Putting Event Follow-Up Into Practice

Insights and activities from November’s Joyful Connection Masterclass

November’s Joyful Connection Masterclass picked up where conferences often end. After the handshakes, the shared moments, the influx of new contacts, many people face the same question: What now?

This session shifted the focus from collecting names to cultivating relationships. Co-hosts Yiannis Gavrielides, Rachel Rozen, and Liz Otteson explored how to identify which connections matter most, how to follow up with intention, and how to build rhythms that help relationships grow long after the first exchange.

Every activity was simple to begin, easy to repeat, and crafted to make connection feel natural rather than obligatory.

The A.C.E. Framework – Yiannis Gavrielides

Co-Founder & CEO, Covve

Yiannis leads Covve, a platform designed to help professionals capture and nurture meaningful relationships. With millions of users across the world and clients spanning the U.S. and Europe, Covve is built on a simple belief: strong relationships are a professional advantage, and a personal gift. With a career spanning tech, media, and hospitality, including one of the world’s top 50 bars, Yiannis brings lived experience into every lesson he shares.

His A.C.E. Framework answered a question many feel after networking: Do I follow up with everyone? Yiannis’ answer was clear—no. The real skill is knowing who deserves your next step.

He guided participants through the three categories:

Act
People you owe something to such as a promised resource, introduction, or follow-up.

Collaborate
Contacts where synergy was unmistakable and future work feels possible.

Exchange
Warm human connections you want to keep gently in your orbit. It was a method that replaced overwhelm with clarity. As Yiannis said, “Connecting on LinkedIn is the easy part. This is the part that really matters.”

How to try it yourself:

1. Review your recent contacts in your emails, cards, LinkedIn invites.
2. Sort each one into Act, Collaborate, or Exchange.
3. Add a personal note for future context. Something meaningful you want to remember.

The 3 I’s – Rachel Rozen

Founder, Connection Catalyst

Rachel helps people become known and stay remembered. Her work rests on one conviction: meaningful relationships start with clarity and follow-through. From Fortune 500 executives to university leaders and solo founders, she teaches people how to show up with intention.

Once participants defined who to follow up with, Rachel offered the next step: how to do it. 

Her 3 I’s turned vague outreach into purposeful action.

Introduction
Connect them to someone aligned with their goals.

Information
Share a tool, article, podcast, or resource tailored to their interests.

Invitation
Offer a next step such as a coffee chat, call, event, or community space.

Rachel emphasized that follow-up doesn’t need to be grand. It simply needs to be thoughtful. “Each relationship may call for one or several. Start where you feel the energy.”

How to try it yourself:

1. Choose three people from your A.C.E. list.
2. Assign one of the 3 I’s to each.
3. Get specific. What exactly will you send, connect, or invite them to?

Connection Habits – Liz Otteson

Founder & Community Strategist, co:lab

Liz designs ecosystems where relationships thrive long after the first meeting. She helps leaders shift from one-off engagement to sustainable rhythms of connection, because, at its core, community is a relationship, not a product.

The final question of the session was not who or what, but when. Following up once is easy. Keeping momentum alive is the real work.

Liz introduced Connection Cues: small rituals that make staying in touch feel energizing instead of draining. Whether it’s Follow-Up Fridays, a monthly reminder featuring event photos, or a quick voice note sent during a morning walk, the point is simple: choose something that feels like you.

How to try it yourself:

1. Choose a cadence that fits your life, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly. What’s important is that it works for you and your routine.
2. Decide where the reminder lives. A calendar ping, sticky note, or recurring task.
3. Add joy with a candle, music, or a warm drink to make it a ritual you want to return to.

A Rhythm for Real Connection

• Yiannis showed us how to filter who deserves our attention.
• Rachel clarified what keeps a follow-up meaningful.
• Liz revealed when consistency turns outreach into relationship.

Together, they offered a rhythm for intentional connection that is practical, human, and repeatable. More importantly, they reminded us that follow-up is a choice to care, to be thoughtful with our attention, and to build relationships that last.

Thank you to everyone who joined November’s Joyful Connection Master(mind) class. We look forward to welcoming you in December as we close the year with gratitude and prepare to nurture our relationships with fresh perspective in 2026.