10 Quick Thoughts on Killer Tribes 2013

I’m back from Killer Tribes 2013 and still processing everything that went down.

Here are ten quick thoughts on what’s bouncing around in my brain.

1. With two events under my belt now, I’m getting a better idea of what I love, dislike, and hate about them. (I’ll spare you the boring details, though.)

2. Outside of a freak snow storm, the weather couldn’t have been worse on Saturday morning. Strong thunderstorms blew through from 7am until lunchtime, but hey, we survived and no one melted. (That we know of.)

3. My wife Erica was such a champ this weekend. She picked up the slack where I needed it on Friday, she helped me make a tough decision on Friday night, and she was supportive and helpful all day Saturday. I would never try to pull something like this off without her. Love ya, babe!

4. More than ever, the identity of what Killer Tribes is (and isn’t) is starting to emerge. Between things I noticed this weekend, comments from speakers and attendees, and conversations with friends, I’m starting to see the axis that KT spins around.

(Speaking of the speakers, they were outstanding. Honored to have had them at my event.)

5. I was in all the main sessions, but I skipped all of the breakout/panel stuff. Really looking forward to listening to those sessions when I get the audio.

(Speaking of the audio, we’re going to be launching it’s availability with a great price for the first folks who jump on it. More to come on this soon, I want you all to have a shot at cashing in on this deal.)

6. What phenomenal help I had all weekend. My conference assistant, Thea Nelson, went above and beyond in a ton of ways. The event doesn’t happen if not for her. Caleb M, Brandon C, Heather, and Kelly made it possible as well (hope I’m not forgetting anyone). I’ve already mentioned Erica, but she was great. As were Tyler and Amy for helping out on Friday (and all weekend) in more ways than they realize.

7. Our Friday night house party was awesome! So good seeing folks connect in such a fun setting. DJ Opdiggy gave us the perfect vibe, the folks who showed up (maybe 50 of you?) had a blast, and the house itself was so cool that it was a conversation piece. I had to kick people out at 9:45! Can’t wait to get all the photos back.

(Speaking of photos, many thanks to Jonah Fisher who shot Friday night and Saturday!)

8. Tripp and Tyler delivered many laughs, as usual. I hope Killer Tribes never happens without them, even when they are running their own show in Hollywood some day.

(I’ll admit, it can be a tough room to get a laugh in. People aren’t there to laugh, so right off the bat you’ve got some extra work to do. And at 100 people, it’s just intimate enough that people have some of the inhibitions that you lose when you’re in a large crowd. Kudos to these guys for killing it anyway.)

9. The folks at Grace Fellowship were amazing hosts, and their facilities couldn’t have worked out any better. Thanks so much Brian B. for making it all work and for providing me with an amazing production team that exceeded expectations.

10. Were there mistakes? Of course. You won’t hear about all of them, but I referred to The Mocha Club as “The Mocha Company” during our sponsor spot…I forgot to do an A/V check with John Saddington before the first session…we didn’t have enough mics on stage a couple times…at one point I asked the crowd for “a round warm of applause”…Tyler had pit sweat marks the size of a regulation frisbee before we even started (technically not a mistake, but I wanted to make sure the whole world knows)…and the list could go on.

All in all it was a fantastic day, and I’m so thankful for the help I had to pull it off.

If you’ve never been to Killer Tribes but hope to go someday, I promise to have the next one (should there be a next one) announced well enough in advance to allow you the chance to plan and attend.

Stay tuned for more photos and news coming soon!