTHER AGENCIES that merely want to give back to help financially with putting this event on.
3. If there is something unique that you have an idea for, we are all ears, but it can’t be “an advertisement.”
Who knows… maybe we have something up our sleeve to recognize your help. TBD. đ
Interested? Let us know.
Put your name on the list and let us know you would like to join us. We’re in the process of reaching out to folks right now to get a general headcount for Thursday night’s event. Once we have enough people saying “yes,” we’ll get things reserved and tell you to buy your flights/hotels (if necessary).
đđ» Confirmation will come late-February through an official Eventbrite page đđ»