YATM | Speakers For Creator Day '25 & Building Events That Matter

You're the first person to see the presenters for Creator Day...

I’d love for you to be part of Creator Day '25. It’s more than just an event—it’s a chance to connect, collaborate, and grow alongside your YATM community friends. We kick off with Failed Nights on Wed. 14th May, followed by our Friday morning sea swim to refresh and energise together.

The heart of it all is Creator Day—a day where we come together as one united team, ready to inspire, support, and push each other forward. Whether you’re looking to take that brave next step or simply want to learn from others, this is your space to create, connect, and thrive.

The special offer is currently £155. It goes up next Friday (11th October).

Join in here

Hi YATMers, I'm Gordon Fong. I've been a part of this YATM space since stepping into it in 2016.

The pic, above, is from the first live YATM event back after Covid in July 2021. It was chaos! It felt good to be back.

X-Net has been my commercial focus for nearly 40 years as an internet services business. In recent years our focus has been to raise the profile of tech capabilities in the south west of England. My latest project has involved a UK road trip, you can read more about it here.

My recommendation for you today is a YouTube video on personal branding from Chris Do. It came out on Monday and about embracing what makes you unique and how to do it. I found it extremely useful, watch here.

Let's make sure we connect today.

Here I am on LinkedIn

Where I work here

We gather to make stronger connections. Aligning with like-minded people benefits us all.

Since 2018, I have been eager to create an event that brings together people from different places who are part of the YATM community.

It meant organising an occasion worth people's time and money. It's a big request to ask people to take time away from work.

That exchange has to be around connection, forming new bonds, and leaving with an idea that you hadn't considered before you arrived.

Early Days To Wobbly Times

From 2018 to 2019 we called it the You Are The Media Conference. It followed a typical conference format, featuring talks throughout the day with breaks for networking. We had planned to hold the conference in 2020, but we had to postpone it due to Covid.

Through that period of disruption and difficulty, I gained the skills to organise online events and later hybrid events (though that format was challenging for me). However, relying solely on online connection is a poor substitute for in-person interaction. My expertise lies in enhancing the experience when people gather together.

Sometimes we have to go back to the drawing board, and that’s ok. It was always meant to be like that. The clues and routes to follow are constantly being presented to you. This means that what you create in the future will be well-considered, tested, relevant, and valuable to others.

We returned in 2022 and realised that the world had changed. Reverting to the traditional conference format felt like ignoring the new reality. People found that they gained time by not having to travel.

Additionally, the thought of sitting in a chair and listening to speakers all day was exhausting.

Reasons To Improve

I wanted to improve each year for an event where everything was centred around:

🙌 Getting to know people better

🙌 Being with people who have the same values

🙌 Encouraging people to create together (not just leaving with notes on their phone or pad)

🙌 Demonstrating the value of joining in and not passive learning

🙌 Helping people to look around and know they are connected in some way (such as receiving a Thursday newsletter)

🙌 Recognising the sense of togetherness when being in the moment

🙌 Proving that you can put on reputable events that don’t have to be in bigger cities

🙌 Welcoming people to my town (Poole) where they feel safe and looked after

These all provide areas to action around and frame the value. I never want to treat people as mere transactions, where they pay and attend without feeling acknowledged or thanked for their time. No one should be just a face in the crowd.

If I could centre the day around a specific theme that is relevant to us, I could then go out and identify talented individuals who are currently creating work that aligns with the topic.

The Hurdles Faced When Delivering An Event

If an event always delivered the results we were looking for every time, then many events would continue without any setbacks. However, life isn't like that.

Brave people step forward and then realise that it presents many difficult hurdles to manoeuvre. For instance, no one wants to continually organize events that lose money, or when there's little interest from people to attend, regardless of how generous a sponsor may be.

Here are my challenges for delivering Creator Day:

🤔 Encouraging people who may be unfamiliar with the concept of Creator Day to participate

🤔 Considering that the event's seaside location may pose a travel challenge for attendees from across the UK

🤔 People recognising the value of taking time away from work and family

🤔 To not be swayed to play it safe (that way we all swim in the same sea)

🤔 Exploring ways to maintain intimacy and inclusivity as the event grows, ensuring that attendees don't feel lost in the crowd

🤔 Striving to prevent attendees from feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by excessive noise, stimulation, and distractions

🤔 Finding ways to introduce variety, enhancements, and additional features to the event without diluting its original purpose

The Lessons I’ve Learned From Putting On Larger Scale Events

This is what I know today to make an event work. I recognise that so much happens before the event, that many people ignore.

Take these ideas and use your side if you want to create an event that brings people together:

1) People who haven’t been before need to know it’s for them

You have to be specific about who the event is for. For example, if the topic is 'business,' it becomes everything to everyone and means nothing.

For Creator Day, the target audience is small businesses, specifically creative business people who want to promote themselves better. When I say 'creative,' I don't just mean artistic approaches like design or writing, but also innovative thinking, curiosity, and problem-solving.

2) You have to make the unfamiliar seem familiar

What feels comfortable to you might seem strange to someone else. To make something new appealing, it should have a touch of familiarity, and vice versa. For example, Creator Day is structured around the traditional conference format. It helps to set the scene. In 2022, I made the mistake of presenting it as completely new.

The combination of new experiences in a familiar setting creates a fresh and exciting environment, keeping people engaged and eager to return.

3) Keep people informed, way before the ‘book now’

If you can build trust and familiarity, it becomes easier when you approach people with an ask.

This newsletter is my way to keep in contact with you. If you can be a part of someone’s week, you are in a better place for them to say ‘I’m going.’ It’s a way of giving first, way before you ask. It helps to have a continual vehicle of value, rather than a continual platform to sell from.

4) Engage with people before you need them

Make sure to connect with people before you actually need their support.

When you approach someone with enthusiasm and a request, having built a relationship with them beforehand can make a big difference.

Problems arise when people expect support without putting in the effort to build connections first. Focus on building genuine relationships with people, rather than just trying to gain followers.

5) Find people to back you up

Remember to seek support from others. Even if you're running ads, it's important to have as much help as possible.

Look for people who are willing to spread the word about your event. Having allies with existing audiences can be very beneficial. It's easy to underestimate the power of the people around us.

6) Reach out to people directly

If people are familiar with you and they subscribe, let them know their attendance would mean a lot.

I have used LinkedIn voice and video messages to achieve this. When people can see that you are addressing them directly (not part of a mass email send), it makes the approach feel more personal.

7) Take risks that feel ok

Be brave in looking to take what has already been delivered by others but put your own stamp on it.

This could involve changing formats throughout the day or adding panel discussions and Q&A sessions to presentations. The YATM Creator Day was created after realising the significance of uniting people and encouraging them to collaborate and be accountable to each other. Seek inspiration from outside your industry.

To encourage people to commit to your event, you need to do the following:

✊ Be specific

✊ Be focused

✊ Be relevant

✊ Be interesting

✊ Build your own audience

Let’s Round-Up

When you craft an event, you're inviting people to dedicate their time and energy. In return, you provide them with a chance to collaborate and leave feeling inspired.

It's not about bombarding people with information, but about creating moments that ignite new ideas, promote meaningful connections, and encourage active participation.

You can acquire knowledge from books, videos and courses, this is much more personal. It’s to know we were never meant to walk this path alone, but find the moments when we can all celebrate and come together.

🔥 And Now...The Presenters For YATM Creator Day '25 🔥

One of the things I cherish about YATM is finding 'the others.' Having YATM Creator Day gives us a place to enjoy an occasion together.

The theme for 2025 is relevance. I’ve spent all summer shaping a list of brilliant minds. People I'd love to come into our space and to present the proof for how they have brought ideas to life and creating great work.

The list of around 20+ people becomes shortened down to the people we're going to get to know a bit better in May '25.

Phill Agnew - hosts the number one marketing podcast, Nudge

Mel Barfield - has focused on building her reputation and now flourishing

Steve Folland - has been persistent for 10 years with his much-loved podcast

Jessica Bruno - knows what it means to fight despite the challenges we face

Tamara Howard - knows how to be efficient, creatively, with the tools we have

This curated group will help us dive deeper into how we can all create meaningful work and maintain work that is relevant for years to come.

Read more about each presenter here (get to know them a little better).

More announcements about special guests in the coming weeks! Book here.

Time Wasting

Today is all about your background noise (I'm air traffic control). Thanks for Jeremy Freeman for this.

Sounds to work to

This Week Around The Web

GROWTH, CREATION & YOUR INDEPENDENCE

Why I write everything down (and you should, too) - from Josh Bernoff

This professor increased my sales by 6x - from Nudge Podcast

THE COMMUNITY YOU CAN BUILD

Community shouldn't be about belonging - from me

Twitter (X) communities are NOT the way to grow your tribe - from Teach.io

GROWING YOUR NEWSLETTER

Advice I gave a client about his newsletter headlines - from Josh Spector

26 proven ways to grow your newsletter - from Beehiiv

Some, Not All

Create work that means something for the right people is better than chasing everyone.

Focus on the few and build from there. By understanding who you’re doing this for and why, you start to build more meaningful connections.

It is easier to post on LinkedIn topics that relate to happiness and personal success than to know the role you play for the right people.

Being specific helps.

The People Of YATM

"You Are The Media has been vital to my confidence building. It has allowed me to experience new scenarios and meet so many talented people.

For me, it is a platform that allows you to tailor it to yourself. When I joined YATM I was 17 at Bournemouth & Poole College. I was made to feel included without age ever being an issue.

I have been a part of YATM from education to the workplace, and now as a freelancer. No matter what your situation is, YATM is there for you. There’s something for everyone."

Ben Eggington