Make the Big Ask
It’s been a crazy week for me. Tuesday saw the announcement of our keynote speaker line-up for CREATIVEMIX – it’s been a long time in coming, 6 months in the making actually. It felt really good to be able to use my outside voice and start spreading the word. Our speaking team is an amazing collection of creative leaders that really know their stuff. You’ll hear more about all of them as we move closer to the event but you can always check-out creativemix.ca to get the scoop.
A groovy side note is that we weren’t the first to announce it, in fact we announced it to fans and followers just today, instead we pointed people to our web media partner Vancouver is Awesome and let them get the early scoop from someone other than us. It was really fun. This approach allows us to give a non-profit group who focus on local arts+culture some exclusivity while taking the promo-pressure off our team. As a result we’re getting a one-two punch with respect to broadcasting our most important message: who’s gonna be there. This lays the ground work for a successful build-up to the conference… man I love watching the buzz build; cheers to VIA!
One of the keys to success with CREATIVEMIX has been our relentless desire to make the Big Ask. Now, we make a lot of asks as we rely on the support and partnership of a lot of people and organizations to pull this conference together, but some asks are bigger than others. I won’t share the laundry list with you now but the one on top of my mind today is the Invited Speaker Ask. One invitation that really stands out is the Big Ask of inviting Dylan Brown, Creative Director at Pixar Canada.
What made it so BIG? Besides the fact that Pixar is a big deal, that he’s extremely busy and in big demand… I didn’t know Dylan. I didn’t know anyone that knew him. Dylan is relatively new to Vancouver and our paths had never crossed, not even close – but as a result of his reputation I knew he was a perfect fit for CREATIVEMIX so I had to try. However, I had no idea how to get in contact with him. Pixar Canada’s website is not exactly a welcome mat – no need to guess why. After poking around and talking to a few people I got a break, a passionate blogger got me in touch with his office and it was show time. I had one chance to send an email in hopes that it would land. The invite was a one page letter, which I attached, and my message was short and polite. I couldn’t hand deliver it, couldn’t wrap it in a bow, no sell job here – I had to let the opportunity speak for itself. And the rest, well, is history. Dylan is one of those amazing leaders at the helm of a very special creative, and industry-leading, company. His passion for creativity and collaboration is a real asset to our event – it’s a perfect match.
So what about your world? What Big Ask are you considering making? I think it’s great to have a Big Ask on the horizon so that you have a goal of sharing something important to you with someone, or some organization, that you respect. A word of caution though: When it comes to pursuing creative endevours I feel it’s important to not rely heavily on others. Work your ass off and then work even harder – a great work ethic is naturally attractive – in fact, in the creative industries, hard work is expected. Now, let’s be clear, there’s a difference between a Big Ask and begging. Begging is what you do when you’ve got something to loose, when you’re desperate, or when you don’t have your poop together. The Big Ask can truly only happen when you’re ready, when everything is lined-up and the request you’re about to make has a really good chance of being successful. When you’re proud of what you’re doing and your Big Ask is simply an invitation to share in something awesome then you’re going about it in the right way.
EBOOK: Except from ELEVEN (and a half) Ways to Make Your Next Event a Huge Success. When people make a decision to attend an event they often decide based on the “who” rather than the “what” or “how much.” Who will be there? Friends are a huge motivator, but a big name can be a big draw. People want to be associated with success; rubbing shoulders with big shots is a huge benefit to attending an event.
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[...] then we work with our top picks until they either give in or are unable to confirm. It’s our BIG ASK approach and 100% of the time it works almost every time Ultimately, the goal is to build the best [...]