December 19, 2019

by  DR. MARK T. WADE

#100: Are Summits Doomed Or Going To Boom In 2020. My Predictions For The Year To Come.

Description  

 

We did it! 100 episodes celebrated today.  Plus a special no holds barred look into Are summits doomed or going to boom in 2020. Get a look back at 2019 and my predictions on what is going to happen in 2020. Hold on tight because this is going to feel like you are on a rocket ship! 

We Did It! This Is Our 100th Episode! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

 

Quick Recap Of 2019

     ❇️     Virtual Summits Software

• The biggest thing to hit the summit world

• It is the first software ever created for hosting a summit, now making it quicker and easier than ever to host a summit

     ❇️     We created the speaker platform

• Register separately as a speaker

• Create a speaker profile and share that with summit hosts

• All your speaker assets are there easily located to share and add to the summits you speak on 

     ❇️     We launched the Summit Page Builder

• The only 100% customizable page builder for summits

• Allowing you to still have the speed & simplicity of the Summits Software while being able to completely customize your summit pages

• This was a game changer for summits

     ❇️     New custom email templates 

• Another huge fan favorite for summit hosts

     ❇️     Brand New Summit Affiliate Manager platform 

• Allows you to manage your speakers & track clicks, leads, and sales

• Made the Virtual Summits Software a complete all in one platform and the most powerful summit software available

     ❇️     The Summit Story Concept 

• Along with the Summit Storyboard Template, has truly allowed summit hosts to create binge-worthy summits

• No more boring summits

     ❇️     Interview With Impact Program

• We’ve seen over 500 summit hosts go through this profession interview training

• Just seeing all the interviews now using the “Perfect Intro” framework has helped increase engagement on summit interviews dramatically

     ❇️     Summit Scripts

• Biggest game changer in the summit world

• Never hire a copywriter and never start from scratch ever again

• This has been one of my favorite things I have created

     ❇️     One-Day Summit Formula

• It has become more popular than ever

• What was once non-existent a few years ago has now become one of the most popular types of summits in 2019

• I see that trend increasing in 2020

 

My Predictions For 2020

     👉     2020 will become the year of summits

• I truly believe we will see more summits happen next year than we have ever seen before in history

• First and foremost technology.  Thanks to Virtual Summits Software now it’s easier than ever to host a summit

• Summits are going to increase & flourish and Virtual Summits Software is going to be the platform supporting them

     👉     In 2020, it’s going to be more important than ever to position yourself as an expert

• You need to have something that gives you authority, credibility and influence

     👉     Incredible increase in people teaching & coaching on Virtual Summits

• We are also seeing more agencies adopt summits as one of their services for clients

Failing Trends

     ❌     Launches decreasing in effectiveness

• They just don’t work like they use to

• They take so much time, so many resources, and essentially tap everything you have for the year and now they aren’t performing

     ❌     Decreasing conversions on course sales in the online business world

• Means you can’t just sell something to people any more

 

Biggest Reason 2020 Will Be The Year Of Summits

• Because of the most powerful outcome of a summit - building strategic partnerships

 

Negatives

     ❌     A lot of poorly run summits

     ❌     Summits being thrown together haphazardly

     ❌     People who haven’t taken the time to create a quality summit

     ❌     A lot of unprofessional & boring interviews

     ❌     Interviews are essentially not well thought out

     ❌     10 question clones of things that already exist

     ❌     Hosts using summits as a dirty tactic to grab their speaker’s lists

     ❌     Speakers start to get a bad taste in their mouths about summits, as they feel like they are being used

     ❌     An increase in speakers not promoting the summit as they had agreed

     ❌     All of this is leading to less performing summits

     ❌     Lower turnouts and audience generating summits

 

What Needs To Happen In 2020

     ✔️     You need to put thought into it

     ✔️     Take time into what you are creating.

     ✔️     You need to do what’s not easy

     ✔️     If everyone else is doing the same, easy, simple stuff you need to be different

     ✔️     Go over the top

     ✔️     Be specific and incorporate something important into your summit

     ✔️     Be creative and let your personality shine

     ✔️     Focus on something that matters to you.  Something that you are proud of and happy to create regardless of the outcome. 

     ✔️     Focus on relationships

     ✔️     Build relationships with people you want on your summit

 

How You Should Focus On Your Summit In 2020

     🔷     First and foremost don’t be a list grabber

• Don’t follow any type of list grabber strategies

• Increase in summit coaches is causing an increase in these list grabber strategies

• This will only damage your relationships with what could have been speakers & partnerships

• Don’t do it

     🔷     You need to be okay with your summit creating less leads

• The way you be okay with this is you change your focus

• You need to focus on your summit as creating a resource 

• A resource for your community, your current audience and your future audience

 

Two Primary Reasons To Start Focusing On Summits

     ❇️     Relationships

• The most important reason to host a summit

• Create relationships with partners that can support you in the future

• Build relationships with them to partner on future programs

• Relationships with partners who will support and collaborate with them

     ❇️     Focus on your summit as a reusable resource

• With the Ever-Summit Feature in the Virtual Summits Software, which lets you re-run your summit, as if it was live on going forever, you need your focus to be on how to re-use your summit once it is over

• Create a relaunch plan, and a legacy plan to reuse your summit on going

• Incorporate it into your resources and automated sequences

• No more one and done summits

• Think long term and reusable

• Think of it as content creation & relationship building

• Abandon the list builder mindset and strategies

• Focus on your speakers and creating a wow experience for them, and the speaker follow up & relationship after the summit

• Create different types of summits

• Don’t just do a Multi-Day Summit.  Create One-day summits, live summits, and summit series

 

How To Make Better Summits

     ✔️     You have to incorporate a summit story and theme into your summit

     ✔️     It has to become fun and entertaining.  

     ✔️     Focus on an edu-tainent style summits not just boring overdone interviews

     ✔️     Focus on engagement

     ✔️     Add a Summit Action Arc into your summit that creates community and involvement

     ✔️     Move away from the passive style summits into the active style summits where your audience gets to have involvement and participation

 

Our Top Focus For 2020

     👉    Create a tight-knit & impactful community of summit hosts who have a message that they want to get out to the world

• In the virtual world this is becoming less and less, and in my opinion is needed now more than ever

• We need to have a place and community to be with like-minded people who all care about making a difference in the world and in our businesses

• That is why we have created Summit Fest Live, which is the ONLY live conference specifically designed for summit hosts

     👉     Take summits into our own hands and we plan to lead by example

• This is why we are launching “VIRAL SUMMITS” which is our done for you summit concierge service to help summit hosts create impactful and powerful summits

• We want to create summits that matter

• We plan to lead by example and show how summits can be run correctly and make a difference in the world

     👉     Help improve the summit situation

• There are a lot of summit coaches & agencies that don’t really have the expertise or knowledge to be teaching & coaching

• It’s part of the problem we are seeing with poorly run summits

• We will be releasing our Certified Virtual Summit Consultant program

 

2 Purposes Of The Certified Virtual Summit Consultant Program

1. To let summit hosts know who they can trust and rely on to host an impactful summit

2. To help all those coaches and agencies get the knowledge, tools and resources to create great summits for their clients

 

New Advancements To The Virtual Summits Software 

     🔷     Summit Host & Speaker matchmaker feature

• It will allow hosts to find quality speakers to be on their summits, and speakers to get more speaking opportunities

     🔷     Version 2 of our Summit Page Builder

• Creating even better user experience, customization and more powerful tools for you to use, including being able to share/download summit themes to use as your own

     🔷     More features to be released with our new Summit Affiliate Management platform

• Including engaging your speakers with a summit contest, and leaderboards

     🔷     We will be creating ability for comments, gamification, speaker rankings, and a completely mobile app for a better user experience for attendees and easier way to manage your summit for hosts

 

Biggest Game Changer In 2020 Regarding Summits

     ❇️     Summit Cast platform to host your summits

• Think of a combination of iTunes, Amazon & Netflix except for Virtual Summits 

Most Powerful Type Of Summit To Run in 2020 and Beyond

     🔷     One-Day Summit Series

MY REQUEST

 

I’m going to give away all the best insights and knowledge but just need YOUR help!

• First  - subscribe & leave a 5 star review on this podcast
• Second - share this podcast with anyone you know who has done, or wants to do a summit

​That’s all I ask...

 

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

   👉   I am always looking for feedback

   👉   If you have questions send them to me.  (I’ll start doing a special Q&A monthly episode)

   👉   If you want to be a guest reach out and let me know

   👉   If you know someone I should interview please put me in touch with them.

 

Email me at:  Podcast@VirtualSummits.com

Join the Summitology Masterclass: https://www.virtualsummits.software/summitology-masterclass-signup

Resources you can get in the show notes at http://virtualsummits.software/resource

    ✔️   One Day Summit Guide

    ✔️   Virtual Summits Framework

    ✔️   Plug & Play

    ✔️   Free Trial Virtual Summit Software

 

I want to end this episode by saying,

 

"I believe in YOU & YOU can do this."

 

Summits are by far one of the most powerful ways to quickly grow your list, launch your platform & make more money! (Even if you are just getting started).

Don’t get caught up in Analysis paralysis, because the world needs to hear your message & there are people who are waiting for you to help them. 

 

So just get started.  Imperfect action is always better than doing nothing!

Thank you and see you on the next episode!

 

 

 

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

   🔗   One-Day Summit Training

   🔗   Virtual Summits Software Free Trial

   🔗   One-Day Summit Starter Guide 

   🔗   Interview Like A Pro

   🔗   Summit Fest Live