Chuck and Stephanie with the

The LinkedIn Live Summer Edition Lotus!

LinkedIn Live Raleigh Summer Edition was held this past Tuesday, July 14 at the RBC Center in Raleigh.  To say it was our best LinkedIn Live ever could possibly be a phenomenal understatement.

Everything about LinkedIn Live that Steph and I and our friends have worked to put together over the past two years was evident that night.

Compuware, our title sponsor, secured the Arena Club at the RBC Center (where the Carolina Hurricanes play hockey!) and as a result we blew open registration, allowing more than 400 people to attend.

Pay it Forward was all around too, with over $3000 in door prizes - including two round trip tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines flies and a luxury beachfront condo vacation for three days and two nights in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.

Our sponsors - iContact, Select Group, Yellow Wood Group, Extrensic and Hosted Solutions were more than generous and Noah Broswell provided the race car you see above, complete with special LinkedIn Live signage!

Our local NBC affiliate - NBC17 was on hand to cover the event - something I have not done since the first LI Live in 2007.  I believe these events are not about me and what I do, but rather our way of giving back to the community and paying it forward.  Therefore, I have stayed away from outside publicity - a rare occasion for me as a PR guy.

Which brings me to a point I want to make here.  My book talks about “putting the social back in social media” and “treating your connections like they’re standing right in front of you.”  LinkedIn Live is my way of walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

LinkedIn Live Raleigh, for many of us, is about connecting with people we have met online - through LinkedIn or Twitter or Facebook and finding ways to connect in person and help one another.

It is about community.  Being part of it, nuturing it, and helping others grow within it.

I am very proud - not of my accomplishments - but of the extraordinary people who have surrounded me at LinkedIn Live.

I often joke about LinkedIn Live being me, Stephanie and 300 of our closest friends.  In a way that’s really true.

Thanks to all our sponsors and door prize donors, and especially to all of those who have participated.  It’s been quite a ride, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

As I mentioned in my last post, $500 in cash was handed out to two people - who must now Pay it Forward to others then report back to our next meeting in July.

A special thanks to Greg Bennett and company for donating the cash!

Thanks too, to our title sponsors iContact, Hosted Solutions and The Select Group. GREATLY appreciate your continued support!

Speaking of July, our next meeting will mark the one year anniversary of LinkedIn Live Raleigh. Hard to believe!

We are truly amazed at the number of people that continually show up each time, and how this event has impacted so many of us. Jobs, business deals, new friendships - all as a result of meeting at LI Live.

Stay tuned for some exciting news about LI Live VII - the 1st Anniversary Celebration.

As always, if your interested in sponsoring, providing a great door prize or just attending, feel free to comment below or contact me directly at chuck@icontact.com

Remember, dig your well before your thirsty and always treat your connections like they’re standing right in front of you.

Until next time:

Stay well and stay connected.

Chuck

The buzz was so significant after the event that the sponsorships for the May event are already secured!

This truly has become a passion for me and Stephanie as we bring people together to help each other in business and in life. What an awesome feeling to give it back after receiving blessings from friends and even total strangers for many years.

Thanks again to iContact, Preation, Select Group and FeatureTel for making the event possible.

One quick related story:

A very good friend of mine found out the day before LI Live 5 that his company was shutting down the branch office he ran in Raleigh - no warning just BOOM out of a job!

The outpouring of support for him was amazing - with friends offering to connect him to job potentials and other projects - in less than a day!

Erik is one of my “Power 5″ a group of guys that are closely linked in both business and spirit - the type that you can call in the middle of the night and they would not hesitate to help - no matter what the circumstances. He felt that power this week, as we worked to bring some good out of a bad situation.

While he’s not landed yet, he’s on his way, and I truly believe it’s because of the power of Paying it Forward that he’s doing so.

I leave you - still glowing from an amazing event - with this thought:

If you were in a tough situation and needed help, could you pick up the phone and call 4 other people knowing they would be there in a heartbeat to help?

More importantly - can you say that you are the person ready to answer that call?

Continue to pay it forward,

Chuck

We have received more than $1500 in door prizes from very generous supporters - and RSVPs top 175!

One of my favorite “giveaways” is a pay it forward door prize - this time two $50 Best Buy gift cards. One person will win both - with the caveat that they must give one away (pay it forward) to someone that is not a relative or close friend. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!

I am truly blessed by an amazing network on LinkedIn - and my local connections are fantastic individuals who truly care about each other.

When I get a chance to breathe after the event, I will post pictures and a report on how it all went.

In the meantime, keep paying it forward!

Chuck