The Summit is the way.

It's not for me to decide whether the first-ever Speakery Summit was a success. Only the delegates and speakers can voice an opinion on that. Was it what I wanted it to be? Most certainly, yes. Am I sad it's over, and we've all returned home? Again, very much so, yes.

I'll leave my guests to comment and report back with their findings. What I'd like to share here are a few behind-the-scenes anecdotes—making-of moments, if you will.

The Obstacle Was The Way.

It's no secret that I've stumbled upon stoicism. I'm an angry man trying to keep his inner diva in check. Ryan Holiday was my entry-level drug to the world of Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. His book The Obstacle Is The Way changed my life and, indirectly, helped make the Speakery Summit possible. Many people doubted the Summit was possible; the location was too remote, small, and difficult to reach. It was also considered too Bavarian. But this was what made the Summit special. Everyone who was there wanted to be there. It was challenging to get there. The obstacles to taking part became part of taking part. All of the obstacles became the way.

We few, we happy few.

Intimacy is the currency of Speakery. I made the decision to keep things small. As much as I want speakers to get out of the Green Room, I want delegates to be allowed access to behind-the-scenes. I have a note somewhere, a scribble, that simply says, "A conference in the green room". That's what I was going for. I will continue to focus on that goal. People who ask me how I want to scale it neither understand me nor how working intimately with people works. We will forever be the happy few from the first-ever Summit. Those who didn't grab a ticket will forever think themselves accursed they were not (t)here.

The longest keynote in the world.

I don't know how to programme an event. I'm not an event person. I've been working behind the scenes of events to understand what works and what doesn't. What I can do, however, is write keynotes and performances. So I decided to write a two-day performance with a cast of experts. Julia Hobsbawm , Emma Nelson , Sam McAlister , Milka Loff Fernandes , Magdalena Rogl , Rishi Dastidar , Sebastian Weber , Cristina do Rego, Tim Plester , Florian Michael W. and Vimal Panalickal all covered aspects of Translating Complexity I never could, and the Wandl Boutique Conference House & Hotel provided the surprises and dabs of Bavarian colour. It was a keynote that lasted two days with a cast of many, including Alpine Horns, Hansi and Michi on their accordions, the Mayor of Ruhpolding, and a flock of disinterested sheep. There was even a surprise guest – Chris Nelson from the BBC!

Trust.

The Speakery Summit was only possible with people trusting me. In return, I had to relinquish control and trust that people would do what they'd promised. This was super hard for me. But it worked. The Summit is nothing without the hard work of the magnificent Wandl team and Vincent Fricke and team. I slept better by focusing on the stuff I'm good at (cutting out triangles) and letting Monika Harlinghausen-Smith , Vincent and Daniela do what they do best. The results were better, too.

The Peak.

I'd like to finish up with a little story. We'd packed up, slept, and set off back to Munich, leaving Wandl and the Summit behind us. I've chosen "Peak of Public Speaking" because it sums up both the feeling of joy of being on the top and the sadness (and dopamine slump) when you have to come back down, review what you've done, and start the process again. I'm tired, and so is Mrs Brown. I'm driving the transporter with everything in it, and Bernadette Brown follows me in her mini.

About twenty minutes into the drive, we reach Chimsee. I'm listening to Bayern Eins on the radio, and I guess Berni is too. They play Bohemian Rhapsody. I'm singing along loudly, tears running down my face, and emotions just pouring out – nearly a year's work has come to an end. Queen reaches the Wayne World's part of the song, and I look into the rearview mirror to see Berni headbanging and singing at the top of her voice. Then "Big In Japan" by Alphaville cuts off the final "Anyway the wind blows". Bastards.

And it's over.

The end.

Until next year.

If you were there, thank you.

You can find more photos and testimonials from people who were at SpeakerySummit.com