The Real Deal on Hosting an Online Summit: What I Learned from My First Experience

One big event. Dozens of speakers. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of new people discovering your brand overnight.

If you’ve ever thought about hosting a summit to grow your audience or build authority, I get it — the idea is tempting. Which is why I gave it a shot.

I mean, how hard could it be?

After all, I build systems and automations for a living. I help coaches and service providers set up the tech in their businesses every single day. So if anyone could pull this off solo, it should’ve been me… right?

Spoiler alert: even for someone who loves a good workflow, hosting a summit alone is a massive undertaking.

The Automagic Summit was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever created — but it also showed me exactly why trying to do everything yourself isn’t a long-term strategy, no matter how capable you are.

So, if you’ve been thinking about whether you should host an online summit to grow your audience or authority, here’s the real story: what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d do differently to make it easier, more strategic, and a lot more sustainable.

Why I Decided to Host an Online Summit

The goal was simple: I wanted to help coaches and other online business owners build smarter systems—the kind that create more time, fewer headaches, and real growth.

There are plenty of summits about visibility, marketing, and mindset but few that focus on the backend—where the actual scalability happens. So I decided to create an event that would teach new coaches and service providers how to automate, organize, and optimize their businesses for real impact.

And that part worked. The summit reached hundreds of people, connected me with incredible speakers, and built an audience of business owners genuinely excited to make changes.

But getting there? That took more time, energy, and tech juggling than I’d expected.

What Worked

The foundation that made everything possible was structure.

Because I run my business on strategy and systems, I treated the summit like a client project — mapped timelines, checklists, automations, speaker deliverables, and all.

That framework kept things moving even while I was traveling in Europe and managing my private clients.

It also gave me space to be creative and collaborative instead of constantly putting out fires. And honestly, that’s what made the event successful.

So yes, you can host an online summit — but only if your systems are solid enough to support it.

What I’d Change (and Why It Matters)

Even with all the planning in the world, there were things I’d absolutely do differently next time.

1. I’d bring in more support earlier.

I could build every landing page, email sequence, and automation myself — but just because I can doesn’t mean I should.

Summits touch every part of your business: marketing, tech, design, scheduling, communication, and more. Even for someone fluent in all those areas, it’s a lot.

So if you’re planning to host an online summit for the first time, give yourself permission to delegate. Whether that’s a VA, a designer, or someone to manage your speakers, getting help means you can stay focused on strategy instead of scrambling with setup.

2. I’d vet speakers like collaborators, not just contributors

Most of my speakers were absolutely incredible—generous, prepared, and genuinely excited to share their expertise. A couple, though, didn’t promote or missed deadlines.

Lesson learned: treat speaker selection like partnership. Look for people who align with your values and will show up fully. Because the success of your event hangs on having the right people involved.

3. I’d give my own sessions the attention they deserved

I recorded a few presentations for the summit, but in all honesty, they didn’t get my best.

Between building pages, managing tech, and serving clients, I treated my own sessions like filler. They were still solid, but not as creative, polished, or high-energy as I wanted them to be. And that’s on me.

Next time, I’ll block time to plan, script, and record my sessions with the same care I’d give a client project. Because as the host, your sessions set the tone. They’re a reflection of your brand—and they deserve more than leftover time and energy.

The Tech Takeaways

Here’s the thing: for an event of this size, the tech went remarkably smoothly.

We had a minor email delay on day one (20 minutes late), a small issue with getting Paypal payments tagged correctly (which I promptly fixed, because of course I was watching everything like a hawk at the beginning!)—but overall, everything ran exactly how it was supposed to.

That’s not luck. It’s systems.

Because I test everything—every trigger, automation, and link—I was able to catch most issues before they ever reached attendees. That’s the kind of prep that keeps a small glitch from snowballing into chaos.

Even well-built automations fail sometimes. The difference is how prepared you are to fix them fast.

The takeaway? When you’re using multiple tools, don’t just assume they’ll play nicely together. Test like crazy. Document your setup. And have a plan for what you’ll do if something goes sideways.

That’s why I document everything — every workflow, every tool, every backup plan. It’s the same principle I teach in The Shortcut: your systems should give you control, not take it away.

Don’t Forget the Post-Summit Strategy

Pulling off a summit is one thing; knowing what to do afterward is another.

Once the dust settles, you’re suddenly responsible for hundreds or thousands of new people on your list—all of whom came in through different speakers, offers, and experiences.

Your job? Keep them around.

I built a plan to nurture those new subscribers through follow-up emails, behind-the-scenes insights, and special offers for my list. But the real key is consistency—showing up right after the event ended, before the momentum faded.

If you’re going to host an online summit, plan for what happens after before you ever go live. The event gets you seen; the follow-up is what makes it profitable.

The Real Lesson

Hosting a summit didn’t just grow my audience; it reinforced what I already know about sustainable business growth.

You need strategy before systems.

You need systems before scaling.

And you need support before you try to do something this big.

Even with the experience, knowledge, and tech skills I already had, the biggest insight was realizing how essential it is to have help. Because yes, the systems matter—but the support is what makes them work.

Thinking About Hosting a Summit (or Any Big Launch)?

If you’re dreaming about running your own summit, launching a new offer, or scaling your coaching business, but the “how” feels overwhelming — that’s where I can help.

Book a free consultation, and we’ll look at your systems, strategy, and support so you can grow your business sustainably — without drowning in tech or to-do lists.