Inside the Event: Issue #5
✨ Timely ideas, vendor recs, and little moments of magic in employee experience ✨
💚 June Recap
June was big. Chime’s IPO was what I lived, breathed, dreamt about, and thought about nonstop the last few months—and then I jetted off on PTO. Truly wild timing… my redeye flight took off the night of the IPO. 🤪 I’m just so glad it wasn’t the night before!
While I didn’t get to do a full Pride Month and Immigrant Heritage Month recap like I hoped, I really hope you all found moments to celebrate and reflect throughout the month.
I’m planning a separate post on the IPO experience—so many lessons and reflections to share. I honestly thought helping produce Blend’s IPO in 2021 was a once-in-a-career moment. That alone felt lucky and surreal. But to do it twice? Definitely didn’t have that on my bingo card. It was the most detail-oriented, high-stakes project I’ve worked on… and also one of the most rewarding.
Yes, I’m happy to have my brain back and no longer dream of V8 of a deck, swag, or the run-of-show, but I’ll also miss it. 💚
The long 4th of July weekend was all about rest, stillness, and getting my stressed-out cells to chill out a little. 🧘♀️
🍉 Summer Is Here: Fun Ideas for July
A few years ago, we realized summer was already packed with events– so we asked, what if we gave it a name? A theme? Prizes? A beginning and an end?
And then SunChime was born—a summer event series bookended by the summer solstice and fall equinox, filled with joy, creativity, and just the right amount of extra.
☀️ A few ideas if you want to build your own series (even if it starts a little late):
Brand it! Summer of Snacks, Summer of Slack Channels IRL, Summer of Volunteering, Summer of Trivia…
Add an incentive. Raffle prizes, surprise treats, or a grand prize at the end.
Create a passport. Stamp it at each event—physical or digital!
Exclusive swag. Summer-specific giveaways like beach towels, hats, handheld fans, EOS lip balm, water bottles, or water bottle holder/slings always land well.
More July Event Ideas
🧋 Cool Treats:
Boba Bar: Try Gather’s in Chicago or Phin Bar in SF for Vietnamese iced coffee.
Bliss Pops is perfect for those (rare) warm SF days.
⚽ Games & Happy Hour:
Go full summer carnival: dunk tank (!), corn hole, giant Jenga.
Plan-it Entertainment has you covered for outdoor games.
🍦 National Ice Cream Day – July 20
Customize your Donut water cooler to ask: What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Sweet vendor recs:
SF: Smitten
Chicago: The Rainbow Cone (haven’t tried but it looks amazing!)
NYC: Van Leeuwen
😄 Vendor Highlight: Zazzy Machines
I’ve loved working with Zazzy Machines in SF—they bring in all the fun carts: cotton candy, popcorn with a toppings bar, churros, pretzels, and more. You can even customize the carts with your logo or event branding. They’re playful, professional, and a total crowd-pleaser.
🎉 In Other News… AI and Events!
AI is top of mind for… well, everyone. Here’s how I’ve been using ChatGPT in events and employee experience work lately:
✍️ Punny event names + descriptions (because I am not punny and I’ve accepted that)
💡 Creative brainstorm buddy – I share an idea and see what it spits back. It always helps spark more ideas.
🧾 Swag spreadsheets – Give it two lists and ask for duplicates. I love this for last-minute pivot checks.
👒 Hat mockups! I was scrambling for a swag switch for the IPO and ChatGPT helped me generate a mock up for Custom Ink (who, by the way, works 7 days a week—very helpful).
🧭 Org structure, job descriptions, leveling conversations – so useful when thinking through team planning.
Editing this blog! I love writing and write 100% of these blog posts but then I have Chat GPT edit/organize the structure.
I’m also curious how AI might complement onboarding in the future. Always learning. Always exploring.
✨ My Personal Surprise and Delight
A recent moment of joy? I was lucky enough to go on safari in Zimbabwe and South Africa—and I got to watch lion cubs play for like 45 minutes. 🦁
It was such a surprise and an absolute treat. I felt completely in awe of nature—how wild animals coexist, how the system just works. It reminded me how important it is to pause and observe.
✨ That’s it for this month’s Inside the Event! Stay tuned for more ideas, vendors, and inspiration in next month’s edition. Until then—surprise, delight, and take care. 💫