According to Facebook, Stephen and I have been online friends since June 2012. That’s a lot of cybertime. If memory serves me, we clicked over techie things in a networking group Sabina Watson hosted at the time. Over time, but collaborated on several projects, and referred clients to each other. See one of our Blab co-host promos below from 2015.

While we both work, teach, and offer different support services for WordPress websites, plus offer coaching for those building their business, Stephen’s got a much longer and stronger background in SEO especially on how to generate organic traffic than I ever will. I was delighted when he said he’d speak at my virtual summit.

His session is the most technology-oriented one and the only one that includes an informative slide deck presentation. It’s all about helping you generate organic traffic to your website and manage multiple services. Don’t know what organic traffic is? You’ll learn that and more in the replay below.

See below the replay video for more information and tips on how I planned out the virtual summit and invited speakers.

Meet Stephen

He’s Stephen B Henry, known by many online as the WordPress Wizard, the Coach’s Coach, or just the Wiz. He’s an author, WordPress developer, small business success guide, and personal mentor.

Stephen (or Steve, he doesn’t mind which) earns his entire living online, providing business, technical, and online presence planning and support to small business owners, spiritual practitioners, online marketers, and other solopreneurs, including those who work from home. With a focus on permission marketing and heart-centered business, he works closely with and cares about each of his clients. 

See the links below the video on several ways to connect with him. You’ll also find the link to access the freebie he mentions.

You can also look him up on Facebook, plus he’s a member of my Rocking Your Path Community.

Click arrow on top left below to play video

Connect with Stephen

If you search for Stephen online, be sure to narrow your search using, Stephen B Henry, to find the right one!

EMAIL: thewiz@ourhutch.com
Websites:
From Website to Wealth
WP Business Network
Wizards Place
PLR2Go

Click here to access his free 10 Essential Traffic Planners & Checklists.

Above I promised to show promo images from when we co-hosted a show on the now defunct … but totally awesome then … Blab platform back in 2015. Here that is:

TIPS on Hosting Your First Virtual Summit

If you haven’t yet, go read my post about the Low Tech Way to Host Your First Virtual Summit. In it you’ll learn some of the backstory to this one, and basic tips to consider.

Six Tips for Scheduling Out the Day

1 – When you plan out the timing of your event, be sure to include extra time for yourself before it starts. You’ll want this time to get yourself ready, check out your equipment and internet status, and connect with your first guest before his or her session starts.

See the screenshot from my Google calendar. Notice the extra before and after event time I scheduled. I blocked off 7am-5pm, even though the actual event ran from 9am-4pm.

If Natalie Lavelock and I hadn’t done that we would not have had time for her to work out a different way to access the meeting’s Zoom room. Her internet was out due to heavy storms in her area of Missouri. Fortunately, she was able to use her smart phone and its data plan to call in. We would have recorded just her audio even if she wasn’t able to use her phone’s camera, but luckily it did work. The feed was a bit fuzzy but we were able to start on time.

2 – If hosting a live online summit, plan to open the meeting room early just as you would a live, in-person event. Get yourself settled. Greet and interact with any viewers who log in early.

3 – Plan time to Wrap Up the event at the end. It’s a great opportunity to mingle with any remaining viewers or speakers who stayed around.

4 – Build in a lunch break if hosting both morning and afternoon events.
— For this summit, I announced the lunch break but I kept the Zoom room open. A few viewers did stick around and chatted with each other both in the written chat window, or by unmuting themselves and talking directly to each other. Stephen also stayed and answered more questions.
— If you prepare an image ahead of time, such as a PowerPoint or Google Sheet slide, you could use Zoom’s screen share feature to display it during the lunch break. Add info to the slide announcing the break and time when the next session starts. Attendees will still be able to chat or talk to each other while the screen share is visible.
— Remember to mute everyone again, except you and the next speaker when you begin the next session.
— Also, if you stopped or paused recording — be sure to turn recording on again!

5 – Pad your speaker session times. Think of it like the time you had back in grade school to go from one classroom to another. Even though you’re most likely staying in the same room online, you’ll want to pad session times to allow for quick bathroom or snack breaks, to greet your next speaker prior to their session starting, and mingle a bit with any attendees.

NOTE: On my Google Calendar screenshot it may not look like I included time between sessions since they appear to run back to back. However, my guests were asked to prepare to speak for 30 minutes. Of the remaining 30 minutes, 15 were estimated for handling questions and answers, with the remaining 15 minutes for segueing into the next session, including checking in with the next guest and thanking the out-going one again.

6 – Make sure that every speaker, and every assistant if you have one, knows how to reach you in case of emergency … and you them. That means your speakers should at minimum have your cell or landline phone. Be sure to ask each speaker for their phone number. Establishing a secondary emergency contact plan, like access by Facebook Messenger, Voxer, What’s App, etc., is also helpful.
— Building in the extra time as outlined above will give you time to handle emergencies should any arise. If your guest’s or your own internet access goes out, phone will be the primary way to connect.

Next Time ….

I’ll share more background information and tips for hosting your own virtual summit, along with the replay for Stephen Henry’s insightful session. You won’t want to miss it.

YOUR TURN

How do you feel about events or speakers that don’t stick to the designated times scheduled? Ever been in a situation where you had to scramble for time?

Is there anything in particular you’d like me to discuss in a future post?

Please share in the Comment section below or contact me privately here.