Why I Flew 5,000 Miles for a 6-Hour Conference

An event company owner shares how people, programming, and experience make an event ideal.

I heard that the Inc. Founders House in Philadelphia in April would be more than worth attending, and all of the other Inc.-hosted events have proven their worth in spades. I had attended an Inc. 5000 dinner in Los Angeles just a few weeks earlier, plus the their three-day SXSW Founders House Austin activation in March. Both were very good uses of my time, energy, and investment. But this event was only going to be six hours long. And it was 2,500 miles away! 

Still, I had to go. This was not because of the business I could do there—the attendees aren’t my target audience, so there wasn’t “land clients” pressure. I wasn’t vying to be picked for a hot editorial feature story either—there was no pitch to be made. I didn’t have close friends attending this one, either. Still, I promptly booked my flights and a room at the Fitler Club venue. Without putting words to it, I knew it would be worth it. 

After some thought, I now understand why these events are important enough to upend my scintillating daily entrepreneurial routine, invest a good chunk of cash in the travel (the event itself was free), and sit in an uncomfortable airplane seat for 11 hours round-trip. Why? It’s the people. It’s the programming. It’s the experience that I’ll travel just about anywhere for now. 

First, the people  

The people who attend these events are my favorite to surround myself with. They’re successful, passionate, ambitious, and have a significant purpose in life that motivates them to show up as their best selves. I have a feeling they, too, enjoy being around like-minded people, and it’s fulfilling to them in a way that they might not have considered yet.  

I’ve found that attendees of Inc. Magazine events are ready to contribute the moment they’re introduced to a new person. The platitudes and time spent sussing each other out to see how they fit together isn’t necessary. We’re all at a similar place, even if our businesses are nothing alike. It doesn’t matter, we’ve all been through similar experiences—both challenging and rewarding. We skip through years of getting to know each other and can go deep, quickly. Also, these people aren’t desperate for attention. They’ve had their successes and are happy to lift up others before shining the light on themselves. One fellow entrepreneur, Jared Knapp, who was at the L.A. dinner (though we didn’t get to meet) also attended. It was in Philly that we could spend time together, bond, and share stories about our lives, businesses, and dreams for the future.  

Next, the programming 

I don’t scrutinize the agenda before attending Inc. events. I know the event and editorial staff will bring in the best and most relevant speakers covering topics we want and need to know about now.  

At this event, I witnessed people speaking about healthcare, AI use cases, social marketing, and the tariff situation our nation is trying to navigate and survive. I also heard an NFL player and ex-NBA player share how they’re building their businesses (beef jerky and augmented eyewear) while using NIL (name, image, and likeness) to create opportunities for college athletes and for themselves, post-career. In between sessions, I mainly met local-to-Philly founders and some who came from New York. I attended an excellent learning session on best practices for writing and publishing stories like the one I’m writing now, expertly led by editor Deborah Abrams Kaplan. 

Finally, the experience 

As a professional experience designer and event producer, I know that experience is the most essential element of an event. It is the special sauce that is difficult to put into words, but it gets people there, keeps them interested, and can create irrational loyalty to a brand. Experience design is a layer above the itinerary, the speaker line-up, and the run of show. It’s the special moments that entangle attendees in an event’s vortex. If done right, it feels effortless and no one wants it to end. Each person has their own vantage point of experience, and no two can or will be the same.  

For me, the experience began like an unexpected burst of fireworks or a drone show, with my name being thrust into the sky for all to see. At an invite-only lunch for the Inc. Masters guests, editor-in-chief Mike Hofman went around the room briefly to say hellos, then made his way to the front to welcome everyone. Mike saw that I was releasing my new Corporate Event Mastery book, which I brought that day. Even though no one at the conference would be interested in the subject matter (it’s specific to our industry clients), I wanted to show it to anyone interested since it was its actual launch day. Mike caught wind of this and began to speak. To my amazement, he exclaimed, “Welcome, everyone, to Natasha Miller’s book launch party!” The audience laughed and cheered, and I, of course, swooned. But I wasn’t the only one who received warm and personable attention—I saw similar actions for other guests by the Inc. staff all day. They understand how to make people feel seen, respected, and essential.  

This organization understands the need to create space for people to meet new people, network, and decompress. The breaks allotted in the schedule made this clear. Not all conference designers understand this.  

Inc. brings in sponsor partners who don’t beg for your attention and business, but also understand how to share value outside their core offering. Capital One provided coffees (in my case, hot chocolates) with an image we selected to appear on the foam. Later, it was espresso martinis.  

In the evening, Insperity held an elegant dinner for a small group at Barclays Prime. There was no hard-core sales or PowerPoint pitch; instead, brief and practical stories of attracting the right employees and suggested topics to discuss with fellow tablemates. And let me tell you, if you’ve never had a Philly cheesesteak with foie gras, you might need to make the trip there yourself.  

This event wasn’t just one of the three essential ingredients—people, programming, and experience—but all three expertly and artfully combined.  

I hope there will be other opportunities to meet up with these fellow entrepreneurs, learn with them, and experience something special before the Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala in October. I’m not sure I can wait that long. 

Read the blog on Inc. Magazine here!