TPC Team
Seven months ago, we had the crazy idea to launch a large-scale festival for our members. It would be the biggest thing we ever hosted. A turning point for The Portfolio Collective where we took everything our members loved about our community and brought that to life in an energising and exciting new format. And we knew it had to happen fast.
Not just because we’re a scaleup and fast is generally the way we do things.
But because it was something our community was hungry for. With so much time spent in virtual spaces, they were ready to collide and collaborate in the real world. They wanted the intimate conversations and exhilarating epiphanies that happen when you bring 100+ smart, diverse and creative people together in a room. They wanted to be inspired by one another and bolster their portfolio careers. And more than anything, they wanted to find their tribe.
The Portfolio Career Festival didn’t just exceed our expectations. It exploded them completely. And though the journey from ideation to the emotional impact of stepping into The Ministry of Sound on the morning of the 13th November was far from a straightforward one, we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“It was such a dynamic space to share insights and connect. I left the festival feeling inspired and excited to carry these insights forward in my work.”
Saori Okada
Everything we love about our community distilled in a day
Many of you reading this will have been to a professional conference before. The format is relatively predictable: a handful of impressive people telling you how to revolutionise whatever it is you do, loads of free swag from companies trying to sell you something and a dash of networking sprinkled somewhere in between.`
We didn’t want to create that experience. And that’s because our members are so profoundly diverse. It’s easy to design an event for 150 finance people or marketing professionals. But when you do it for an eclectic group that spans everything from mentors and founders to tax aficionados, holistic coaches and writers, you need to think a bit differently.
Our goal was to focus on the overarching thread that runs through every one of our members, and that’s a desire to be a successful portfolio professional. And we wanted them to get excited about all the possibilities that lay ahead.
So we did everything we could to get people networking, interacting, connecting and collaborating. We put them in bespoke mini tribes, had them tackle problems together in workshops and we even brought our activity feed to life to forge a space where people could post questions, share ideas and get to know each other better.
No two people at this event did the same things. And everyone was at different stages in their lives and portfolio careers, which inspired some amazing conversations and connections which we’re confident will carry on into the future.
“When you no longer have a day job working for an organisation, it can sometimes be a lonely place. I walked away from the festival highly energised with lots of new connections and some great reminders and inspiration to help me grow my business.”
Christina Taylor
The rapid-fire evolution of The Portfolio Career Festival
Ask any event planner and they’ll tell you that five months is a crazy amount of time to plan, design and host an in-person event for over 100 people – but not an impossible one.
Where many see a tight timeline, we saw an exciting challenge. It started as a few conversations back in May and quickly evolved into a sky’s-the-limit brainstorm session with the team in June where no idea was too out there and nothing was impossible.
Of course, we had to come back down to earth and realise that organising 200 people to go on a walking meeting with Ben Legg probably wasn’t the most feasible concept.
But a collection of expertly curated mini tribes was.
It all came down to what was best for the community. We knew they wanted a renewed sense of belonging and the chance to meet as many interesting people as they could (in fact, it was the biggest driver for 39% of attendees!) and we knew they wanted to strengthen their portfolio careers.
So we designed a day that was all about learning, collaborating and networking as a Collective. And we did it in a way that spoke to a diversity of learning styles, with a mix of panel discussions for people to sit back and take in information and collaborative workshops where you could get more involved. It was all about learning from each other – and that’s the real power of our community.
Don’t worry, this festival is coming back. And it will be even more impactful next time.
Of course, no event is ever perfect. There were so many delightful surprises and learnings that we’ll carry forward as we switch from revelling in the post-event buzz to planning and getting stuck into the next one.
Some of the biggest learnings from the day included:
1. There’s a massive hunger for tribe-building
We knew networking was going to be a focal point, but we didn’t realise how impactful having the curated mini tribes really was. It was a huge icebreaker and it set the tone for the day. Because so many attendees were still new to portfolio work, it allowed them to connect with people they may not have spoken to otherwise, which was a major confidence booster.
We assumed people would want to stick with these tribes all day, which didn’t end up happening. And that’s because people built their own connections in the workshops and speed networking events. Next time, this won’t be a full-day activity, but rather we’ll dedicate more time at the start for the mini tribes to have the most impact and then people can meet one another organically as the day progresses.
2. A night club venue isn’t necessarily the most productive space
But it does provide some pretty cool vibes. And there was a lot of nostalgia for those of us that have been to The Ministry of Sound in a totally different capacity.
We love that the first iteration of this festival was at such an iconic London institution, but next time we’ll look to find a venue that has a bit more light, plenty of charging stations and some quiet nooks for people who need to take calls or meetings.
3. People crave learning from each other
The biggest feedback we got? The workshops were great, but they were way too short. And that’s because attendees wanted to dive into problems together and 30 minutes just wasn’t enough time to do that.
Going forward, we’ll consider how we can reshape our workshops to still provide the in-depth learning our members expect, but in a way that allows them the time to really collaborate, brainstorm and unpack the topics in the most impactful way.
4. The tea was a big hit (and we’ll definitely be bringing it back!)
We’d be amiss to write a whole blog about our festival and leave out some of the biggest stars of the day – the lovely team at Bird and Blend Tea! It was amazing to have such a wide array of tea options, especially with the venue running a bit on the cold side.
5. It’s not just about networking - it’s about charging your portfolio career battery
And that comes from seeing your passions and frustrations reflected back to you in people going on the same journey. We had some amazing panellists sharing their insights and experiences with landing work, personal branding and preparing yourself for the future of portfolio work, and many attendees came out of those talks energised and full of new ideas – some have already channeled that into finding new opportunities (our co-founder Fiona’s wife included)!
“I’ve been in the community for a few years now, and I am still learning so much. The festival was a true accelerator.”
Andy Dougan
A festival by and for the community
Of course, the biggest lesson from the day was that we have a truly amazing community like nothing else out there. We already knew our collective was special, but this proved that point tenfold.
And it’s a takeaway all our attendees had as well, with many posting on LinkedIn afterwards saying how energised and inspired they were by the incredible people they met. We even messages from people who didn’t come and saw the posts, expressing their FOMO and asking us how they could join the next one.
Everything we do is for the community, and by the community, which is why we can’t write this blog without extending a huge thank you to everyone who made this day possible, including:
Our event planner Nicola Twiston Davies who worked expertly behind the scenes to make this event happen.
Our branding partner in crime Alex Pitt who co-designed and co-delivered our personal branding session and was so open and vulnerable on the stage.
Former Head of Content and Community / Community Events Manager at TPC, Lexi Radcliffe-Hart, who returned to facilitate our mainstage panel discussions.
Long-time community member Maria Evans who designed and delivered one of our most intimate workshops on overcoming portfolio career challenges.
All our amazing speakers who provided such thought-provoking insights – Mike Anderson, Mary Agbesanwa, Faris Aranki, Pip Jamieson, Aušrinė Keršanskaitė and TPC’s own Charlie Rogers, Ben Legg and Fiona Chorlton-Voong
Even after the festival was over, there was a flurry of ideas and offers from our members to help us make the next one bigger and better. And we’re excited to build from everything we learned and continue creating these intimate spaces for our members to come together and leave with a renewed sense of purpose.
Don’t worry, we’ll be back with another festival real soon – and if you’re interested in attending our 2025 edition, let us know by registering your interest here – we’ll make sure to keep you in the loop.
Keen to keep networking with our amazing members in the meantime? Come along to our next Community Networking call – you never know who you might meet!
Event photography by Oli Duncanson.
Video footage by Brad Tyler and Sam Kay.
Think this sounds like the right path for you? Come along to our monthly Get started event for new members to find out what a portfolio career could look like and how The Portfolio Collective can help you take those first steps towards professional success – and don’t forget to connect with our community!
