Every time I host a summit, I walk away with a long list of insights—some wins I want to repeat and a few lessons I definitely don’t want to relearn. This event was no different. Here’s a look at what worked really well and what I’ll approach differently the next time around.

What Worked Well

One of my favorite decisions this round was partnering with a single title sponsor. Having one main sponsor allowed us to focus the spotlight and integrate their offer throughout the experience in a meaningful, non-overwhelming way.

I also loved the structure of pre-recording everything in advance—except for the daily wrap-up calls and the Day 3 masterclass. It made everything feel polished and reduced so much stress during the actual event. That said, next time I plan to pre-record everything, even the wrap-ups, to give myself more breathing room during summit week.

The scavenger hunt ended up being a huge hit. Once it was live, participation picked up fast. It created a fun layer of engagement and gave attendees a reason to explore more of the content. One of the challenges even asked for testimonials—and that little addition helped me gather a ton of new ones. It was one of my personal goals for the year, so I was thrilled to see it work so well.

Another major win was collecting questions for the live Q&A call in advance. This gave me a queue of thoughtful questions to work from, and it ensured even those watching on replay could get their questions answered.

Our speakers really brought their A-game. They delivered high-quality, focused trainings that supported the event’s overall promise. It made the summit feel cohesive and valuable from start to finish.

I also can’t say enough good things about running the event through ThriveCart. I loved the flexibility, the customization options, and how easy it was to create upsell paths—right from the main attendee dashboard. We were able to offer upgrades seamlessly and it made for a smooth attendee experience.

One unexpected win was our longer promotional timeline. I used to worry about sending too many emails or promoting too early. This time, with a longer lead-up, everything felt more relaxed—and more effective. It’s actually made me rethink how often we should be emailing over at Summit Host. Playing it safe might be holding us back.

Finally, the survey feedback from both attendees and speakers was incredibly helpful and encouraging. It’s clear that people felt supported, inspired, and genuinely excited about the event.

What I’d Do Differently

As great as the scavenger hunt was, I almost forgot to include it. It ended up being added as an afterthought, even though it had been part of the plan from the beginning. Next time, I’ll prioritize it during the initial setup so it doesn’t slip through the cracks.

Another adjustment I’ll make is to stop recording wrap-up calls the day of the event. I did it this time so I could announce scavenger hunt prize winners while the event was still happening, but it added unnecessary stress to my day. In the future, I’ll pre-record those wrap-ups and send a quick follow-up email or post an update on the video page for things like prize announcements.

One big technical mistake we made was duplicating the free ticket setup before it was fully finished. That led to extra cleanup work on the back end when we started building the paid tickets. We knew better, and we’ll definitely make sure the full setup is complete next time before copying anything.

Looking Ahead

Even with a few bumps, this summit was one of my favorite events I’ve ever hosted.

The structure, the team support, the tools, the feedback—it all came together in a way that made the experience smoother, more fun, and more impactful than ever.

I’ll be taking everything I’ve learned here and applying it to the next round. Because that’s the beauty of summits—they get better every time.

This post is part of my Behind-the-Scenes ThriveCart Summit Series.

Want to see how I used ThriveCart to run my entire summit—from dashboard design to speaker sessions and attendee engagement?
Catch up on the full series below:

1. Why I Decided to Use ThriveCart & What I’m Loving

2. ThriveCart Summit Attendee Dashboard 

3. Organizing the Summit Content in ThriveCart

4. Getting Started Module: First Impressions Matter 

5. Meet Our Team Module: Building Connection Early 

6. Day 1 & Day 2 Modules: Strategy, Layout and Flow

7. Day 3 Module: Closing Strong and Re-Engaging Viewers

8. After the Event Module: Extending the Experience 

9. What Worked Well and What I’d Do Differently Next Time  (you are here) 

10. Final Thoughts: Reflections on Running a Summit with ThriveCart

11. BONUS: Tools I'm Using To Run My ThriveCart Virtual Summit