Why a Book About Community Now

Despite a global pandemic, community matters more than ever

I have been writing a book on community called “Community-in-a-Box” and I am getting close to publication. The final edits are in, the proofreading done, and eBook formatting set. I am incredibly excited and nervous to share it with the world later this month.

One question that I have gotten from reviewers is why write about this topic now and why the focus on events? “Community-in-a-Box” is book about the process of launching and growing communities, using events as a catalyst for engagement. As we have collectively experienced this year though, a lot of what we expected from events and communities has racially changed.

Community-in-a-Box is about building and growing engaged professional communities through events

I explain some of the reason why this book is so important now in the book’s introduction. Here then is a preview on some of my thinking about why community matters more than ever and who can benefit from the content I share in my upcoming book. Enjoy!

It is probably a good time to point out that I am writing a book about event-driven communities in a year when the entire world of events has been turned upside down. For good reason, all events and conferences globally have either been cancelled or switched to online to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

With the world still in a state of disruption and uncertainty, why release this book now? Simply because the desire of people to connect never diminishes. In fact, community matters even more during times of extreme duress and hardship. It has been amazing to see the energy and enthusiasm of people finding ways to bring communities together during a time of social distancing.

The Enterprise Sales Forum had the same challenge as every other community. How do we transfer the experience of in-person events to digital engagement? The team experimented with various formats and platforms to find the right mix of engagement and stability, finally settling on Run the World as the online platform for the community.

At some point, the world will beat back the virus. When that happens, people will once again gather together. There may be an easing-in period for the sake of precaution, but there is no denying the fact that the in-person experience will not disappear. If…