4 essentials for a good event

Hey everybody,

I’m not usually a conference person. I get anxiety about big unstructured events, even when I’m putting them on. 

But when an event really works, I leave super inspired by the connections I make with people. 

So, for the HoldCo Conference this year, my team and I have been thinking about what makes an event great.

Here’s my thesis:

Any event where the goal is to learn or improve yourself — whether it's a dinner, a meeting, or a whole conference — has four super essential things: guests, focus, venue, and speakers.

Let me lay it out. 

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Great events are full of people you want to hang out with. 

This is one of the reasons I don’t like going to mega-conferences. There are so many people that everybody is basically anonymous. 

But when the guest list is small (or highly curated), the conversations get more interesting. People have things in common. They’ve faced the same problems, and maybe solved them in different ways. Even if you’re at different stages of life, you’re more familiar with the path everybody’s on.

It’s just more fun.

→ What we’re doing: Pretty much everybody at HoldCo Conference is a business owner or multi-business owner. Everybody is trying to excel in business, whether they’re just starting out or own dozens of companies.

The event needs to be organized around the right topics. 

I don’t mean that every conversation has to be structured. But you want to be focused on things that actually matter to the people there. 

Because when the right topics meet the right people, sparks fly. You get a discussion that actually matters. You get disagreements, new perspectives, and a deeper understanding all around.

→ What we’re doing: All our programming is designed to help business leaders make smart decisions and learn from each other’s experience. Last year we had speakers on everything from structure, to media, to acquisitions, to legacy (if you’re interested, my team built a free email course from last year’s talks).

You need a space that aligns with what you’re trying to do. 

Some events need small table dinners for deeper conversation; others need casual cafeteria-style for mixing and mingling. 

Do you need big conference halls for keynotes? Workshop space for breakouts? Group activities, skiing, massages? (Okay, I’m biased on this one.)

The spaces you’re in shape how you act and feel more than you realize. Even the aesthetics make a difference. Are you going for luxury vacation or locked-in work?

→ What we’re doing: Last year we hosted HCC at Sundance Resort in Utah, and people went crazy for it. So we’re back. Skiing, spa, incredible food — tickets is all-inclusive (plus you can get spouse tickets at a steep discount).

This is arguably the hardest one. 

It’s related to #2 (the right focus), but not quite the same: because the right topics in the wrong hands can kill the energy in the room. 

You want people with interesting stories. Strong opinions. People who have climbed mountains, and know how to tell the story in a way that matters.

The right speaker is an instigator for everybody else to have great conversations too.

→ What we’re doing: Last year’s lineup was amazing (check out a few here), but since we’re a repeat customer conference, we need fresh faces. 

We’ve announced a few names so far, but I’d love to hear from you:

Who do you think would be a great speaker? 

Do you know someone with a unique take on multi-business ownership, incubation, organization, funding? 

Or someone who sees a ton of transactions or holdco structures, like a CPA or a lawyer who specializes? 

We sourced a ton of great speakers from Twitter last year, so I’d love to find some people who are off the grid and can open up some new horizons. 

If you’ve got a suggestion for us, hit reply and tell us: 

Looking forward to seeing who you think of!

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Thanks for reading!

Michael

P.S. Want a taste of last year’s conference? Here’s a free email sequence, recapping a bunch of talks from HCC2025. You’ll get:

Walker Diebel — The HoldCo Trap

Eric Pacifici — Your Structure Won’t Save You

John Wilson — Media Isn’t About Going Viral

Bryan Rand — The Maximum Leverage Approach

Charlie & James Dolan — Build Wealth, Build Family

Peter Lehrman — What Actually Matters in M&A

Michael Girdley — The Principles for HoldCo Success

Connor Groce — The Fast Track to Empire