The VIP Event Playbook Top Producers Run Every Quarter

Q: Why do most agents skip events, and what does it cost them?

A: Lauren says most agents treat events as optional, while the top producers in their market treat them as non-negotiable — and the agents who skip them are usually the same ones wondering why their referral business dried up. Agents who are too busy to host events are often constantly starting over with cold leads because they let warm relationships go cold. Brooke added that the three most common objections — time, money, and not knowing where to start — are really just symptoms of not having a system. Without a playbook you reinvent the wheel every time, but with a repeatable process the second event is half the work of the first, and the third is half again.

Q: What makes an event successful?

A: Brooke and Lauren teach a four-part framework, and when all four pieces are in place the event works every time. First, a clear purpose: know why you’re hosting before you spend a dollar, because the purpose determines the guest list, the venue, and the messaging. Second, a VIP experience where guests feel seen and valued rather than sold to — the moment it feels like a sales pitch, you’ve lost them. Third, intentional follow-up, since the event is just the opening act and the real business happens afterward, and fourth, measured outcomes, because what gets measured gets improved.

Q: How do you know whether an event actually worked?

A: Brooke’s rule is to write down three things you want to be true 90 days after the event before you plan a single detail — maybe ten referral conversations, a 20% increase in database engagement, or five new reviews. Track those afterward, debrief honestly, and let the debrief make the next event better than the last. She also stresses tracking lead sources so you know whether business came from your sphere, a past client, or a paid lead, which tells you what to cut and what to add when you review your P&L. Then document everything into an SOP so you’re building a machine that runs consistently, not just hosting one great event.

Q: What event formats work in almost any market?

A: Lauren and Brooke shared three proven formats. Night at the Ballpark means renting a section or suite and bringing families out for a shared memory, with sponsorship opportunities built in and social content that practically creates itself as people tag and thank you. Ice cream socials are low cost with extremely high turnout and work for every demographic. Pictures in the Park has the highest perceived value of the three: partner with a local photographer for free family photos — dogs welcome — and your sphere shows up in full force for something tangible they’d otherwise pay 100 to 150 dollars for, plus every attendee has a reason to tag you and tell their friends.

Q: Should a team run several events at once?

A: Brooke recommends picking one event per quarter and mastering it, because she made the mistake of trying to do too many at once. It exhausts the operations side, and inviting the same clientele over and over wears off the shine. Master one, build the process behind it, and the next quarter you can run it in half the time with double the confidence. If you’re not doing events now, don’t try to do all the events.

Q: How do you market an event so people actually show up?

A: Lauren says if you’re posting about your event one time, you’re invisible — you need a campaign with a save the date, a countdown series, and day-of content. A registration page is non-negotiable, whether that’s free Eventbrite or a landing page flowing into your CRM, because every registration is a legitimate opt-in you can tag and segment for follow-up. Send a minimum of three emails — announcement, one-week reminder, and post-event follow-up — each feeling personal rather than a newsletter blast. For your top 25 clients, a physical postcard is a pattern interrupt, and useful branded swag like pens keeps you top of mind every time it gets used.

Q: What’s the follow-up step most agents skip?

A: The post-event thank-you video: a personal video within 48 hours to every attendee you personally invited, and Lauren says it doesn’t have to be polished, just genuine. It’s the step most people skip and the one that generates the most goodwill. Brooke’s systems advice is to build the follow-up sequence in your CRM before the event even happens so it’s already running when the team is tired, and to block the video time on the calendar as a non-negotiable, because if it’s not scheduled it won’t happen. Team leaders can also invite recruits to the event and send them the video to show how they show up for their clients.

Q: How do you get an event to pay for itself?

A: Lauren’s favorite mindset shift came from a training attendee: stop letting vendors bring you donuts — if they want access to your audience, invite them to sponsor your events instead. You’re not asking for a favor; you’re offering direct access to a warm, qualified audience of homeowners and buyers, and the ask is simple: a warm introduction, a clear value proposition, an easy yes or no, five minutes. Brooke says build the preferred vendor list first — lender, title, photographer, sign company, inspectors, two or three per category — because you can’t call for sponsorships if you don’t know who you’re calling. She has zeroed out events completely through sponsorships and knows teams that ran huge events without spending a dollar.

Q: How do you make events meaningful instead of salesy?

A: Lauren says people can feel commission breath, so the question to sit with while planning every event is how do we give back here. That can be a donation drive, a charity raffle, a portion of sponsorship revenue to a local nonprofit, or something as simple as asking ballpark attendees to bring canned goods or pet supplies for the shelter. She tells agents to figure out what breaks their heart — hers shifted toward kids missing out on life experiences after becoming a mom — and build that into the event. Brooke added that the give-back component should be on the checklist and a line item in the budget from the very beginning, because teams who weave it into everything end up with clients who become advocates and raving fans, not just repeat clients.

Q: When should you plan your events for the year?

A: Lauren recommends making events part of your fourth-quarter business planning and deciding what you’ll host in each quarter of the coming year — she encourages four events for 2027. Put the date on the calendar even if it’s just a placeholder, and give yourself enough lead time to lock in venues, permits, or tickets. The number one reason events don’t happen is that they stay in the someday category, and someday is not a date — pick a date. She also suggests using AI to build the graphics, budget template, sponsorship package, outreach scripts, and follow-up sequences so the playbook comes together faster.

Lauren: [00:00:00] documenting step by step your entire process, if you’re not doing that for anything, event planning, anything in your business that you’re doing, it needs to be written down and documented. Most agents think events are optional. The top producers in your market, they think they’re non-negotiable. And here’s the thing, the agents who treat events as optional are the same ones wondering why their referral business dried up.

Lauren: Okay? So today, Brooke and I are breaking down exactly how to build VIP events into your business cadence in a way that is repeatable, cost-effective, and honestly, a lot of fun. So let’s get into it. Welcome back to the Reside Platform Podcast. I am Lauren Holland, director of client experience here at Reside, and I am here with my co-host and partner in all things systems and strategy.[00:01:00] 

Brooke: Hello. I’m Brooke Rieke, client success manager and operations coach here at Reside. Hello again, everybody. 

Lauren: Yay. All right. So Brooke and I just taught this framework yesterday to our engine group, Mm-hmm … at Reside, our operations community and team leaders, and the conversation in the room was just so good that we knew we needed to bring it straight to the podcast.

Lauren: So you’re gonna get the same energy, same content, but you’re getting the full unfiltered version today. 

Brooke: Absolutely. And I think what I really loved about yesterday’s call or when we presented this to our operations engine group, was that it– sharing that really just made the room better. People were adding in ideas in real time that honestly, you know, we hadn’t thought of before, or hadn’t seen before.

Brooke: And that’s really what happens when you get operators and team leaders into a room together is that collective brain is always going to work smarter. 

Lauren: Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. and that’s the spirit of what we do [00:02:00] here at Reside. Multiple people are smarter than one. So today you’re gonna get, real talk, real examples, and a real framework, and, here’s what we’re covering today: what actually makes an event successful, how to choose the right event for your market and your season, and how to take one event and make it, you know, do the work of 10, marketing sponsorships, follow-up, all of it.

Lauren: So let’s start at the, foundation. 

Brooke: Awesome. 

Lauren: Okay. So why events? The mindset. This is the mindset shift here, people. Before we get into the how, I wanna address the thing that stops most agents before they even start. The belief that, events are an expense. they’re– yes, they are, but they don’t have to be.

Lauren: They don’t have to be the largest expense on your P&L. they’re an investment in your most valuable asset, which is your relationships. so Brooke, from the ops and, client success side, when, when agents and team leaders push back on doing events What are the reasons you hear the [00:03:00] most? 

Brooke: I would say honestly, it’s almost always one of three things.

Brooke: It’s either time, money, or I just simply don’t know where to start. I feel overwhelmed, which is, I think, where a lot of people fall in. and what’s interesting is that all three of those objections are actually just symptoms of not having a true system. So when there’s no playbook, everything’s gonna feel really heavy.

Brooke: When you have all these ideas but you don’t have it written out, it is going to feel like it’s overwhelming in some sense. You’re… And reinventing the wheel every single time, and then of course that’s going to feel expensive and time-consuming. Mm-hmm. Because truly, it really is when you’re doing it that way.

Brooke: Yeah. but when you have a repeatable process, so that second event is half the work of the first, and the third’s half, and then the second- Yeah … and so on. And that’s really what we’re building today. That’s our goal of talking with you all today. 

Lauren: That’s so powerful how the first event repeatable process- Yeah

Lauren: doing half the work the second time. They really do get easier. and I just wanna add, the agents who are too busy to host [00:04:00] events are usually the same agents constantly starting over with cold leads because they let their warm, relationships just go cold. And your sphere wants to hear from you.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. They wanna support you. And I said this in our training yesterday, if it scares you, good. Okay? Go do it. People wanna hear from you, and they truly do wanna support you. there’s always gonna be the naysayers. Who cares? Okay? if you’re coming from contribution, which you are with these events, your sphere is gonna show up.

Lauren: and Brooke and I have done, both done these on our local teams in the past, and we’ve scaled this across a lot of teams, even recently. Mm-hmm. so this is not theory. We love what we call, R&D, repeat and duplicate. I’m sure you all have heard that, and I hope you’ve done that with a lot of our stuff that we have shared on here as well.

Lauren: go back and look at our scripts and our processes. We have the playbooks on a lot of this stuff. everything that we share here, take it and make it your own. This is the playbook. Okay. So, whoo, Brooke, I might have you help me with this one. Absolutely. [00:05:00] Okay, hold on.

Lauren: Okay. So when we opened yesterday’s training, I asked the room what makes an event successful, and we got some really honest answers. So someone said when the people who said that they’re coming, they actually show up. That’s what makes- Mm-hmm … an event, successful. We love that. Yes, and agree.

Lauren: RSVPs are everything. Someone else talked about knowing the lay of the land, having the check-in stage, the check-in area. You know, when you enter an event, that’s the first- Right … impression, right? So, just making sure that, each, like, check-in is there. it’s identifiable. each section of the event is mapped out so that nothing is chaotic.

Lauren: And someone from the mortgage world said, “Commit to a time and stick to it.” You know, if five people are there at the start, you start, and that is the discipline, that builds trust with your audience. So all of these are true, yes. Mm-hmm. And then, Brooke, do you wanna break down the first part of the framework that ties all of [00:06:00] this together?

Lauren: Yeah. there are four things that we’ll go through, and when all four things are in place, your event’s going to work every single time. 

Brooke: Yes, absolutely. And I think, right, the main thing where before you even throw dollars at this, or even conceptualize what’s the next step, you wanna have a clear purpose.

Brooke: So know why you’re hosting before you spend a single dollar. Is it a client appreciation event? Is it a referral generator, community visibility, a mix of both or everything? Yeah. The purpose really determines your guest list, your venue, your messaging. If you don’t know why you’re doing it, then your guests won’t know why they should care or why they’re even there in the first place.

Lauren: That is so true. Okay, I’ll take it to the next one, the VIP experience. Your guests, you know, we’re all being pitched constantly. Mm-hmm. And it’s funny because we talk about recruiting, your agents are being recruited constantly. So your clients are also being prospected all the time. so how do you turn this into a human experience instead?[00:07:00] 

Lauren: You know, they should feel seen and valued, not sold to. And people, you know, commission breath, like you can really feel that, when it’s authentic versus not. So the moment your event feels like a sales pitch is when you’ve lost them. 

Brooke: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that ties right into the third piece of the framework, which is the intentional follow-up.

Brooke: Mm-hmm. So, you know, the event is just really the opening act, and the real work is going to be that relationship that’s deepening, that referral conversation, the business. That all happens in the follow-up. Yeah. So if you’re not reconnecting through people after, you’re leaving money on the table.

Brooke: That’s just, the actual event’s just a piece of it. Yes. But the f- where, connecting it is later. 

Lauren: yes. And then the fourth one is, measured outcomes. So what gets measured gets improved. Who attended? How many from your top sphere? How many referrals came in within 90 days? Know your numbers. And one thing we like to hammer on, if you’re not tracking lead sources, so where your lead came in, so is it SOI, a past client, your, [00:08:00] PPC lead?

Lauren: You need to know where those are coming from, because that’s where when you’re looking at your P&L quarterly or whenever you’re looking at it, monthly really, that’s gonna determine if you need to make some cuts, where you’re gonna make the cuts. Mm-hmm. Or additions. 

Brooke: Absolutely. I could not agree more, on that last piece because honestly, from our experience, I’m sure, you can agree, Lauren, from what you see, but, from my experience when I talk with teams and talk with operations, that’s the biggest gap I see is that agents will host, like, a generally great event, and then they have no idea really whether it worked because they never defined what working meant before they started.

Brooke: So here’s what I, you know, always tell teams is that before you plan a single detail, write down three things that you want to be true 90 days after this event. So maybe it is 10 referral conversations. Maybe it’s 20% increase in database engagement. Maybe it’s five new reviews. Whatever it is, write that down before, track it after, and then debrief [00:09:00] honestly, and that debrief is gonna what make- makes your event, even better the next one than the last one was.

Brooke: And then you, again, you continue to build and build from there. document everything. 

Lauren: Mm-hmm. 

Brooke: Build an SOP. If you are one of our Reside members, we’ve already got that created for you. Feel free to reach out to us, if you’re looking for that because really the goal isn’t to just host one great event and be done with it.

Brooke: It’s to build a machine that runs consistently. 

Lauren: I agree. And I had somebody ask me earlier what does… what is an SOP? So your standard operating procedures. we… Brooke and I just say SOP all the time because that’s what we refer to them as. but documenting step by step your entire process, if you’re not doing that for anything, event planning, anything in your business that you’re doing, it needs to be written down and documented.

Lauren: So- Right … create a Google Drive or a OneDrive, folder, and add all of your SOPs into that. So that is so good, and if you don’t have a tracker for all of this, feel free to reach out. you know, it’s [00:10:00] really not that complicated. It just has to be intentional. 

Brooke: Absolutely. 

Lauren: Okay. So let’s get really practical.

Lauren: we are entering quarter three, which is, insane. I just had to say that. Yeah, I know, right? Oh my God. yeah, entering quarter three. So these are, Three proven event formats that work in almost every market. one of our favorites is Night at the Ballpark. So someone in yesterday’s training had already done this.

Lauren: we’ve done this a lot. Mm-hmm. they took their clients to a minor league game. was it the Jumbo Shrimp? I don’t remember. I think so, which, might be the best team name ever. and it was a massive hit. So what you do is you rent a section or a suite, you bring the families out, you create a shared memory.

Lauren: It is so much fun. If somebody invited me- Mm-hmm … to go to a ballpark for a client event, I don’t even care, you know, if it’s, an inspector or, like, what the vendor is, I’m there. Listen. Absolutely. That’s gonna be a lot of fun. where are we? [00:11:00] the… So rent a section or a suite, bring the families out, create a shared memory.

Lauren: the sponsorship opportunities are built right in there, so this actually does not need to be,a really expensive event for you. Mm-hmm. the photo moments are natural and real, and the attendance is high here because people generally look forward, to it. So if you invite me, like I said, I am there.

Lauren: Brooke, do you agree? What would get you there? Absolutely. Okay. 

Brooke: Absolutely. I’m honestly not even a big sports person. I hope I don’t get hate for that, but I’m honestly not a big sports person, but still, if I was invited, like, “Hey, you and your family can come, you know, for free to this Night at the Ballpark event, and we’re…

Brooke: you know, we’ve h- the… have this section,” I would be there anyway because I know that’s something that we can enjoy as a family. Mm-hmm. It’s a different experience that we don’t normally do. i- if cost is a factor, that’s already taken care of. Absolutely. Typically, there’s food and other things there already, too, so again, it’s just, it’s…

Brooke: I would still go to that just to have that memory. 

Lauren: [00:12:00] Yeah. So, so fun. and the nostalgia. Like, my dad and I would go to baseball games when I was younger- Mm-hmm … so, like, you can start that tradition with your family, or if, like, you have a shared memory like that, it’s a lot of fun. So, the social content practically creates itself.

Lauren: People are tagging you, thanking you, sharing their family photos. So if your market has a minor or a major league team or just something fun that you can bring them to, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a night at the ballpark. It can be whatever local sporting event is in your area, in that season, put this on your shortlist.

Brooke: Yes, absolutely. I also like ice cream socials. I think- … a lot of people sleep on that one because it- … it’s, it can be common. but it is low cost, it’s extremely high turnout, works for every demographic. I mean, who doesn’t love ice cream? That’s one I would be at right away. One of our attendees yesterday in Hawaii was actually doing a date night event, shout out to our team live.

Brooke: Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, and which was no networking, no lead generation, just getting couples in a room and doing connection exercises, [00:13:00] giving beautiful gift bags, and that’s kind of that ice cream social type energy. Something that’s joyful, generous, no agenda really than other than the people and, again, building those relationships.

Lauren: So, so fun. And I think I said yesterday, they’re now, like I mean, they probably have been doing this forever, but Dippin’ Dots- 

Brooke: Oh, 

Lauren: yeah … they do, I don’t know, like I think it’s the coolest idea. I will be doing this at one event that I host in the future. But you can purchase them, like in bulk.

Lauren: I was trying to think, I was like, what do they call it at Costco? Yeah. In bulk. And they’ll send it on dry ice, and obviously when you open it, you need to use it, consume it that day, but why wouldn’t you? So just, like go check out their website. This is not a sponsored, post- … by them. I just love Dippin’ Dots, and I think it’s really cool.

Brooke: It’s awesome. Yeah. 

Lauren: yeah, so anyways, I’ll digress. But like check that out, make… It’s gonna be really memoral- memorable for your people. and the last one we have is, pictures in the park. These are just three examples. There are so many more things you can do. this one might be the highest perceived [00:14:00] value of the three.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. so you can partner with a local photographer, offer free family photos. bring your dog. we got a lot of people that are more like animal parents these days. even if you do have the kids. just kidding. and so- … bring your whole family and get a self-portrait with your dog, you know?

Lauren: or you know, whatever amp critter you wanna bring. i- this is where your s- sphere is going to show up in full force because you’re giving them something tangible to take with them that they would otherwise pay for. I support our local photographers in my area. I love doing mini shoots.

Lauren: my son is probably gonna be like, “Mom, no more photos.” he’s only he’s not even one yet, but I’m just picturing that for the future. but like if I wanted to do a 30-minute session, you know, they’re $100 to $150- Yeah … which 30 minutes, granted, can be a long time to take photos, but, like you’re spending that much on yourself, like i- take advantage of it.

Lauren: Like a lot of people are doing these things. and every, again, everything, becomes shareable content, so every attendee has a reason to [00:15:00] tag you and tell their friends. Yeah. I would say b- check with them before posting or reposting anything if they have children, because some people- They do … do have a rule that their kids’ faces don’t go on social media.

Lauren: just throwing that out there. 

Brooke: Yes. Yeah, for sure. And this is something… I’m the opposite. I’m horrible about taking pictures. I’m horrible about, about, like, capturing those times. And every single year- Yeah … I’m like, “Oh, I have to, I need to get pictures done.” Like, while my daughter especially is still young, like, “I need to get pictures done.

Brooke: I need to get pictures done,” and I never do it. So if something was, i- if something was already planned for me, I didn’t have to pay for it, it was already done- 

Lauren: Yeah … 

Brooke: for me, that’s the hardest, just for the logistics of it. And so I’d be like, “Great, yep. I’m… Just tell me when and where and I’m gonna be there.”

Brooke: So- 

Lauren: I agree 

Brooke: I also think from an ops standpoint, the pictures in the park is also probably the most logistically manageable of the three if you’re running a smaller team. you don’t need a venue contract. You don’t need a food permit. You just need, like, a park, a photographer, and a registration link.

Brooke: And if you already have a photographer on y- that works with your team or does some of your pictures for your [00:16:00] listings and things like that, or headshots, feel free to ask them as well if that’s something that they can do. that operational lift is gonna be low, and then the relationship ROI is gonna be really high.

Brooke: Mm-hmm. and I also think it’s worth saying don’t try to do all three in one quarter. I’ve made that mistake before as well. pick one. Do it well. Oh, why didn’t 

Lauren: it work? 

Brooke: I’m 

Lauren: curious. 

Brooke: Yeah. Yeah. and I mean, it gets exhausting. Unless you’re doing… I- it gets exhausting, one, for operations and for those that- Mm-hmm

Brooke: are planning it. and it gets exhausting for your, if you’re having the same clientele that you’re inviting over and over again. They’re not gonna- That’s 

Lauren: a great point. 

Brooke: You know, it’s not… the shininess of it, the uniqueness- … of it isn’t always gonna be there. So I would recommend at least just picking one.

Brooke: master that, do it really well, build the process behind it, and then, again, next quarter you could run it in half the time with double the confidence, and then you can always, you know, build from there. But I wouldn’t… If you’re not doing events now, I wouldn’t recommend let’s do all the events. 

Lauren: Don’t become the master in one quarter.

Lauren: Right. I love it, [00:17:00] and we’re gonna talk about the different kinds of events that you can do too, but, the best one that you’re gonna put on is the one that you ac- actually execute on. Yeah. which, which one resonates for you with where you’re, you are right now, whether that’s in your business or the local climate in the area.

Lauren: Like, y- you’re the local expert. determine what will be best, who you could get. Give yourself enough time to plan these things as well. You can’t just decide, hey, next weekend. Like, that doesn’t give enough time for people to prepare, or even really solidify a venue, if you need to get a permit or you need to acquire tickets, you know?

Lauren: So just make sure you’re being organized and do your planning, and again, document everything because then you make it a repeatable process and you’re not, like, second-guessing what you need to do. Has it already been done? So that’s where your checklist comes in. also just, think about not just what sounds fun, but what fits your market, your personality, and, your capacity as well.

Brooke: Yes. Nothing worse- 

Lauren: Which brings us… Sorry, Brooke, what? 

Brooke: I was saying could not agree more on that is, yeah, what’s [00:18:00] gonna fit your market, your personality, your capacity. Don’t… If you’re not a dog person, don’t try to take on, events where it’s about, you know, bringing your dog somewhere if you’re, like, that’s not you.

Brooke: You know? 

Lauren: That’s a great point. okay, so the next one is we’re gonna be talking about, leverage marketing and follow-up. This is probably the meat and potatoes of everything we’re talking about once you have picked. One thing that I don’t think we mentioned is you can do … I highly recommend this. you should all be doing some sort of business planning in quarter four.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. Make this part of it and decide, hey, what events are we gonna do quarter one, quarter two, quarter three, quarter four? so choosing the event is the easy part. This is where most agents and teams leave money on the table though, the marketing and the follow-through. Okay? If we’re not doing these seven levers, you’re just bleeding out money.

Lauren: And it is great to get people together, but there is an action and a reason and a purpose of why we do these as well. so let’s move through them. I’ll kick us off, Brooke, with the first one. Mm-hmm. social media posts. so you really wanna get a [00:19:00] save the date, a countdown series, and a day of content out.

Lauren: not just one post. We need a campaign. If you’re posting about your event one time, you’re invisible. Don’t be a secret agent. Repeat yourself. You hear me say a lot, “Don’t be a secret agent.” the reason I repeat myself is when we hear something about seven times, something finally shifts in us and it clicks psychologically.

Lauren: and so people need to, see and hear something multiple times before it registers. Mm-hmm. And for operators listening to this, whoever’s executing, this is a great place to, support your agents and help them batch the content in advance so it’s not such a last-minute scramble, and you should also be sharing on your social too.

Lauren: If you’re not sharing, people aren’t gonna know about it, and it is not their job to remember something that, you are supposed to be reminding them about 

Brooke: Yep. Absolutely. and I would say the second piece there is going to be some sort of registration page. You can do Eventbrite, which is a free tool.

Brooke: Mm-hmm. or [00:20:00] if you have a site already, you can create, you know, a, just a landing page for this that people can register. Might already… Your site might already be set up where it’s gonna flow into your CRM, so that’s a great piece where you get registrations that are showing up and flowing into your CRM.

Brooke: but pick a- pick something. Worst case, if you’re not sure what to do, Eventbrite’s a great way to go. But this is, regardless, the registration page is a non-negotiable. You need the names, you need the email addresses, the contact information. Every registration is a legitimate opt-in into your data- database, and it’s, again, something that’s free, and it’s gonna provide massive value.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. And Brooke, because you’re a fab expert in tagging, would you put this as a event? Would you tag as event? 

Brooke: Absolutely. That’s gonna make it so much easier for you to go back and… And, talk about, like, cutting your time in half. Next time you know who was on that event list and who your frequent flyers are, or who you had invited to it, and then you can go back and segment that tag specifically, a VIP client or, you know, October [00:21:00] event or whatever it might be, and then be able to pull that.

Brooke: And then it also makes it a lot easier for the follow-up as well, and- Yeah … if you really wanna get in the weeds of it, you can go into, you know, Fall Boss or pretty much any CRM and set up an automation and action plan behind these as well. So those that are tagged, for that certain event of who showed up, you can, it can automate some sort of trigger to follow up on your behalf later so you don’t have to think about it.

Lauren: So good. Okay, the third one, email campaigns. Send out three minimum. Mm-hmm. You’re gonna get an announcement one r- week, one week reminder. I’m just getting all tongue-tied today. a post-event follow-up. Each one of these should feel personal. It is not a newsletter blast. 

Brooke: Yes. also postc- for postcards and direct mail.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. 

Brooke: Old school, and it works. So for your top 25, clients, a physical postcard is a pattern interrupt. It gets noticed. Not a lot of people are getting mail anymore. I know I still get excited about when it’s, when I get mail [00:22:00] other than, like, a bill. Me too. I’m like, “Oh, cool.” Yeah, other 

Lauren: than a bill.

Brooke: Same. Right? And it signals to you that, it signals to them really that, hey, they matter in a way that a social post simply cannot. It feels more personal and like, “Hey, I see you,” rather … “and I’m taking the time to send you something,” rather than, “Hey, this goes to everybody.” 

Lauren: Yeah. And I mean, you can automate this, but I love a good handwritten note.

Lauren: Me too. Like, you really can automate, but you can still tell when those are. They look a little bit more like handwritten notes, but you know that’s not their handwriting. the next one, branded swag, tchotchkes, if you will. keep them useful, something somebody’s actually going to use.

Lauren: every time they reach for it they think of you. So I needed a pen last weekend, I think it was last weekend, and I usually keep one in my car, and I didn’t have one. Mm-hmm. And I usually do. So I, just all that to say, pens are great, guys. Mm-hmm. Like, give people pens because they can keep them in their

Lauren: They have their purse pen, [00:23:00] their car pen, their … Wherever you’re putting these, like in your drawer. Like, pens are great. What else? Like hand sanitizer is really awesome. Mm-hmm. Ooh, portable fans. I would get really excited- Yes … to, because we li- I live in the South, man, and it gets hot here. So if you, like, get, like, cool neck fans, those are probably more expensive, but I would totally take that and be like, “Thank you, so and so,” whoever gave it to me.

Lauren: Totally. 

Brooke: Absolutely, yeah. cutting boards, like a kitchen… anything kitchen appliance, anything like those little things that you just are like, you know, you need from day to day. I mean, feel free to look, you know, you can look on, there’s tons of different, like, brandings- Exactly. Yeah … so you can look at the options there.

Brooke: But again, something that they can actually use and again, it’s that free marketing. 

Lauren: Mm-hmm. Well, on that too, r- before we get into the sixth one,I’m just even thinking like, now, Brooke, if you and I were putting on an event- Mm-hmm … how do we leverage AI? Yeah. So saying, “Hey,we wanna throw, let’s say ice cream social.

Lauren: We’re gonna throw an ice cream social for our team.” [00:24:00] ask AI, “This is the date we were thinking. Is that a good one? we were thinking of inviting past clients, current clients, potential prospects, whoever. can you write my, email blasts? Can you- Yep … like what… Can you write my checklist?

Lauren: Like what do we need to do to make this a successful event? you know, what, swag would be appropriate for this? You know, it’s gonna be ch- like children are definitely welcome and invited. people might bring their dogs.” You know, like things like that, and so, like this is just how we get ahead and leverage the technology we have, in 2026.

Brooke: That is such a good point, and yeah, if you’re… Again, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You can just say, “I wanna do an ice cream social this year.” Yeah. “When do I do it? What do I do? Where do I start?” Yeah. You know? It doesn’t have to be, you know, you don’t have to have all the answers. AI can help you with that, so it’s such a great point.

Lauren: Yeah. 

Brooke: Okay, so six … yeah, number six here. We talked about it a little bit already, but the CRM follow-up sequence, and you’re really utilizing your CRM to help automate cadences for you. You want an automated cadence [00:25:00] before and after the event. Mm-hmm. So the touch points before to really build that anticipation, give the information, touch points after to really deepen the connection, and this is where that business is actually going to happen, like we’ve talked about.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. And number seven, post-event thank you video. I… Like, just get in front of the camera, guys. Yeah. It is, it can be scary if you’re like, “I don’t like to record myself,” or whatnot. I honestly would dread, dread having to get in front of a camera, like even last year or a little bit before- Mm-hmm … because I was just overthinking it.

Lauren: And once you’re just like- Yeah … that’s just fear. So once you overcome the fear and you make it a habit and you just do it, it gets a lot easier, and then you don’t even think about it. Yeah. Like, if I had to record a training by myself just talking now, I would be like, “Okay, no problem.” Before it would take me, “Ooh, we gotta, like, just, like, get into it.”

Lauren: Like, or not get into it, but, like, get i- your mind ready. Like, we’re, it’s getting ready to get ready. [00:26:00] So, this is the step that most people skip. Mm-hmm. and it’s the one that generates the most goodwill. So the personal video within 48 hours, every attendee that you personally invited. So, like, if we are talking about scale and you’re the team leader, like, who do, who are the most important people that you need to send this to?

Lauren: Like, maybe you can even make it a recruiting event. Like, just- Yeah … invite some of your… it’s really a client event, but, like, invite some of your recruits. Yeah. Show them how you show up for your clients and your people, and what you will be doing to support their clients and prospects.

Lauren: So, you know, team leaders send that to the recruits. O- operations, like, you know your, who is, are not gonna send those videos. Like, so who do you have to pick up the slack for? Yeah … agents, you send them to, like, the people that you personally invited, that you, that personally showed up as well, okay?

Lauren: so every attendee. It doesn’t have to be polished, it just has to be genuine. 

Brooke: Absolutely. And I do wanna, I, that’s a great point, ’cause I do wanna talk about six and seven, ’cause I think those, in my experience- Mm-hmm … coaching with teams, those are the two that fall off the calendar first when things get [00:27:00] busy or things start to feel overwhelming.

Brooke: Right. And they are the two that do the most work after the event is over. … so really here’s how I would think about it from a systems perspective. Before your event even happens, your follow-up sequence should already be built in your CRM. It’s scheduled to go out ready. so when the event is done and your team is tired, and there’s hundreds of things on the list, and it’s already done, you’re ready to move on, it’s already in motion for you.

Brooke: that follow-up’s already happening again without you thinking about it, and it’s not depending on somebody having the energy to do it. It’s already done. Same with thank you video. Block that time on your calendar in the morning after the event or, you know, prep it prior. put it in as a non-negotiable, because if it’s not scheduled, it’s frankly not gonna happen.

Brooke: Mm-hmm. in that video, that’s the thing that people are gonna remember. That’s the thing that they screenshot and share, so, so don’t skip that. It’s not like people aren’t doing that. 

Lauren: Yep, yep. So we’re, you’re talking build the system before you need it. Mm-hmm. The whole entire thing right there. And it’s, like, the same thing with the closing when you’re trying to catch the [00:28:00] referral after someone had just closed on a home.

Lauren: Right. If you’re not asking during the process, it’s even harder to get it after, from my experience, because you’re moving. Yes. You’re gone. Like, real life just hit. Like, you’re about to, maybe you, the, you got a higher interest rate, and now your bills are more, your mortgage is more expensive, you know?

Lauren: Like, people’s mind- Mm-hmm … just are not on that process anymore, and they move on. Absolutely. So yeah. Anyways. Okay. So my next favorite part is, sponsorships Let other people pay for this. let’s talk about sponsorships because this is the biggest mindset shift for most people. And someone in our training yesterday said something so good that I have to share it.

Lauren: They said, “Stop letting vendors bring you donuts. If they want access to your audience, invite them to sponsor your events instead.” Mm-hmm. So people have, like, vendors coming in all the time to try to build relationships. That’s great. You want, you wanna see what they’re gonna do for you. so get $500 out of them.

Lauren: Support something that actually [00:29:00] matters. let them bring their business cards to something people actually wanna be at because that’s a return on investment. You’re building the relationship- Mm-hmm … but each of you are getting access to that database. really, that’s the whole mindset in one sentence.

Lauren: you’re not asking for a favor. You are, offering direct access to a warm, qualified audience of homeowners, buyers, and people who trust you. 

Brooke: Mm-hmm. 

Lauren: So that’s incredibly valuable. you’re doing them a favor. The, the script is simple. Warm introduction, clear value proposition, easy yes or no ask, five minutes.

Lauren: Most of your preferred vendors are going to say yes. And I know that, you know, asking for money can feel uncomfortable at first- Mm-hmm … if you’re not used to doing it. But remember, you’re not asking them to fund your personal bank account. You are asking- Right … them for a cause. Like, you’re coming from contribution and saying, “Hey, do you wanna partner on this together?”

Lauren: Maybe it’s a taco truck that you’re bringing in for some client or community event. I love the, the community events as well, so like the backpack [00:30:00] drives, the back to school drives- Mm-hmm … coat drives, whatever you wanna call it. People wanna be part of these things. Yeah. 

Brooke: Yeah. Absolutely. And, really presenting that clear value proposition.

Brooke: I mean, the first piece of the framework we talked about is having a clear purpose. So that should already be taken care of, where it’s really simple to just say, “Hey, here’s our purpose for this event. What do you think about being a part of it?” and again, you can leverage AI if you wanna sharpen that a little bit or create some sort of sponsorship package and de- you know, dive deeper into that.

Brooke: But, I would say if you don’t have a preferred vendors list just yet- Right … that is your, gonna be your homework, this list, this week. I would say write that down, create that list, sign company, photographer, lender, title, inspectors. I would pick probably two or three for each category. and here’s really the ops reality.

Brooke: You cannot call for sponsorships if you do not know who you’re calling. So you can’t just cull down the list- Right … just looking up inspectors in my area. you have, the list needs to come first, and then the ask comes second. So once you have that list and you’ve run [00:31:00] one sponsorship conversation, you’ll just realize how quickly and simple it actually is.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. 

Brooke: we’ve zeroed out events completely through sponsorships, and I know many teams that have had huge events- Success … who have not spent a dollar on it. 

Lauren: Yeah. 

Brooke: the event, you know, pays for itself, and that’s really what makes this sustainable long term, is that it’s not coming out of your pocket every single quarter.

Brooke: Mm-hmm. It’s really that ecosystem where everyone benefits, and your clients get a great experience, your vendors get visibility, which, you know, should return more deals to you, and you get a referral generating event for little to no net cost at all. 

Lauren: Mm-hmm. And, you know, that’s the ecosystem mindset. Mm-hmm.

Lauren: It’s what we do here. it’s exactly how we think about building business together. and it also just makes me think, this is not just applicable to real estate. Mm-hmm. So if you are someone that’s just, you know, been listening to our podcast because they apply to business in general, this is really the playbook for most industries, I would say.

Lauren: Absolutely. Okay. [00:32:00] So the next part, I believe, is our, like wrapping it up, I would say. really this, I would say, it’s all really important what we have laid out. So obviously sponsorships I love to talk about, because you can create a really good event for little to no money, but still put it on as if you’ve spent everything on your own.

Lauren: but when we come- talk about coming from contribution, this is what I mean. Yeah. We need to care about what we’re doing, serve our people, and what’s the generosity piece of this as well? How do we give back? Mm-hmm. So, this is the part that makes everything mean something. Because if we are commission breath, just doing it for ego, hey, doing it for the fancy car, “Hey, look at me.”

Brooke: Mm-hmm. 

Lauren: Great. Okay? Really though, what’s the higher purpose of all of this? Who are we becoming through these events and the relationships that we’re building, and the business that we’re- we’re growing? So, Yeah … we have to stop just making [00:33:00] business transactional. Again, w- I’m a broken record. We are in the relationship business.

Lauren: People can feel when you’re not being genuine or authentic and just trying to take their money. we’re in the human relationship business. Yes, transactions are happening, but if everything we do feels salesy, people just don’t keep coming back. ‘kay? So when we’re hosting an event, you have a room full of people who trust you, who showed up because of you, and you can use this moment to do some real good in the world.

Lauren: So the question I want, you sitting with as you plan every event is, how do we give back here? How do we continue to come from contribution and make a positive impact on our community? so that can be a donation drive, a, a charity raffle, allocating a, portion of sponsorship revenue to a local nonprofit- 

Brooke: Mm-hmm

Lauren: inviting attendees to a volunteer day. these can be, you know, make it fun, like, I mean, like, a, an animal shelter [00:34:00] event, you know? Mm-hmm. Like an adoption event, okay? there can be so many meaningful… Like, what’s your why? Like, I know that we’ve heard this before. What breaks your heart? And for me now, like be- before becoming a mom, it would’ve been, you know, animals, not having a home or something to do with animals.

Lauren: now it’s, man, kids having life experiences- Mm-hmm … growing up and creating s- moments and memories for them. Some people, like, you know, I always r- remember this, like, kids not getting a gift at Christmas. 

Brooke: Mm-hmm. 

Lauren: For me, it’s just like, hey, what are they gonna do in the summer now? Like, my kid’s not even a year old, and I’m just like, that would break my heart if they didn’t have that experience.

Lauren: And so the o- other kids in community, what can we do? You know, that’s just an example. So, like, what breaks your heart? What is your why? Why do you wanna help other people? so just think of that. this is gonna change, like it doesn’t have to be complicated. This is just gonna change why people show up.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. They’re not just coming for ice [00:35:00] cream. They’re coming because showing up means being part of something bigger than just a transaction. And that, you know, like we talked about people showing up for the family photos, that’s big. That’s family moments that they get to frame and maybe send out on their holiday cards.

Lauren: Mm-hmm. posting on their profile picture. You are part of that memory- Ooh … and they’re always going to remember that. So this is just really the kind of brand that generates referrals without you ever having to ask 

Brooke: Absolutely, and I wanna hit home on that, you know, piece there where it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Brooke: It can… And it doesn’t have to be something extra. it can be, “Hey, we are already planning this, you know, night at the ballpark.” Mm-hmm. In addition, everyone, you can put a line to everyone bring some canned goods for donation and where that’s gonna be serving, or bring some pet supplies and we’re gonna donate that to the local animal shelter.

Brooke: It doesn’t ha- again, doesn’t have to be crazy or complicated. and I think what’s important to say here for the operators and, and really leadership that’s listening to this, this is not a nice-to-have [00:36:00] that gets added when there’s an extra budget. This is a non-negotiable part- … of the event design from the very beginning.

Brooke: So when you’re building that event checklist, the give back component is on it. And when you’re building that budget, it’s a line item, because what we’ve seen consistently is that teams who weave this into everything they do, not just events but every piece of their business, those are the teams whose clients become advocates, not just repeat clients, but advocates for them.

Brooke: Yeah. The raving fans, and the- they tell everyone that they know, and that’s really a completely different level of relationship than just a simple transaction just creates. 

Lauren: Yeah. You hit the nail on the head. That’s exactly it, and that’s why I love events so much and talking about it, and we really don’t talk about it.

Lauren: Like, Brooke and I come from the team environment, and now we- Mm-hmm … I feel like this is just human, and a lot of you listeners can probably relate to this, like getting back to the basics and the fun parts of things, and like why, and the joy, and culture. [00:37:00] It really is culture doing part of this. the collaboration with your team members, that can be part of team building and, you know, we actually did get a really good question yesterday, Brooke, and we can we- we can talk about this on another one, but, team building events- with your agents. Someone was like, “Yeah, we nailed our client events and community. What about team?” And I was like, “You know, I haven’t really thought about that.” Yeah. But people threw out some really good suggestions yesterday. Do you, do you wanna… Do you have any of those on top of mind? 

Brooke: Yeah. I mean, I think the, as far as the team building events, I, what I find what works every single time is just getting out of the office.

Brooke: So not just, hey- Mm-hmm … we’re gonna go into the conference room and have some lunch together. Like, getting out of the office and getting into an environment that you feel a bit more comfortable and it feels a little bit more, you know, more personal than professional. Yeah. and something even where you can bring families.

Brooke: Like, I know, teams that- Yeah … I used to be on a team where we did a Christmas party every year. Mm-hmm. And it was at our team leader’s house, and we’d bring families, and ch- kids, and everybody, [00:38:00] and it was just really cool- So fun … just to see everybody outside of that environment and really get to know them as people.

Lauren: Yeah. I agree. They’re so fun. 

Brooke: Yeah. 

Lauren: awesome. Okay. So one action item today to take from this. Mm-hmm. Just one, because we believe in doing the thing, just not knowing the thing. This week, decide if you have not already which quarter three event you are going to be doing. If you can’t do one in quarter three, choose the one for quarter four.

Lauren: And then of, circling back to what we said about when you’re doing your business planning, plan out the events. I encourage you all for 2027, try to do four events. put the date on the calendar, even if it’s just a placeholder. Again, utilize AI, what makes the most sense- Mm-hmm … in your area. because the number one reason events do not happen is if they stay in the someday category.

Lauren: Same thing with most of our goals and most of our habits. Getting ready to get ready, oh, or I’ll start tomorrow. No. [00:39:00] Action item today. someday is not a date. Pick a date. So everything that we talked about today, The, you know, create graphics, create a budget template. we talked about the sponsorship package, marketing, the outreach- outreach script, the follow-up sequences.

Lauren: w- just put it into AI if you don’t have it. This is really the playbook, that you’re gonna be building for your team, and document everything. And if you do this once a quarter and come back and, you know, brainstorm, with your team what worked really well, what didn’t, so you can make it better every single ti- time, it’s gonna change your referral business in the next 12 months.

Lauren: We promise it will. 

Brooke: Yes. Yes, 100%. And- and for my, our, lovely operations and admin and integrators listening- 

Lauren: Mm-hmm … 

Brooke: you are the ones who make these events actually happen. The team leader might have the vision of, “Hey, this would be a great idea.” You are the execution. This episode is for you just as much as it- Mm-hmm

Brooke: is for [00:40:00] agents or other team leaders because you now have the full framework. So take it, build the process, and really own it, and that’s going to be your superpower and what you can contribute to the team time and time again. 

Lauren: Mm-hmm. So we wanna hear from you. did you run one of these events? Are you going to?

Lauren: Tag us. Mm-hmm. Share it. Tell us what worked and what you would do differently. These are how the playbooks get better together. So thank you, everybody, for being here, and we’ll see you again next week. Thanks, Brooke. 

Brooke: Thank you.