Creating Family-Friendly Events with Chad Collins Co-Founder of Open World Events

Feb 28, 2019

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Chad Collins is the co-founder of Open World Events. They have one of the clearest and best tag lines, “We produce massive family events.” In 2014, they launched, Brick Fest Live which is the #1 touring Lego event in the world and brings hands-on Lego attractions and exhibits. They often have more than 20,000 people show up to each of the shows. They launched Minefaire which is an official Minecraft community event that brings Minecraft players together for an immersive experience. They also have the Young Innovators Fair which is a K-12 STEM Event where attendees explore the latest in science and tech.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:40] Jeremy introduces his guest, Chad Collins.
[3:30] Chad talks about his experience exploring Legos and YouTube with his daughter.
[6:30] How did Chad grow his YouTube channel’s subscription and views?
[11:45] The very first Brick Fest Live event.
[14:10] How did Chad navigate the YouTube channel and working a full-time job?
[16:45] Chad talks about that moment he quit his day job.
[18:20] What was that first event like? What events have they done since then?
[22:10] Where did all the event ideas come from?
[25:50] What led Chad to decide to expand the number of his events?
[29:50] How did Chad connect with his co-founder?
[32:45] Chad talks about the special offering he gave to past event attendees.
[36:00] Inviting YouTube influencers to events.
[38:40] How Chad’s daughter gets involved at events.
[42:30] Chad talks about going to baseball games with his son.
[47:45] Writing a book, block by block.
[57:45] Chad talks about creating ComicCon for kids.

In this episode…

What does it take to create family-friendly events for the public? Can you really build an entire business model off of creating events that cater to kids and families? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from business leader and innovator, Chad Collins. In his conversation with Jeremy, Chad opens up about exploring YouTube with his daughter, what led them to create their own YouTube channel, how he ended up planning large scale family-friendly events, and much more. Don’t miss a minute of this fascinating episode featuring Chad’s story!

Did you know that some of the best ideas are often discovered during the most ordinary tasks? Little did Chad Collins know that playing Legos with his daughter would end up taking him down the path of starting his own business. After Chad had introduced Legos to his daughter, she started exploring YouTube Lego channels. Soon after that, the two created a YouTube channel of their own talking about Legos, unboxing Legos, and engaging with their audience along the way. From that whole experience, Chad noticed that there was an opening in the event space for families like his that wanted a family-friendly event centered on something they loved like Legos.

If you are a parent, you know the struggle of trying to find family-friendly events that everyone can enjoy. There are only so many times that you can take your kid to the local zoo, museum, or park. What do you do when you’ve exhausted all of those options? Looking for a local event that they could take their Lego themed YouTube channel to, Chad discovered that there were none in his area. When they couldn’t find any in-state or nearby events, the idea to create their own event started to germinate in Chad’s mind. Soon, Chad found himself connecting with friends and followers to gauge their interest in a Lego-themed event and then the idea started to become a reality.

When was the last time you worked so hard on a project that ended up better than you could have ever imagined? Most people will never know the wonderful feeling that comes from taking an idea and building it into a functioning business. For eighteen long months, Chad had worked his day job, then after dinner spent time on his YouTube channel, all the while planning his first event. You might be wondering when Chad would sleep; he’s likely still catching up on those missed hours. But all of his hard work paid off, and Chad was able to finally walk into his boss's office one day and say those words that every budding entrepreneur wants to say, “I quit.” What can you learn from Chad’s story?

Do you ever think of what your legacy will be? That might sound a little morbid or pre-mature depending on your age, but the truth is, everyone should consider how they are impacting the world around them, not just in the present. What started as a fun experience with his daughter, Chad has since built it into a thriving business model. They no longer create YouTube videos together, but Chad’s daughter does play an important role in many of their events. As he considers his daughter’s future, Chad is ultimately focused on one thing, helping her succeed.

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