Utopia Experience

What makes a live auction truly successful? How do you create a dynamic experience that keeps donors engaged and excited, ready to raise their paddles? Next Thursday, March 27 - Join us for a LinkedIn Live conversation with Joey Goone and Shannon Eason, CAI, AARE, BAS, PRI an auctioneer who specializes in nonprofit and live event fundraising! ?? March 27 ? 2 pm CST ?? Right here on LinkedIn Live! If you're a nonprofit organizer, event planner, aspiring auctioneer, or fundraising professional, this is a session you don’t want to miss! #AuctionFundraising #NonprofitEvents #EventProduction #LiveAuctions #FundraisingSuccess #LinkedInLive

Our creative team recently produced this powerful video that premiered at the?Party with a Purpose?evening celebration! Rung for Women?is a nonprofit career accelerator for women that offers career coaching, training, financial education, and wellness amenities that include grab-and-go meals, child watch, and a health clinic at no cost.? Watch the video to get immersed into their impact.

Are you hitting the mark with your events? Check out these 16 ways to nail it. If you find this helpful, repost it. If you have something to add, drop your thoughts below. ??

Last week, we had the honor of producing the Lightbridge Academy Annual Conference: Lighting the Way to Next-Level Growth. ? After months and months of planning, it was incredible to see everything come together! Huge shoutout to Sara McCue, CFE and Allyson Armellino from the Lightbridge team.. two absolute rockstars. They put their hearts into this event, juggling countless emails, phone calls, and meetings to make sure every detail was perfect. Their energy, patience, and ability to roll with the punches made all the difference, and we couldn’t have asked for better partners in this process. ?? And of course, a big thank you to the vendors and partners who helped make it happen: ?? Venue → MGM National Harbor ??? Registration & Event website → Cvent ?? Pipe & Drape → Quest Events ?? Photographer → Cynthia Cephas ?? Event planning & Video Production → Utopia Experience ?? Keynote Speakers → Don Yaeger & Rashmi Airan ?? Photobooth → FOCUS'D Photobooth ?? Nonprofit Partner → Spread The Joy Foundation #LightingTheWay #LAC2025 #AnnualConference #MeetingPlanning #EventProfs

If you're organizing an event with sponsors, you're likely offering the traditional perks: logo placement, exhibitor booths, and event page mentions. ?? But are you maximizing the value of your sponsorship packages? In this video, Jordan Stack shares creative sponsorship ideas that go beyond the basics and give sponsors a reason to say yes year after year.

We've had the privilege of partnering with Whitfield School for several years now, and we just wrapped up producing their 2025 Green & White Gala! A huge shoutout to Shannon Eason, CAI, AARE, BAS, PRI from Everything Gala LLC, she brought the energy and got those paddles flying for The Whitfield Fund. ?? And that green lighting against the white pipe and drape? Stunning. ?? #Auction #EventProduction #FundraisingGala

Words are hard. ?? Every couple of months, we host a content day in our studio, so we thought, why not share some of the best #bloopers? Hope it gives you a chuckle!

Last weekend we produced the?Beats & Bids Auction! This was our 4th year partnering with the Forsyth team.??? It’s always amazing to watch their community come together and show up in such a big way. This year was no exception because they EXCEEDED their fundraising goal!! A huge thank you to Forsyth for trusting us again, and to everyone who played a part in making the night so special. Nonprofit:?Forsyth School Venue:?The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis Auctioneer:?Gabriel Butu Bidding Platform:?OneCause Audiovisual & Video Production:?Utopia Experience

Are Your Events Truly Engaging, or Just Going Through the Motions? Join us for a LinkedIn Live with Utopia Experience's Joey Goone and Matthew Homann, founder of Filament and inventor of Thinksgiving, for a LinkedIn Live conversation on reinventing meetings and events that foster meaningful connections. If you're an event organizer, nonprofit professional, or meeting planner, this session will give you fresh ideas to rethink how you bring people together. Tune in live this Thursday, February 27th at 12:30 CST and elevate your event conversations!