RedHawk Events

Holy smokes. What a couple of days, and yet another reminder of why in-person activity is the best.

I had no idea what to expect from Mark Masters' You Are The Media event when I booked an early bird ticket last July, but I am so glad I did.

I just got back from Creator Day in Poole. My focus was to meet some new people, hopefully hear a couple of interesting talks, and enjoy being somewhere new. My expectations weren't much higher than that.

Well, those expectations were blown out the park.

All of the talks were absolute 🔥 .

The perfect blend of warm, relatable, funny - but also informative, educational and leaving you with something you wanted to take forward for yourself both personally and professionally. They were flawlessly delivered, yet accessible.

As a community that is already in existence, I had anticipated possibly feeling a bit like a 'newbie'. No need. Everyone I met was SO friendly, really genuine and thoroughly inclusive.

The day was rounded off with a small workshop session yesterday afternoon, and a dip in the sea this morning. Absolutely top drawer.

Massive thanks Mark - and I highly recommend Creator Day to anyone considering a new event to try out next year.

I was asked recently what I do, and if I have changed how I work because I'm using different language, so here's a quick run down of my services as an IRL Marketing Consultant:

🔥STRATEGY - Using three, distinct high-impact channels to focus your IRL Marketing activity and clearly track ROI from your events. I work with you to make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

💫 MENTORSHIP -  A six-month mentorship framework that supports junior and developing IRL Marketing teams through accountability, confidence building, and knowledge sharing.

💥 PRODUCTION - Got events that need managing? Twenty years of this is how I can do the first two above. If you're short on people on the ground to lead or deliver, I can help.

I work with time-poor senior leaders who have ambitious, specific growth objectives; need a focused IRL Marketing strategy, and who are ready to step out of the weeds of managing their teams day-to-day so they can lead effectively.

I help SMEs, organisations such as the ONS, local government bodies, award-winning higher education institutions, global charities, and medical associations.

🫵 Several projects have come to a close at the turn of the financial year, and I have capacity! If you or someone in your network needs support and direction with their IRL Marketing activity, developing their teams or managing their events, point them my way.

My DMs are open or you can get me on email - [email protected] 🌟

📸

I was thinking about former managers and bosses over the weekend, trying to count how many I’ve had. It’s easy to just think about the ‘career’ ones, but when I go back to temp jobs, uni jobs, part-time roles… there was always someone to report to, and they all brought something different. Some felt like mentors. Some felt like friends. I fancied a couple of them ( 🫨 Hi, 18-year-old me. Not cool).

The best bosses I’ve had were the ones who supported and developed me at the same time. A good balance of carrot and stick. It felt safe to get things wrong, it was celebrated when you got things right, and that made you want to meet expectations.

I used to think the worst ones were the bosses who were all pressure and no diamonds. Nothing was ever good enough, yet there wasn’t the opportunity to work closely enough with them to improve. To learn how each other works. To actually feel like a team.

I realise now that those were often the people under the most pressure themselves. Frustrated, stretched too thin - pulled into delivery while still carrying responsibility for the bigger picture, with little capacity left to support their teams.

In the current economic climate, we’ve seen cuts across multiple industries. Middle management has disappeared, leaving junior team members with huge potential and senior leaders with little time to develop them. Add generational differences into the mix, and it can feel like a challenging hive of dissatisfied bees.

This is where I can help.

I’ve developed a six-month mentorship framework to support junior and developing IRL marketing teams through accountability, confidence building and knowledge sharing.

We work through the sticky, day-to-day challenges that stall progress, building capability and autonomy so your weekly 1-1s move the business forward rather than simply ticking off tasks.

I’ve used these tools with the ONS, multiple local government organisations, self-owned small businesses and creatives across B2B and B2C sectors.

If you’re a time-poor senior leader with clear growth ambitions and a team full of potential, I can help you create the space to lead, while your team builds the skills to deliver.

I delivered a Strategy Day in the city centre yesterday, and from the moment I stepped out of the car I was reminded why in-person stuff is the hecking best.

🌷The spring flowers in Southernhay Gardens are absolutely stunning.

The guy who made my coffee in was chipper AF and a total delight to exchange Monday morning joy with.

The window display in is insanely aesthetically pleasing, and I could stick my head in the shop and tell them so because I was actually physically there.

I’m not anti-AI. But it cannot and will not replace the human experience.

Events have had a tough ride the last few years, and at present there is an awful lot of chat about all the services, jobs and products AI is apparently able to substitute. 

But IRL experiences are not one of them, and for the first time in a long time, I think events are able to very tangibly prove their worth beyond the profit margin - and it’s by being there in-person.

I’m going to start sharing moments like the ones above more regularly.

IRL FOR THE WIN!

I delivered a Strategy Day in the city centre yesterday, and from the moment I stepped out of the car I was reminded why in-person stuff is the hecking best.

🌷The spring flowers in Southernhay Gardens are absolutely stunning.

☕The guy who made my coffee in was chipper AF and a total delight to exchange Monday morning joy with.

The window display in is insanely aesthetically pleasing, and I could stick my head in the shop and tell them so because I was actually physically there.

I’m not anti-AI. But it cannot and will not replace the human experience.

Events have had a tough ride the last few years, and at present there is an awful lot of chat about all the services, jobs and products AI is apparently able to substitute. 

But IRL experiences are not one of them, and for the first time in a long time, I think events are able to very tangibly prove their worth beyond the profit margin - and it’s by being there in-person.

I’m going to start sharing moments like the ones above more regularly.

IRL FOR THE WIN!

⏩ Swipe for a .vonnegut.wisdom quote that illustrates the above point beautifully 🤌🏼