What Makes an Event Community Stick (with Ksenija Polla, CMP, CICE) | Ep. 13

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

• Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE on LinkedIn
• Talley Website
• Eventastic
• Kristin Nagle on LinkedIn

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What makes a global event community actually stick? Host Kristin Nagle asks exactly that to kick things off. Creating a space where people want to connect requires more than just launching a platform. Listeners will find out why forcing engagement never works and what organizers should do instead to build loyalty.

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Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE, brings over three decades of international event experience to the conversation. She explains the essential elements required to build a group that lasts. Ksenija shares why associations are in a great position to facilitate knowledge sharing. She also details the importance of setting basic rules of engagement to keep digital and physical spaces respectful.

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👤 Guest Bio

Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE, is the Director of International Development at Talley, an association management company and professional congress organizer. She holds nearly 30 years of global event experience. Ksenija started her career at a convention bureau in Croatia before spending 27 years with the International Congress and Convention Association in Amsterdam. She specializes in strategic partnerships, multicultural event management, and building long-lasting association communities globally.

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✅ The Event Question

Host Kristin Nagle asks: "You've been a major part of building global event communities. What do you think makes a community actually stick?"

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📌 What You'll Learn

• Fill a specific gap: A community only survives when it solves a distinct problem or meets an actual need for its members.
• Leverage association strengths: Use your organization's unique position to bring peers together for shared experiences and knowledge.
• Let growth happen organically: Avoid forcing engagement or creating portals before there is a natural, member-driven demand.
• Keep the barrier to entry low: Make it incredibly easy for members to join, participate, and interact with one another.
• Set clear guardrails: Establish simple rules of engagement early on to ensure all interactions remain respectful and peaceful.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Question: "If you could live in any TV show or movie, what would it be?"

Answer: Ksenija chose the crime thriller The Blacklist because she is currently binge-watching it with her son, noting that the show's ridiculous premise makes it highly entertaining.