I threw my first 'Unplugged' event

Earlier this year, I made it a goal to host an event for founders in NYC. I didn’t know how it would exactly take shape, but I knew that I loved bringing people together and I wanted more founder friends.

In December, I started hosting weekly ‘second degree dinners’ and quickly built out a network of founder, investor, and creator, friends in the city.

After hosting 20+ dinners, I kept receiving the same feedback.

It’s been so nice to be off my phone for a few hours.

So, last week I hosted the first 'Unplugged Event' for 30+ founders, VCs, and creators.

Ironically, the event coincided with the launch of ‘Friend’ one of the most dystopian (and dumbest) products I’ve seen in a long time. Sadly, I do think people will use it. And I do think our relationships will continue to become more disconnected and fragmented than ever. That is exactly the future I’m aiming to avoid.

All in all the event was a success and will be a staple of the new lifestyle brand & community I am building (more on this soon), but I definitely took away a few learnings…

1) Most people don’t truly realize how much time we spend on our devices. At the start of the event, people had an opportunity (shoutout Opal) to see how much of their lives they spend on their phones. The shock value was real when people learned they were spending dozens of years of their lives on their devices.

2) People are craving IRL connection. Removing them from their devices is a forcing function for that, but the underlying issue is that people are loneliner than ever.

3) If someone spends 2 hours less on their phone per day than their baseline but doesn't use that time effectively, it's worthless. Always set an intention for your time. Relationship building is at the top of the list.

4) The event was fairly small compared to other tech events in NYC. Turns out this was a feature, not a bug. People gave great feedback that sometimes the bigger events feel like speed dating. Here, the tight-knit group made it a lot easier to go deeper with the people around you.

5) Rummikub is still a fan favorite and I will give anyone the work.

In other attendees' words...

"It felt freeing to be disconnected for an extended period of time and to be present in the moment."

"In a world that becomes increasingly digitized, it is so refreshing to find a group of people willing to disconnect and interact face to face."

"I was stressed from a long day of work and felt better after the event as I was able to distract myself with conversation and playing games with others."

“Super refreshing to keep the phones aside and just chat w folks over pool -- vv fun. 3 hours felt like 10 mins and i wish it could go on longer.”

Their biggest piece of feedback? ‘I wish it was longer.’

I think we’re onto something.

Resources

Digital Wellness Coaching: If you’re interested in digital wellness coaching to help you build healthier, more intentional relationships with your technology (either individual or group), feel free to book a call here.

Digital Detox Tools: A free directory of 75+ digital wellness products, software, and services. Access it here.

Accountability Group: I’m creating an accountability group for people who are dedicated to reducing their screen time and building more intentional relationships with technology. It will be paid, but reasonable (gotta have some skin in the game). Reply to this email if you’re interested.

Contact Me: If any of my writing resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. You can reply to this email or DM me on Twitter.

That’s all for this week. Now stop scrolling and go do something great.

Randy