Fireside Chat Recap: The Power of Community Building Through Events

In a recent Guidebook Meet fireside chat, Suzanne Broadbent, Senior Director of Communications at Kennedy Jenks, shared her approach to creating meaningful internal events that foster connection, spark engagement, and strengthen company culture. Suzanne's insights offer a blueprint for organizations looking to create lasting community impact through internal events. This conversation between Suzanne and Nathan Meyers, Community & Event Manager at Guidebook, explored how internal events can become catalysts for stronger connections, deeper engagement, and lasting cultural change. From leveraging Guidebook’s mobile tools to maintain engagement before, during, and after events to blending physical and digital experiences, Suzanne shared a wealth of ideas on building authentic community moments.Key Takeaways From the Fireside Chat

• Create a Lasting Community: Design events that inspire connections and reinforce company culture well beyond the event itself.
• Maximize Mobile Engagement: Use mobile technology to build pre-event excitement, drive participation during the event, and maintain momentum afterward.
• Digital and Physical Synergy: Blend physical and digital experiences to capture memorable moments and create nostalgia.
• Continuous Culture Building: Turn internal events into catalysts for lasting, positive shifts in organizational culture.

How Kennedy Jenks Builds Community Through Events

When asked how she approaches event planning, Suzanne shared her guiding philosophy:

“We want staff to experience the event. There's this digital component that comes with it, and Guidebook makes it really easy for people to have everything at their fingertips.”

Kennedy Jenks takes a holistic approach to community building, designing events that don't just live in the moment but continue to deliver value long after the closing session. Here’s how they do it:

• Personalized Access to Key Information: Attendees can access essential event details like schedules, Wi-Fi passwords, and venue details directly in the Guidebook app. “Want Wi-Fi? Download the app. All the answers to your questions are there,” Suzanne emphasized.
• Ongoing Engagement Before, During, and After the Event: Event organizers ensure that attendees stay engaged throughout the event. From using the app to share behind-the-scenes content to running live photo challenges, the Kennedy Jenks team keeps the momentum alive. “We send people on little side quests, like take a selfie with someone you’ve never met before,” said Suzanne. This playful activity sparks new connections and builds camaraderie.
• A Casual, Fun Atmosphere: To create a sense of connection, Kennedy Jenks prioritizes fun and creativity. This is reflected in the tone of event emails, the way organizers introduce activities, and even the casual, playful feel of the photo challenges.

“Our enthusiasm and excitement bleed through in everything we’re doing, and people are more excited to go,” Suzanne explained. “If they think it’s going to be great, and you believe it’s going to be great, then they’re going to show up more engaged, ready, and curious.”

How to Drive Event Engagement

Keeping people engaged isn’t just about activities during the event — it starts long before and continues well after. Here’s how Kennedy Jenks drives engagement at every stage:

Pre-Event

• Excitement-Driven Communications: Suzanne and her team infuse excitement into every email, update, and communication leading up to the event.
• Behind-the-Scenes Content: Sharing “sneak peek” content, like early access to the event app, behind-the-scenes prep, or sneak previews of planned activities, builds anticipation.
• Pre-Populated Event Feeds: Before attendees even arrive, the Guidebook app feed is already filled with content — from pre-event messages to early photos — encouraging users to jump in.

During the Event

• Interactive Photo Challenges: Attendees are invited to complete photo challenges, like taking a selfie with someone they’ve never met. This encourages attendees to engage with one another and strengthens interpersonal connections.
• Live Event Screens: Photos shared by attendees during the day are displayed on screens around the event space, fostering a sense of shared experience and encouraging more attendees to contribute.

“We have professional videographers and photographers, but nothing replaces the authenticity of someone taking their own picture, writing their own caption, and putting it up for people to see,” Suzanne explained.

Post-Event

• Storytelling and Reflection: After the event, Suzanne’s team follows up with attendees, encouraging them to share stories and personal takeaways. These reflections often highlight moments of connection and learning.
• Photo Libraries and Recaps: Suzanne shared how her team compiles all the event photos, participant selfies, and behind-the-scenes shots into one centralized album. This not only preserves memories but also encourages people to relive the experience.

“It’s emotional to relive some of these moments,” Suzanne noted, comparing it to the nostalgia of seeing old photos resurface on social media.

Blending Digital and Physical Experiences

Suzanne stressed the importance of blurring the line between the digital and physical experience. While physical events have their own power, digital tools like Guidebook can enhance the experience by giving attendees access to information, offering interactive elements like polling or live Q&As, and sharing content in real time.

“The digital experience elevates the in-person connections,” Suzanne explained. “It’s really hard to draw a line, because everybody is using their phones all the time. We might as well get the information we want them to have right in front of them.”

From Wi-Fi passwords to real-time updates, the goal is to make every piece of information accessible and convenient.

“We don’t handhold people through everything anymore. We push them to the app, and once they’re in, they see all the great things happening,” Suzanne noted.

Lasting Impact on Company Culture

For Kennedy Jenks, internal events aren’t just “nice-to-haves” — they’re a critical part of how they build community and sustain a strong company culture.

“This is one of the reasons people love working here. We have great people doing great work, and we’re able to showcase it and celebrate it,” Suzanne said.

The connections made at these events don’t end when people return to their desks. Instead, Suzanne’s team captures those moments and finds creative ways to bring them back into the company’s everyday work. From showcasing project wins to sharing internal event photos in company communications, these moments stay fresh in people’s minds long after the event. To further encourage connection, Kennedy Jenks asks attendees to submit "Tech X Takeaways" — key insights or personal reflections from the event. This ongoing storytelling effort ensures that the event’s lessons live on, even after everyone has gone home.

Looking Ahead

As Suzanne and her team plan for future events, they’re focused on continuing to evolve their event strategy, incorporating more attendee-driven content, and leveraging Guidebook's tools to create more personal and interactive experiences. Here’s how they plan to evolve:

• Empowering More Team Members: Encouraging more employees to contribute to the event experience.
• Tapping into Personalization: Leveraging Guidebook features like personalized itineraries and event details to further tailor the experience.
• Building on Feedback: Post-event feedback is essential to ensure each event is better than the last. From tweaking schedules to allocating more time for networking, Suzanne's team is always iterating.

“We want other people to feel involved and feel that ownership over this event. They become our internal influencers, getting people excited about it,” Suzanne explained.

Watch the Full Fireside Chat!

Want to hear all the valuable insights directly from Suzanne Broadbent? Watch the full video linked below to hear her strategies for leveraging Guidebook to drive community engagement, blend digital and physical experiences, and create lasting cultural impact. Access the recording here!