Small Magical Events

INTRODUCTION

My name is David Hieatt. In 2008 I co-founded the DO Lectures. And I had no clue what I was doing.

For half a decade we struggled.

We followed the same dumb broken business model as everyone else.

Then one day I sat down with other small event owners and I learned they were all struggling like crazy too.

"I was playing the wrong game. They were playing the wrong game. And no one is winning."

That was the moment I decided... I MUST LEARN the secrets of the other way.

It would take me another half a decade.

And yet, today we are renowned for running one of the most magical small events in the world. The talks have been viewed over 150 million times. The tickets sell out within hours of them going on sale.

So, what was the big idea that changed everything?

I call it the 'Big Rethink'.

My Learning

3 SECRETS

These will revolutionise how you run your small event.

And those years of struggle can stop.

And the fun can return again. Yay for that.

1. The first secret is to stop copying others.

The big idea is... you are copying a broken business model.

This is important because... it is not working for them. It is not working for you. No matter how good the photos are on Instagram.

The first secret learning is to be more worried about making a reputation than making a margin. Yes, breakeven. But sacrifice your margin and spend it on magic.

This makes sense when you understand the Secret numbers two and three.

2. The second secret is you do not need to get bigger.

There are no 3 Michelin-star restaurants that serve more than 45 people.

They made their reputation with a small number of customers.

So can you.

100 true fans are...more than enough.

They have friends.

If you are remarkable, they become your marketing.

3. The third secret is the money is 'Elsewhere.'

The main thing to understand is your event MUST make a reputation. Sure breakeven. But spend every penny you can on your 100 attendees.

Your job, your only job, is to provide one of the most magical experiences of your entire life.

Spare nothing in that pursuit.

And because you provided one of the most memorable moments of their lives, you have quite rightly earned their trust.

You can now work out how to help your community progress towards its dreams and goals.

This is called 'Specific Knowledge.' Essentially, what do you know that your community need help with?

They will pay you well if you can do that.

In short, this money changes the entire business model.

You leave struggle and go to thrive.

Small Magical Events, April 2023

100 PERSON COHORT

In short, I have turned all this hard-fought learning, into an online course that I call The Secrets of Small Magical Events.

In this I reveal the secrets of the other way of running events. One that works.

The business model that works. That doesn't fight you. That allows you get the fun back.

I don’t want you to take 14 years to learn it the hard way. I want you to jump the learning curve and know the secret sauce within 8 weeks.

I have distilled all our learnings into an 8-step blueprint.

It gives you the entire secret roadmap of how to launch it, how to define it, how to sell it, how to run it, and how to optimise it.

In short, to show you the other way.

To leave that broken business model behind.

And follow a new one that allows you to make a reputation and money.

This course is not for everyone.

This is for those who have decided to run a world-class 100-person event. That is your obsession.

For you, this will be a big investment of both time and money. You know you want to leave this broken business model; you just don’t know how. I want to share my knowledge with you.

The first cohort will start April 2023. It will take place once a year. And it will only ever be a 100-person cohort.

There will be an application process. We want to make sure that this course is the right fit for you...and vice versa.

You will hear back from us within 24 hours after we have spoken to you.

Introducing...

YOUR HOST.

David Hieatt. Bankrupt at 16. Thrown out of college at 18. Joined Saatchi and Saatchi at 21. Had a ball. Left advertising to go back to Wales. Started howies in 1995. Sold it to Timberland. Left. Started The DO Lectures, which was voted one of the top 10 ideas festivals in the world by the Guardian. And, in 2012 started a company making jeans called Hiut Denim in his hometown of Cardigan. A town that used to have Britain’s biggest jeans factory. Its purpose is to get 400 people their jobs back. As of today, it now employs 27 people.

He has built brands from nothing with next to nothing, just by understanding a few basic rules of how to sell his story. He has learned to build his brands without a big marketing budget. One sentence at a time.

DO Wales

THE ORIGIN

Back in 2007, a text message came through to David Hieatt’s phone. It said, simply: “Don’t just stand there, do something!” Dick Dastardly. So we did. That night over dinner, founders Clare and David Hieatt sparked the idea for the DO Lectures. The idea was a simple one. To gather together the world’s DOers, disruptors and changemakers, have them share their hearts and stories, and encourage others to go and DO great things too.

When we first hosted DO Wales we didn’t even have a website. We didn’t think it would happen more than once. And truthfully, the first few years were a struggle. But then, slowly, word got out. Now DO Wales has a global reputation. It’s been voted as one of the leading contemporary events in the world. And instead, the struggle is to fit everybody in.

So now we film the talks. Then we share them with the world. For free. They attract a global audience each day to a cowshed. This means DO Wales is as huge as it is tiny. Each year we welcome just 100 attendees. But the talks have been watched over 150 million times. And yet, despite demand and growing waitlists, we have no plans to expand. The cowshed is not for changing!

And still, we welcome no sponsors or advertisers. That in part is made possible by 100 amazing humans buying a ticket for the event each year. Which then helps others they will never meet. That is the spirit of the DO.

We want to inspire, to unite, and to open hearts and minds. Our aim is simple and ambitious:

To make DO Wales the most magical 100-person event in the world.

Stop When You Hit The Water

THE LOCATION

The first DO Wales event was held at the magical Fforest camp. After a few years, we were able to take it "home". To nurture and sustain it and to be able to host it in the heart of summer when there was a chance the sun would shine.

DO Wales is now held annually on our old dairy farm, on the far edge of west Wales. It is perched on a hill, overlooking Cardigan Bay. From here you can see the end of the River Teifi as it spills out into the Irish Sea.

At best, it’s at least a five-hour drive from London. The instructions are: ‘Leave London. Head west. Stop when you hit water.’ Sounds simple. But really there is no easy way to get here. And when you do arrive, you will know you’ve left your normal world behind. The energy here is calming, grounding. The journey worth the destination.

And yet it is just the start of new horizons. Here, you camp. You share a tent with strangers. You listen to people open up. Share stories about themselves. Tell tales that move and inspire you. You rise early and go to bed late. You see the stars. You dance. You laugh. You cry. You jump in the river or swim in the sea. You hug more people in one weekend than you do in a year. And when you leave you will be exhausted. But also, full.

DO Wales

THE FIRESTARTERS

The main focus of DO Wales is the talks. They are the beacon. So researching and selecting our speakers is the thing we spend most of our time on. Curating the right balance of messages and stories is an art.

And we want to get it just right. The stories told at DO Wales will touch you and test you. They are the lessons you will take home. We hope they will change your life. Give you the courage to follow your dreams and go and DO great things too. That’s stuff we don’t take lightly. So for us, there are no quick or easy picks.

Our speakers cover broad categories. They might bring insight on anything from business to food, technology to wellbeing, adventure to environment. We pick topics that are relevant to today and try to find the people leading the way. Those making a positive difference. We don’t always go for the obvious choices. We seek out the mavericks, the risk takers, those who took an alternative path.

But one thing is certain. All will tell you the story of their lives.

DO Wales

REAL MAGIC MAKERS

We provide the space and the platform. The room for magic to happen. But the magicians at DO Wales are the people who attend. They are as important to DO as the speakers we curate. And often they are just as inspiring and have as many great stories to tell. So we honour the part they play.

DO Wales is consciously capped at 100 attendees. It always will be. We think small and intimate is better. It builds a better community. Plus we can only fit so many in the cowshed.

Over the years the number of people wanting to join us has grown. So now we invite people to apply to attend. We look to gather together a diverse group. People from different backgrounds yet united in their outlook. Because over the course of the weekend, you will get to meet most of the people. You might attend alone. But you will leave feeling like part of the community.

And that community is something we do not control. It is created by a discussion over dinner between two strangers. From a speaker’s call-to-arms. From late-night promises in the gin bar as the world is put to rights. From sharing a swim as the sun emerges. From singing, as the fire turns to embers.

At DO Wales there is magic. And, it’s the community that makes it happen.

The Talks That Changed Us

THE DOERS

The world’s Doers.

Disruptors and change-makers.

Experts and pioneers.

All sharing their stories to encourage you to go and DO amazing things too.

Each year at the DO Lectures we are changed by the talks. Sometimes a little, and sometimes in a big way.

Over the years, we’ve had hundreds of industry leaders, changemakers and entrepreneurs grace our stage and share their insights and ideas. Inspiration comes from all kinds of places and normally when you least expect it, so we've pulled out some of those that have inspired us throughout the years. From the smallest idea to the biggest. Creativity is at the heart of it all.

ONLINE COURSE STARTS: APRIL 21st 2023

The Step-By-Step Guide to Building A Massively Influential Event.

The unspoken truth.

Your small event looks great on Instagram, but you are struggling to keep it going in real life. That's because you're following a broken business model that no one is talking about.

You convince yourself next year will be better, but it never is.

CURRENT STRUGGLES:

Small Magical Events

INTRODUCTION

My Learning

3 SECRETS

Small Magical Events, April 2023

100 PERSON COHORT

"David has genuine expertise in creating world-class events that are designed to be small in scale and massive in impact. But it's his generosity that shines brightest. He has been instrumental in helping our team understand the power of 100."

— DAMON, CONFERENCE ORGANISER

Small Magical Events

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

01

The Secret Sauce Content.

02

Weekly Q+A Zoom Session.

03

The Power of Community.

04

Actionable ‘Done For You’ Frameworks.

05

Condensed, Fine-Tuned, Real-World.

06

Yours For Life.

Small Magical Events

YOUR LEARNINGS:

"Be Narrow. ​​You don’t want to be for most people. Everyone is a lot of people. You are better off meaning a great deal to a few. Pick a small hungry crowd."

The Secret Sauce of Small Magical Events.

8 CORE MODULES:

MODULE 1:

THE BIG RETHINK

MODULE 2:

DEFINE IT

MODULE 3:

THE MAGIC

MODULE 4:

SELL IT

MODULE 5:

BUDGET IT

MODULE 6:

RUN IT

MODULE 7:

AMPLIFY IT

MODULE 8:

THE ELSEWHERE BUSINESS

WHO'S IT FOR?

Introducing...

YOUR HOST.

Our Small Magical Event

DO WALES

Each year, some of the world’s most extraordinary minds join us on our small farm in west Wales. They are at the heart of DO Wales. But the magic here comes from everyone.

DO Wales

THE ORIGIN

Stop When You Hit The Water

THE LOCATION

DO Wales

THE FIRESTARTERS

DO Wales

REAL MAGIC MAKERS

The Talks That Changed Us

THE DOERS

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

What's Next?

PAYMENT PLANS

THE PRO

£3,000

MASTERMIND

£5,000

THE LEGEND

£96,000

"Be Narrow. You don’t want to be for most people. Everyone is a lot of people. You are better off meaning a great deal to a few. Pick a small hungry crowd."